earticle

영어

This study analyzes the motif of magic in Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus (1604, 1616) through Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of carnival and proposes the concept of “carnivalesque heresy.” Carnivalesque heresy refers to a form of cultural tension that temporarily permits heretical thought and forbidden questions through festive laughter, without directly overturning orthodox theology. Focusing on the six key scenes in which festive laughter and heresy operate simultaneously, this paper examines a structure in which festive transgression and doctrinal prohibition coexist. It argues that Doctor Faustus should be re-evaluated as a new form of tragedy in which doctrinal warning and comic parody coexist through the dual mechanism of carnivalesque heresy.