Introduction
In religion, pride is often misunderstood as sin as it gives the individual the false illusion that they do not need God, and people may be subject to punishment. Today, academics recognize that religion may alter the nature of the subconscious mind, directly influencing a person’s perception of reality and belief in one’s power to influence reality via thought. Today, however, there is a growing debate concerning the effect of Christianity on modern society. The current degeneration of contemporary civilization may be a result of the influence of Christianity on society’s perception of reality and the meaning of life. This article explores pride through the lens of Doctor Faustus play, Paradise Lost poetry and Queen Elizabeth I’s Tilbury address. The purpose is to criticize the religious viewpoint of pride as an emotion felt by humans. There is a need to understand how religion influences self-awareness, thought, and the perception of pride, which might be misconstrued as arrogance.
Personal Interpretations
These literary works portray a mistaken view of reality heavily founded on religion, namely the contemporary form of Christianity. Male chauvinism is present in both Paradise Lost and the interpretations of the Queen’s speech, notably in the characterization of the woman as a weak person who brings vice into the realms. Despite the Queen’s assertion, “I shall be your general, judge, and rewarder of all your virtues,” there remains uncertainty (Green 422). In the context of science and philosophy, Milton’s Paradise Lost contains lyrical renderings of some of the most significant scientific, intellectual, and astronomical advancements of his day. The proverb “Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven” raises potentially contentious issues about the nature of God and religious devotion (Milton 171). Paradise Lost emphasizes an external God who has the power to condemn evil doers.
The Fall of Mankind
Paradise Lost is presented as a blank-verse epic poem that relates the biblical story of the Fall of Mankind. The poems are based on the biblical account of when Satan enticed Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and God expelled them from the Garden of Eden forever. In the poems, John Milton builds his plot on account of the Fall in Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, vowing early on to explain God’s methods to humanity. However, he also expands and elaborates the account in many other ways, including narrations of the universe’s origin from cosmic chaos. The epic poem Paradise Lost details the revolt of Satan and the other fallen angels in Heaven, Earth’s and humanity’s creation, and vast swaths of fallen human history.
Psychological Distress from the Monotheistic View
In Doctor Faustus, this monotheistic view of an external God disturbs Faustus. Having challenged the authority of the jealous God in pursuit of illumination. Faustus fears that his pride may cloud his judgment and becomes a victim of mental illness, proclaiming, “The majority of fools who laugh on earth will mourn in hell” (Marlowe 192). Faustus hallucinates, but owing to a misunderstanding of religion, the experience is misinterpreted as God’s punishment. In the play, while Faustus is alone in his study and experimenting with magical incantations, Mephistophilis emerges in the guise of a hideous demon, Mephistophilis. Faustus sends him away, instructing him to return as a friar.
Faustus mistakenly thinks he has found that it is not his conjuring that brings out Mephistophilis, but instead that demons manifest automatically whenever someone curses the Trinity. Faustus sends Mephistophilis back to hell with the agreement that if he is granted twenty-four years of ultimate control, he will sell his soul to Lucifer, although he acknowledges that “Hell is but a state of thought” (Marlowe 392). As a victim of religious doctrine, Faustus suffers these hallucinations due to the terror he was taught. There is consensus among philosophers that the connection between religion and phobias is significant, although it is poorly understood. Specific phobias seem to have a religious component, even though solid religious beliefs might soothe individuals. These phobias often manifest or intensify during a crisis of faith, although they may arise at any moment.
Faustus as a Victim of Fear and Hallucinatory Distress
In Doctor Faustus, Faustus is portrayed as a victim of defying the might of the Gods and intellectual hubris. Faustus needs to be more satisfied with his studies of medicine, law, logic, and religion in the play. His self-image as an adventurer seeking wisdom from the Gods inspires him to resort to the unsafe practices of necromancy and magic. Faustus, however, becomes a victim of his desire for knowledge and begins to have visited.
In this perspective, Doctor Faustus conveys a clear message: the penalty of sin is always greater than its potential advantages, and the redemption of one’s soul is more important than the power to fly, mock the Pope, or summon Helen of Troy. The last soliloquy of Doctor Faustus occurs during his final hour of life, just before his pact with the devil expires, and he is dragged off to spend eternity in hell. At this point, he has refused every chance to repent of his misdeeds and cry out to God for deliverance from everlasting torment.
Later, as Faustus starts to despair in his study, a Good Angel and a Bad Angel approach and urge him to follow their respective counsel. Mephistophilis arrives, and Faust accepts to sign a blood contract with the devil despite several omens that warn him not to make this pact. Later, in his despair, an older man approaches and attempts to convince Faustus to hope for redemption, but Faustus cannot be convinced. He recognizes that it is too late to repent and seek pardon. As the academics go, the clock strikes eleven, and Faustus understands he must sacrifice his soul within one hour. As each clock tick passes, Faustus slips farther and further into despair. As the clock strikes twelve, Faustus is taken to his everlasting damnation by demons who emerge amid thunder and lightning.
The essence of religion, as represented in the Bible, is harshly critical of anyone who challenges the veracity of ideas that threaten spiritual torment. In other circumstances, this dread of the Church may be coupled with a phobia of particular religious behaviors manifesting as a doomsday phobia. A rough definition of a doomsday phobia involves the end of the world. Religious belief may induce or exacerbate doomsday anxieties, especially when faith is questioned. Likewise, Faustus is prone to suffer from death anxieties. In Paradise Lost, the author wrestles with the destiny of humanity, stating, “Ah, why should all mankind, though innocent, be doomed for the sin of one man?” (Milton 147). Death-related phobias are exceedingly prevalent across all cultures and religions. Paradise Lost shows that the Biblical account of the day of judgment and everlasting damnation exacerbates death fears.
People with psychiatric issues are prone to auditory-verbal hallucinations of disturbing voices in professional settings. Understanding that many elements, such as anxiety and despair, contribute to emotional responses to voices is crucial for developing successful psychiatric therapies. According to several theories, facilitation and interference with personal objectives are significant determinants of misery and happiness. This research studied the relationship between voice-related discomfort, the degree to which voices interfere with personal objectives, and the relationship between the pleasantness of voices and the degree to which they assist goals.
Discussion
The religious predisposition of Faustus in “Doctor Faustus” might have triggered irrational dread, leading to a psychiatric breakdown. As humans become sin victims in Paradise Lost, the pride of both men and women is subdued. Women are degraded to be easily controlled, causing men’s downfall. In the Queen’s address, the portrayal of women as weak and undeserving of soldier rank reveals male chauvinism. Significant connections exist between the victims’ pain in the 17th century and modern culture, in which pride is seen as a fault and women are discriminated against.
Origin of Mind Control in Religion
The Roman Empire is the source of the human mind manipulation of believers in an external God who can punish after death and is envious of the pride of seekers of enlightenment. Likely, Constantine the Great’s narcissistic goal for supremacy over the Roman Empire had a more significant influence than expected on the central concept underpinning Christian teachings. By restricting Christian religious practice to the Bible, Constantine the Great changed the social flow of religion to encourage subordination and discourage conciseness. During his reign as Roman emperor, Constantine commanded the Council of Nicaea to collect the theological texts that would form the Bible. The aims were concealed to unify the Church on a particular path.
However, the Council only selects books whose teachings coincide with Constantine’s intentions to be included. They were designed for use by the Bishop of Constantinople in the growing number of churches in this brand-new city (Wessel 233). The lost gospel of Thomas about Jesus’ teachings, for instance, was not integrated into orthodox Christianity. The lost gospel of Thomas provides a means for comprehending an individual’s consciousness and moral drive. In traditional Christianity, the pursuit of virtue is motivated by the desire for eternal life after death. According to Christian doctrine, human life on earth is fleeting, and death is a promotion to glory.
These ideas influence the conventional thinking of believers when in need of support for a near impossibility. In her address, Queen Elizabeth recognizes, “I have always conducted myself in such a manner that, beneath God, I have put my greatest strength and protection,” implying an external God (Green 423). In Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech to the Troops at Tilbury, fear of an invasion by Spain remained prevalent in England throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, particularly given the proximity of the Spanish Armada to England’s borders. Consequently, the elderly Robert Dudley was appointed commander of the land army at Tilbury, on the Thames, to the east of London in Essex. The alleged comments of the Queen during the visit have been recorded throughout history as an act of bravery that spurs soldiers to protect their territory and seems to reference belief in a god outside herself.
However, the gospel of Thomas recounts the problematic teachings of Jesus regarding the contemporary Christian view of heaven and earth. According to Thomas, Heaven and hell exist on earth, and individuals with sufficient knowledge may freely enter their separate realms. Modern Christian theology, which stresses the worship of an external God and the presence of heaven beyond a person’s boundaries, excludes these concepts.
Diverse philosophical approaches to achieving greater conciseness and well-being spawned a divide that was seen as a threat to the Constantine Empire. Historians have demonstrated that the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire began during the reign of Constantine the Great. According to Christian history, Hadrian erected a temple to Aphrodite at the site of Jesus’ execution on Golgotha Hill to discourage Jewish-Christian devotion (Wessel 237). Constantine used this to justify the temple’s destruction, claiming that he was only returning his property. Non-Christians were theoretically subject to various hostile and discriminatory imperial policies that applied to the empire. Non-Christians were subject to these rules because the king ensured obedience to the old ideas. Similar to the crucifixion of Jesus, the empire often threatened the death penalty.
The Enlightened Perspective of Pride as a Virtue
A more enlightened perspective on pride should consider the display of the feeling as the individual’s endeavor to materialize thinking and imagination. Manifestation refers to creating something or bringing an idea to life in this contest. “Manifestation” in psychology mainly refers to using our ideas, emotions, and beliefs to bring something into our physical world. A manifestation is the public display of emotion or feeling or the materialization of something theoretical through the purposeful emotional projections of desire and action. The display of pride in Queen Elizabeth I’s speech should not be interpreted as pride but rather as a spiritual act. In the case of Faustus, such victims must recognize the need for knowledge to alleviate unfounded fear.
In interpreting Paradise Lost, an enlightened interpretation of man’s fall is the awakening of consciousness that resulted in the loss of human innocence. Man became conscious of good and evil and the possibility of evil after the levels of consciousness developed. The final level of consciousness to which sentience exposes the human is known as the unconscious. This consists of thoughts, memories, and instinctual/primitive desires deeply buried within us, far below our conscious awareness. Even though we are unaware of their existence, they influence our behavior considerably. Religion currently uses the power of the subconscious and unconscious states for mind control, which has been detrimental to mental health in some cases.
Conclusion
Pride entails exhilarated pleasure and a sense of accomplishment, which can be mistaken for a vice. Although pride is generally associated with positive social behaviors such as helping others and outward promotion, from the religious perspective, pride might be perceived as a vice that should be punished. In Doctor Faustus, Faustus is a victim of self-doubt rooted in the misperception of pride in seeking enlightenment. Queen Elizabeth I’s sense of pride is equally questioned, particularly from the perspective of the role of women as depicted in Paradise Lost. Religion plays a vital role in the different levels of human consciousness. A more in-depth understanding of the mind and human emotions, such as pride, is critical to improved judgment.
Works Cited
Green, Janet M. “I Myself”: Queen Elizabeth I’s Oration at Tilbury Camp.” The Sixteenth Century Journal 1997: 421–445.
Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus: The B Text. Broadview Press, 2013.
Milton, John. John Milton Paradise Lost. Blackie & Son, Limited, 1895.
Wessel, Susan. “Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, c. 386–450/1 CE.” Oxford Classical Dictionary. 2021.