I am writing this blog as a reading task assigned by the head of the Department of English Prof. Dr.Dilip Barad sir.
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Introduction
Doctor Faustus, the tragic protagonist of Christopher Marlowe’s renowned play, stands at the crossroads of human ambition and existential dread. In his famous closing monologue, Faustus is tormented by fear, regret, and the looming certainty of damnation. His anguished cries echo across centuries, embodying the timeless tension between human aspiration and its moral cost. Yet what if this moment were reimagined through the radical lens of Bhagat Singh, the revolutionary thinker and freedom fighter? Singh’s essay "Why I Am an Atheist" offers a contrast a vision of the end not marked by terror, but by acceptance, dignity, and the power of human reason. By merging the philosophical essence of Bhagat Singh’s rationalism with the emotional crescendo of Faustus’s final speech, we can construct a new narrative: one that transforms fear into courage, self-reproach into responsibility, and existential despair into the affirmation of freedom.
This extended essay will delve into how these two thinkers, separated by centuries and cultures, nonetheless converge on questions of mortality, meaning, and the worth of human existence. It will reinterpret Faustus’s last words in light of Bhagat Singh’s atheism and principled bravery, offering a comprehensive exploration of the following themes: the confrontation with death, the acceptance of personal responsibility, the rejection of blind faith, and the preservation of dignity amid oppression. Alongside close textual analysis, historical context, and creative reimagining, this essay proposes how the ending of Doctor Faustus could be transformed into a message of hope rather than despair.
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Historical and Philosophical Background
The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus
Marlowe’s play, written in the late 16th century, centres on doctor John Faustus a scholar dissatisfied with the limitations of conventional knowledge. Eager for more, Faustus makes a pact with Mephistopheles: he trades his soul for twenty-four years of magical power. As the clock ticks down, remorse overtakes him, culminating in a final speech drenched in terror and regret. Faustus’s tragedy arises not merely from his choices, but from his inability to confront their consequences with reason and dignity. His fear is existential an expression of man’s terror before death, the afterlife, and the unknown.
Bhagat Singh and Rationalism
Fast forward to early 20th century India, at the height of British colonial rule. Bhagat Singh emerges as a radical thinker and a fierce advocate of social justice. In prison, Singh composed "Why I Am an Atheist," arguing that authentic belief must not be grounded in fear or superstition. He criticizes the tendency to turn to God in moments of distress, insisting instead upon human agency, rational thought, and moral courage. Facing imminent execution at the hands of the British, Singh maintained his composure, choosing principle over superstition and steadfastly rejecting salvation from any supernatural source.
Facing Death Without Fear
Faustus’s Fearful End
Faustus, at the end of Marlowe’s play, is overcome by panic:
"O lente, lente currite, noctis equi!"
(O, run slowly, slowly, horses of night!)
He pleads with time to stall, to delay the inevitable. His last hope is escape he tries to wriggle free from the fate he once so boldly courted. The terror is palpable; Faustus’s vision narrows as hell approaches, leaving him desperate and alone. His wish for a reprieve, his appeals, signal a man who cannot face death who, even at the end, is enslaved by fear.
Bhagat Singh’s Brave Acceptance
Contrast this to Bhagat Singh, who faced his end with extraordinary calm. In his essay, Singh rejects life after death as unproven and unnecessary, focusing instead on the meaning one creates in life. His courage is not bluster but principle; it arises from the understanding that death is natural and inevitable. Singh writes, essentially:
“I do not fear the end, for I know that death is natural. I will not beg the stars or gods to save me I will meet my end with open eyes and a strong heart.”
Even in his final hours, Singh upheld his ideals, offering a living example of how death can be faced without the crutch of faith or superstition.
Reimagined Faustus
If Faustus were to speak through the philosophy of Bhagat Singh, his last lines would be radically different. There would be no pleading for mercy, no frantic search for escape. Instead, we might hear:
“My time has come. I do not fear the end. Death is a part of life. I wasted precious years seeking power, and now I accept the final hour with eyes open, heart steady, mind clear.”
This new Faustus would offer the audience not horror, but hope a template for facing mortality with human rather than divine comfort.
Responsibility for One’s Actions
Faustus’s Evasion of Responsibility
A key aspect of Faustus’s fall is his constant blaming fate, the devil, and the heavens all serve as convenient scapegoats:
“Cursed be the parents that engendered me! No, Faustus, curse thyself!”
Even in self-accusation, Faustus dilutes responsibility, attributing his downfall to forces beyond his control. This abdication is central to his tragedy the inability to own his choices, to accept his fate as self-created.
Bhagat Singh’s Emphasis on Agency
Bhagat Singh’s philosophy stands in stark contrast. He claims agency as the bedrock of dignity, arguing that to blame God or destiny is to surrender one’s autonomy. In Singh’s view, human beings are accountable for their actions, their beliefs, and their destinies. He writes:
“We are responsible for our own choices. Blaming God or destiny is a way of avoiding responsibility.”
Singh’s refusal to cast himself as a victim gives his story its lasting power. He neither laments nor complains, but asserts his choices as his own.
Reimagined Faustus
How might Faustus’s speech change under the influence of Singh’s thought? Rather than blaming, he would confess with clarity:
“I chose this path. Desiring knowledge and power, I made a deal. I do not hide from what I have done. Let me meet the truth as a man who thinks, not as one who weeps.”
This shift from blame to ownership transforms Faustus’s tragedy into a lesson in integrity.
Rejecting Blind Faith
Faustus’s Desperate Faith
In his final moments, Faustus turns, almost instinctively, to prayer:
“See, see, where Christ’s blood streams in the firmament! One drop would save me!”
Yet this is not faith born of principle it is faith born of panic, a last-ditch attempt at salvation. Faustus does not believe out of conviction, but out of convenience and terror. He is, as Marlowe suggests, a man desperate for rescue, not a man affirming belief.
Bhagat Singh’s Critique of Fear-Based Religion
Singh is particularly scathing about such faith. In "Why I Am an Atheist," he observes that religion, for many, is an escape from fear, rather than a declaration of truth. He writes:
“Faith based on fear is not true belief. People often turn to religion only when they are afraid.”
For Singh, genuine belief must be grounded in reason—not in terror or compulsion. His atheism is not rebellion for its own sake, but a principled stance against self-deception.
Reimagined Faustus
If Faustus embraced Singh’s clarity, his prayer would cease to be a plea for rescue. Instead, he might declare:
“I once believed in magic, then in devils, and now, tempted to believe in God only because I fear hell. But this is not true belief; this is fear. I will not betray reason with last-minute desperation.”
Such a declaration would turn Faustus’s defeat into a statement of intellectual honesty, rejecting comfort in favour of truth.
Dignity in the Face of Oppression
Faustus’s Loss of Freedom
At its heart, Faustus’s tragedy is not merely about a man who makes a pact it's about one who surrenders freedom for pleasure, exchanging autonomy for temporary gain. In doing so, Faustus becomes a slave to forces he once hoped to command. His bargain is a cautionary tale about the cost of surrendering one's liberty for fleeting reward.
Bhagat Singh’s Fight for Freedom
For Bhagat Singh, this issue is central. He sees freedom not just from colonial rule, but from superstition, fear, and self-imposed limitations as essential to human dignity. Singh’s refusal to capitulate, even under threat of death, became an emblem for the independence movement. He writes, implicitly:
“True power lies not in magic or fame, but in the free mind, the thinking heart, and the brave soul.”
Singh’s legacy is the celebration of autonomy, the assertion that dignity comes from thinking and acting freely.
Reimagined Faustus
Channelled through Singh, Faustus’s last reflection would focus on liberty:
“I traded my freedom for pleasure and power, and found myself a slave disguised as a lord. Now, in my final hour, I see: true power is the courage to be free, the integrity to think, and the refusal to bow. My soul is my own, even now.”
This declaration transforms Faustus’s confession into a rallying cry for independence personal and political.
Broader Literary and Political Context
Renaissance Humanism and Modern Rationalism
Doctor Faustus, written during the Renaissance, grapples with the era’s defining dilemmas: the tension between faith and reason, the rise of scientific inquiry, and the fearless pursuit of knowledge. In many ways, Faustus embodies the dangers and promises of Renaissance humanism. Yet Marlowe’s ending reverts to caution; he depicts the audacious seeker as punished, not redeemed.
Bhagat Singh, conversely, is a product of modernity a world shaped by revolution, rationalism, and the fight for self-determination. His thought bridges Eastern and Western traditions, synthesizing the rational scepticism of European Enlightenment with the anti-colonial fervour of Indian nationalism.
Relevance to Contemporary Debates
The dialogue between Faustus and Singh remains urgent. Today, as science expands understanding and individualism challenges tradition, the questions they posed endure: How should we confront death? Can we accept responsibility for our destinies? Is faith a balm, or a barrier to truth? What is the true measure of freedom and dignity?
Creative Reimagining: Faustus’s Speech in the Voice of Bhagat Singh
To bring these ideas to life, imagine Doctor Faustus’s last soliloquy rewritten through the lens of Singh’s philosophy. Instead of a plea for mercy, it becomes a meditation on courage:
"The hours I borrowed have passed. May the night come quickly, for my time is spent. I will not beg the heavens, nor curse the stars.
I chose knowledge over comfort, power over simplicity. The path was mine I walked it awake, and now I stand at its end, awake still.
Fear tempts me to pray. But faith born of fear is not belief, only self-deceit. Shall I, so curious, now betray my mind for hope? No.
Let death approach. Its shadow is not menace, but reminder the measure of a life is not what awaits hereafter, but what is made here, in thought, in deed, in spirit.
I traded freedom for pleasure, dignity for delight. Let that shame be my teacher. For what is nobler: to die unafraid, or to live enslaved?
No devil drags me down. I walk to the end as I began free. Let my last words not be cries, but clarity: death is not defeat, only the completion of a journey travelled by choice.
Farewell, not in terror, but in truth. Let reason light even this darkness. I am my own, until the end."
This monologue, illustrates how Bhagat Singh’s principles reshape Marlowe’s tragedy into a triumph of rationality and self-possession.
Extended Analysis
Psychological Transformation
The most significant change is psychological: terror gives way to acceptance; regret transforms into reflection. Faustus, in the new vision, embraces the end not as annihilation, but as closure to a life consciously lived. There is no bargaining, no blaming only understanding. Fear, the primary driver of his downfall, dissipates in the face of reason.
Philosophical Integration
Singh’s atheism is not nihilistic, but affirming. He locates meaning not in divine judgment, but in human effort and courage. Applied to Faustus, this philosophy reframes the pact with the devil not as a cosmic sin, but as an error of judgment a lesson in overreaching, yet not a condemnation to eternal agony.
Political Implications
Faustus trading freedom for power mirrors, in Singh’s eyes, any surrender to oppression whether of colonial masters, dogma, or internalized fear. Singh’s vision insists that dignity arises from struggle, not submission. Those enslaved by false promises superstition, authority, or desire lose themselves; those who reclaim agency regain humanity.
Literary Legacy
This interpretation does not diminish the emotional impact of Marlowe’s original but deepens it. The audience is invited to grieve not for a man lost to hell, but for one lost to self-doubt and fear. The lesson shifts: tragedy can be redeemed by courage, and seemingly irreversible mistakes can become the grounds for wisdom if faced honestly.
Conclusion
In Marlowe’s telling, Doctor Faustus ends his life in horror, undone by ambition and regret. In the vision shaped by Bhagat Singh, Faustus rises above fear, accepting mortality, acknowledging responsibility, rejecting false comforts, and reclaiming dignity. The intersection of these two perspectives Elizabethan drama and revolutionary rationalism yields a new meaning: that death, approached with reason and courage, becomes not a terror, but a testament.
Singh’s message, forged in the heat of historical struggle, illuminates Faustus’s darkness. It reminds us that in our most desperate moments, we may choose reason over fear, truth over illusion, and courage over guilt. Faustus’s last words, rewritten, are no longer the cries of a broken man, but the declaration of a free soul an enduring message for all who confront the uncertainties of life, death, and meaning.
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