From Heroes to Villains: Deconstructing Masculinity in Marlowe's Plays Doctor Faustus (1604), Tamburlaine (1590), and The Jew of Malta (1592)

Abstract

This study investigates the various ways in which masculinity is portrayed in Christopher Marlowe's plays Doctor Faustus (1604), Tamburlaine (1590), and The Jew of Malta (1592). The connection between gender, power, and morality is the primary emphasis of this examination. To investigate how Marlowe's characters transition from heroes to villains, the research draws on gender studies and psychoanalysis. In doing so, it dissects the cultural and sociological notions that formed what it meant to be a man in early modern English society. Through this study, we learn more about Marlowe's perspective on masculinity and its influence on the way individuals conceptualized gender during the Elizabethan age. According to the findings, the concept of masculinity in Marlowe's writings is multifaceted, subject to change, and intricately connected to the power systems that existed in that era.