DESIRE in Morte Darthur, Dr. Faustus and Twelfth Night

Desire is a powerful motivator for many characters in literary works. Desire is full of passion, want, need and self-satisfaction. All humans have some form of desire, whether it be for money, knowledge, fame or another individual. But, as seen in the following characters, though some may be able to keep their personal desires under control, many cannot.

In Malory’s Morte Darthur, the character of Lancelot allows his desire for another man’s wife to cloud his judgment and ultimately lead to the ruin of King Arthur’s kingdom and the finale of the Knights of the Round Table. When Lancelot goes to Queen Guinevere’s private quarters while King Arthur is away, he is risking his friendship with the Arthur and the respect of the other knights when he makes that decision. Desire can drive a man (or woman) to do things that they would not normally do. However, in Lancelot’s case, his strong desire for Guinevere ends up with both lovers dead and many other people hurt from their selfish actions.

In Doctor Faustus by Marlowe, Dr. Faustus is shown to be a man who has a strong desire for knowledge. However, this desire is not one that will lead him closer to theology or God, but away from religion and towards the supernatural and magical. Dr. Faustus’ desire is very obsessive, as he shows that he is willing to give his soul to the devil in order to obtain his ultimate desire. His desire is also selfish and prideful, as seen when he boasts to his friends and seeks their appraisal in hopes of gaining great prestige. But Dr. Faustus’ desire is also tainted with wrong reasons and he too pays for his greed in the end.

Also, in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night there is much desire for love between many of the characters. For instance, Orsino’s desire for Olivia seems very passionate and heartfelt. His declarations of love for her are compared to no other and his desire almost turns into a kind of melancholy longing. However, desire is shown to be erratic and distorted, because it turns out that Orsino’s desire really belongs to his true love Viola. So again, desire proves to be short lived if it is aimed at the wrong target, but very satisfying in the end if the right person comes along.
In the scenarios mentioned above, desire turns out to be somewhat disastrous, even fatal. This proves that desire has many faces and is not guaranteed to end “happily ever after” for many. More often than not, these characters’ desires are out of control, proving that desire that is left unrestrained can bring about a world of problems.