Free Essay

2 Representations of Knowledge

In: English and Literature

Submitted By ethanwalker
Words 1073
Pages 5
Ethan Walker
July 26, 2013
EN 205-100
1071 Words
Two Representations of Knowledge Knowledge and how it is represented were huge aspects of cultures during the time period in which both The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus and The Miller’s Tale took place. The authors Christopher Marlowe and Geoffrey Chaucer successfully demonstrate this representation of knowledge in their respected stories. Some of their stories’ characteristics are similar while some are extremely different. Each story contains one character that contributes significantly to the “knowledge is power” idea. Nicholas is the representative of knowledge from The Miller’s Tale, and Dr. Faustus plays the knowledgeable character in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. The similarities of the representations of knowledge in these two stories will be discussed first, and then the difference in those representations will be addressed next in order to compare them completely. First of all, similarities exist between the representations of knowledge in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus and The Miller’s Tale. The first similarity in the way knowledge is symbolized takes place as each character strives for knowledge to start the stories. In The Miller’s Tale Nicholas is studying astrology, but he also is very successful when it comes to love. He went to school at Oxford to further his knowledge and ended up boarding with a carpenter by the name of John and his beautiful wife Alisoun. Nicholas was intending to further his knowledge of schooling, but he also planned to further his knowledge of how to acquire love by seeking the carpenter’s young wife. Similar to the actions of Nicholas, Dr. Faustus had ideas of gaining knowledge as well. Dr. Faustus was extremely hungry for knowledge and it was evident through all the different types of avenues that he chased it. The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus states that Dr. Faustus pursued logic, medicine, law, and religion. He achieved enough knowledge to be qualified for any of these areas of work and was still not quite satisfied. This is what drew him to the idea of magic. It was the only career in which he had yet to master. Dr. Faustus began his quest for supreme knowledge of Magic from that point on. Another similarity shared between these two knowledge hunters is how they each use knowledge for bad or evil purposes in the eyes of society and mainly Christianity. In The Miller’s Tale Nicholas uses his superior knowledge of Christianity and the bible to mislead the carpenter. Knowing the carpenter had little to no knowledge of the bible allowed him to lie about a vision of his that called for a second massive flood to take place. This was obviously supposed to be in relation to the first flood that God told Noah to prepare for with an arc. Nicholas used a bath tub to relate to the arc in his story. This greater knowledge ended up in Alisoun committing adultery. His knowledge of just plain logic even made the carpenter sound like a mad man after he tried to explain his bath tub accident. People heard the carpenter’s elaborate and unlikely story, while Nicholas told them John was wrong. Likewise, Dr. Faustus accomplished power with knowledge by committing a sin in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. Dr. Faustus was enormously interested in gaining knowledge of astronomy and other unreachable understandings. He pursued this knowledge even after the good angel told him that mankind did not need to understand all things in the universe. After going against the will of the angel, Dr. Faustus proceeds to summon devils to help him achieve his goal of infinite knowledge. The devils want him to sell his soul to Lucifer in return for such a gift. Dr. Faustus offers his own deal, and it was accepted by Lucifer. In the end, Dr. Faustus sinned by selling his soul to the devil, while Nicholas displayed his sins of lying and adultery. Next, there is a major difference also included when it came to representing knowledge in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus and The Miller’s Tale. The major difference is undoubtedly how Dr. Faustus and Nicholas ended up. Nicholas finished on top and successful at the end of The Miller’s Tale. He accomplishes this feat by winning the right to be with Alisoun, the carpenter’s wife. His blasphemous story gave him the time he needed to sleep with her and win her love. When the carpenter ran down after falling from the hanging tub the people disregarded everything he said. He was sent away and believed to be crazy in the head. Nicholas took full advantage of this action and pretended not to know what John was talking about. He and Alisoun were then together. Thus, he achieved what he wanted through his superior representation of knowledge. On the other hand, Dr. Faustus did not achieve all he had hoped to. He starts off feeling confident with his decision to sell his soul to the devil in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. He rides in a chariot pulled by dragons all over Europe in search of answers to all his questions. He gains knowledge rapidly at first and is pleased. However he soon begins to doubt his previous decisions. The good and bad angels both try to persuade him with what each thinks are a better way. He never chooses to repent and feels his knowledge is better acquired by leaving his soul with the devil and being destined for hell. Then finally comes the day to join the devil and all the demons of hell. His life is ending and he tries at last to save it as well as his soul, but it is too late for repenting to God. Dr. Faustus is sent to hell and to suffer for eternity. In the end, both did wrongs by chasing knowledge through the eyes of Christians, but Dr. Faustus is seemingly the only one punished. All in all, comparisons clearly exist between Dr. Faustus and Nicholas in their search and use of knowledge. We can see these comparisons through some similarities and differences stated in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus and The Miller’s Tale. Each has an individual perspective of how to represent knowledge. It is certain that knowledge is relative to power in these stories. Knowing all of this can help us to appreciate this time of knowledge dominance and the views of its people.

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