The focus of the present article is to provide a comparative interpretation of the two most powerful characters in literature - Dr. Faustus, the protagonist and a tragic figure of the eponymous tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, and Lord Voldemort – the antagonist and also a justified tragic figure of J. K. Rowling’s worldwide famous Harry Potter fantasy novels.  Readers in all the ages tended to enter into some supernatural unusual enchanted world of dreams. But there is not plenty of such literature that provides not only with magical story but also a good treatment of it. The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus and whole the Harry Potter fiction are a living proof of how even such plotline, medieval in nature,  if treated well can break the ground with huge appreciation of readers all over the world. Both  these works deal with magic and in the case of Faustus and Voldemort, how abuse of it turns  into black magic and brings the havoc of their own accumulated dark power on themselves.  Their avarice for power plunges them into insanity. This paper will attempt a thorough analysis of their rise through black magic and dark power and their ultimate damnation.

The present article is aimed at providing a comparative and relatable analysis of both the dark wizards of the two greatest works of all time. A fresh interpretation will be attempted to support the idea.

The characters of Dr. Faustus and Lord Voldemort, being diverse, have been the focus of scholarly interest since their entry into the literary world. They have been interpreted and analyzed from various points of view. In the article Tom Riddle and the Faustian Pact Canis Sapiens draws interesting parallels between Tom Riddle aka Voldemort and Dr. Faustus, the mythical character by quoting relevant sources from the works. He says: “An important quote that points especially to Tom Riddle’s Faustian credentials is the following: ‘I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have been pushed…’ In many ways, Tom Riddle’s investigation into horcruxes stands in the same relationship to the concept of forbidden knowledge as necromancy and magic do in the works of Goethe and Marlowe.”

Lord Voldemort : Origin of the Dark Sorcerer by Gulshan Balhara traces the life history of the dark wizard degenerating from Tom Marvolo Riddle into Lord Voldemort. Talking of the similarities and disparities between Dr. Faustus and Lord Voldemort, Lilly Eilefsen says: “So far there are many similarities between Faustus and Lord Voldemort. Just like Faustus, Lord Voldemort also studied to the end the things he felt was worth studying, and he too searched for a way to become immortal. And very much like Faustus he sells his soul to become immortal. Instead of bargaining with Lucifer, Lord Voldemort  severs his soul into several pieces. So far they have both chosen the same path in life.”

Faustus’ Pact with Devil for Dark Arts

‘The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus’ is one the most famous Elizabethan tragedies by Christopher Marlowe written around 1592 or 1593. Marlowe based his character on a mythical figure Faust of a German book Faustbuch. Faustus appears as the Symbol of Renaissance spirit of exploration and curiosity of knowledge. The play recounts Faustus’ journey from the heaven of knowledge to his descent into unfathomable hell. It shows how dark arts provide him with power (evil/ dark) which leaves him with nothing but eternal domain in hell. In the beginning, Faustus appears a scholar of Divinity already  enjoying as a renowned scholar in matters of Theology. Planning to move further to explore the realms of knowledge, he considers various disciplines logically, but renounces them one  by one – Logic, medicine, Law, Divinity, though pausing on it for a while but finally renounces it too for it was unacceptable for him to accept the saying of the Bible – “The reward of sin is death.” He makes his final decision to study Necromancy. Necromancy is a kind of black magic or evil practice used to communicate to the dead. Collins Dictionary Dictionary defines necromancy as – “Necromancy is magic that some people believe brings a dead person back to this world so that you can talk to them.” It is simply black magic that one can use to fulfill one’s wishes. Faustus hails his choice – These metaphysics of magicians, And necromantic books are heavenly!

Lines, circles, scenes, letters, and characters; Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires. (58-60) Faustus thus believes himself to gain power by dark magic, he contemplates – “A sound magician is a mighty god: Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity.” But power always demands sacrifices on the part of the seeker. Therefore in order to fulfill his ambition of having pleasure and limitless power, Faustus has to agree to a bargain, a pact in which he bestows his soul to devil (Lucifer) in exchange for the unlimited power and pleasure for 24 years. Faustus was a scholar of renown but his ambition and greed gets the best of him, he at once agrees to sign such a horrible bond with his own blood (which highlights the gravity of his action to be heinous) even without anticipating the, consequences of such a deed. And he even ignores the fact that some day he may regret his choice of condemning 

heaven and choosing hell (which he really does in the end). He relishes his choice again – Had I as many souls as there be stars, I’d give them all for Mephistophilis, By him I’ll be great emperor of the world, And make a bridge through the air, To pass the ocean with a band of men; I’ll join the hills that bind the Afric Shore,  And make that country continent to Spain, And both contributory to my crown… (72-74) Faustus’s ambition for utmost power allures him to black magic and his notorious friends Valdes and Cornelius help him to get fundamental knowledge of necromancy. In this way Faustus makes first use of his knowledge of dark magic by summoning the servant of Lucifer, Mephistophilis, though it is suggested that he comes of his own accord. Black magic provides Faustus with access to all the things he desired. He explores every corner  of Europe and continues to learn roaming more around the world on his dragon chariot. A scholar of renown turns to evil when having the servant in the name of Mephistophilis (who continuously provides with philosophical thoughts about heaven and hell in the play). He begins  to exploit his dark capabilities in torturing and deceiving the innocent. His dark arts affected the  persons directly and indirectly. Indirectly his knowledge of necromancy affects a poor clown whom his servant Wagner tortures into becoming his servant by stealing one of the magic books of Faustus and claiming – “I will teach thee to turn thyself to anything, to a dog, or a cat, or amouse, or a rat, or anything.”

In another scene an ostler Robin together with an innkeeper tries to conjure some magic from one of the books of Faustus in order to get their desired wine by stealing goblet from a wintner, but their attempt fails and they both end up turned into a dog and a monkey by an angry Mephistophilis.

Most severe insult and misuse of the power of magic by Faustus can be seen when he and Mephistophilis ruin the feast of Saint Peter’s Day at the church in Rome. He thinks himself all powerful not to be afraid of God or anything and thus is thrust upon all the curses by the angry Pope and priests. One point noticeable here is that Marlowe skillfully presented this scene with humorous details. This scene was indeed ironical with evil spirit causing menace in the place of God. But the funeral song of friars really proves to be true curse on Faustus for his bad deeds in the last.

After displaying the power of his magic and skills and also taking his revenge on one of the knights in King Charles’ court Faustus’ next victim turns out to be a greedy horse courser whom he befools twice into robbing off his money. Towards the climax though is the most serious crime that Faustus does in fear of the devil and his attendant – the torture of an Old man. The old man whose soul is untouched gets badly tortured by the devils for provoking Faustus for redemption and prayers to god. The old man appears in a sense the symbol of Christ himself to save his soul from ultimate damnation. But pride and power blind him to everything. And finally the play ends as it begins with chorus advising the audience to learn from the tragedy of Faustus and not ‘To practise more than heavenly power permits.’

These concluding words of the chorus in the play addressed to audience seem to be more powerful delving into the intellect of the audience than entertainment provided by Faustus and his tactics.

Lord Voldemort: The Most Evil Wizard for Hundreds and Hundreds of Years

Lord Voldemort is the antagonist of Harry Potter novels, the most powerful and evil villain ever portrayed. In an interview Rowling rightly described him as – “the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years,” adding that he appears a “raging psychopath, devoid of the normal human responses to other people’s suffering.” Lord Voldemort is a nickname that Tom Marvollo Riddle styled himself with: ‘You see?’ he whispered. ‘It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my Filthy Muggle Father’s name forever? I, in whose veins run the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother’s side? … I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!’ (Rowling 331)

From his mother’s side he was the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Voldemort is the main villain in the plot, returning in almost every novel assuming on form or the other. Unlike Dr. Faustus Voldemort was a born wizard. Hatred and hunger for power is what defines him since his  childhood. He took pleasure in torturing the innocent, Muggles – the non magical people,  and also the half blood wizards. When he came of age, the fact of being the last descendent of Slytherin overcame and led him to believe that he is a pure blood and thus the most powerful wizard in the history of magic, therefore, he made his sole aim in life – that is, to be that most powerful ruler of the magical world. The weaknesses and fears of people is what he feeds upon and gets strength from: ‘The diary,’ said Riddle. ‘My diary. Little Ginny’s been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes…. Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my own

secrets, to start pouring back into her…’ (Rowling pp. 326-327)

He delved deep into the realms of black magic which was prohibited at Hogwarts and which only worsened him with time. He emerges as all powerful and fearless wizard, killing the innocents for sport. He now reigns the notorious domain of dark power. But the power of Lily Potter’s love (one of the members of the Order of Phoenix – a group of people working to stop him) thwarts this efforts well at once whose son Harry Potter, he finds to be the ‘Chosen One’ of the prophecy against him, destined to kill him. He tries to kill Harry with the killing curse but instead the curse rebounds on him making himself nothing less than a lifeless living thing or a ghost. Voldemort is then forced to live in a hideous existence without a body but still scheming to return and cherishing the gift of dark power he acquired, his sole delight. His words come out through Prof. Quirrell whom he possesses in the first novel, he speaks: ‘There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…’ (Rowling 313) After his many attempts, voldemort again comes to gain mortal power in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This time more than determined to kill the boy who lived: ‘But I want there to be no mistake in anybody’s mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am now going to prove by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, when there is no Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him…’ (Rowling 553) This time Voldemort was determined to justify the knowledge of his black magic by killing Harry Potter but again fails. Voldemort believes that black magic is the only thing that he

bestows to his lineage and only it is which will make him immortal. His magic studies at Hogwarts only prove dangerous as he comes of age acquiring the knowledge of even those darkest regions of magic which is prohibited. His scholarly image at teen age at Hogwarts makes everyone believe that he will someday prove to be a greatest wizard of all time. And hemade his best efforts of it; nobody knew that this belief will certainly hold true but in an evil and dangerous light. He searched the forbidden regions of magic to reach his quest which was how to be the immortal wizard forever and at last found it, the most evil, dark magic ever – the Horcrux. In Harry Potter andthe Half Blood Prince Prof Slughorn, Potions teacher in this  novel, explains Tom Riddle at request (because at this time he was the brightest of students  though he secretly already practiced it) about horcrux: ‘…A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.’ I don’t quite understand how that works, though, sir,’ said Riddle. His voice was carefully controlled, but Harry could sense his excitement. ‘Well, you split your soul, you see,’ said Slughorn, ‘and hide part of it in and object outside the body. Then, even if one’s body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, existence in such a form…’ (Rowling 413)

Horcrux is process of the splitting of one’s soul into parts and hiding it into some object/objects. And Voldemort creates these horcruxes by killing one by one seven people thus severing his soul into seven parts contained in the seven objects owned by those victims. Voldemort always thought himself to be the supreme power, the greatest wizard of all times, that is why the horcruxes he chose were not the ordinary ones; they were the objects of prestige too. He believed that his dark powers have proved his strength and established himself to be the greatest wizard ever after he comes to his bodily form again. His brutality becomes more apparent and every where there is only fear and death, more killing of innocents. His every step was inching toward inhumanity and toward his own damnation too but Destiny works in mysterious way. Love and friendship conquer in the last. It is because of the collective efforts and resourcefulness of the trio and also Dumbledore’s Army that such a dangerous wizard was brought down. Harry Potter and his friends, finally destroy all the parts of his soul contained in those horcruxes tracking them one by one. Though it was not the least easy for such a big task to be undertaken only by the seventeen year old teenagers but with  the help of friends and trust not only all the horcuxes, which were placed in the darkest  abodes, were destroyed but finally Voldemort himself died at the hands of his opponent – ‘the Chosen One’ Harry Potter.

Dr. Faustus and Lord Voldemort both had a disturbed childhood. Faustus belonged to a family of lower birth; he belonged to a poor family as the Faust legends portray him. Lord Voldemort had a rather unusual and troubled one, it started when his mother Merope a witch married a Muggle Tom Riddle Senior, and this union was not natural as Albus Dumbledore indicates in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – ‘… Personally, I am inclined to think that she used a love potion’ (Rowling 179). Left by her husband later she dies in childbirth leaving Voldemort in orphanage. Both Faustus and Voldemort reach the acme of their student life rising as scholars and brightest students ever. And so far both had an air of pride about themselves. They believed that they are the highest of their kind. And finally both turned under the influence of dark magic lured by dark power. Despite many similarities there are dissimilarities too. Dr. Faustus was always in pursuit of knowledge and he continued to gain it even during his black magic learning. He constantly wavered between his decision of selling his soul to devil and returning to God. And in the final act of the play his repentance; the longest soliloquy makes the reader feel sympathy for him. But Voldemort was a born wizard and whatever he did to attain dark power; he did with full knowledge of it without any ambivalence even the minutest thought of it. He commits cruelty beyond limit. And in the end no remorse is there in him, the reader doesn’t feel sympathy but fully justify his end this way.

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