Is Martin Luther Tragic Because His Arrogance And Scrupulosity Prevents Him From Achieving His Perfection ?

Isaac Atayero

Sir. John Campion

Advanced Placement English Language

01/09/12

Is Martin Luther Tragic Because His Arrogance And Scrupulosity Prevents Him From Achieving His Perfection ?

     In his brilliantly written play, Luther, playwright John Osborne explores the intricate and peculiar life of Martin Luther, the iconic figure behind the Protestant Reformation. Osborne presents Martin Luther as a hopeless tragic, whose arrogance and scrupulosity constantly prevent him from achieving his unrealistic goal of perfection. Luther focuses mainly on the historical character, and his religious experience with God as he attempts to reform the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Luther accidentally establishes the Lutheran faith after he incites the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther is undoubtedly the driving force behind the Reformation and his life , according to Osborne, serves as a witness to Luther’s rebellion . John Osborne, in this play, carefully examines Luther’s personal life and how it inspires Luther’s rebellion against the church. 

        One of the aspects of Martin’s life that Osborne explores is Martin’s aspiration for perfection.   Martin Luther’s idea of perfection is quite idyllic and absolutely unattainable, which frustrates Martin Luther because of the standard of living he sets for himself. Very early on in the play, the audience can note how harshly Luther reprimands himself because of his rather petty sins. Martin’s knowledge of sin could also be one of the reasons why he appears to be overly scrupulous. His understanding of righteousness might not fully be to his advantage because of how it affects his perspective on many topics. Martin’s overly scrupulous ways could also stem from fear , which also contributed to his decision to be a monk .

     Fear caused Martin to become a monk initially, and it seemingly continues to drive him throughout his priestly career. The audience can witness this Martin’s ostensibly strong fear of sins when he makes up sins so he can confess them . The audience can also experience Martin’s scrupulosity when he is about to perform his very first mass. Martin could also be possibly overly scrupulous and arrogant because he does not feel accepted to his father. What makes Martin tragic is his how incontestably he allow his paranoia to rule his life. His meticulously scrupulous behavior and unknowing arrogance causes Martin to lead an incredibly tragic life.

    The audience first notices Martin Luther’s conscientious ways after his father leaves and he has to wait on the other monks while they have their meal . During this scene there is a reader who informs the men of their duties. He said their duties include “to prefer nothing to the love of Christ...to hate your own will”(18). Afterwards the other men confess what they consider to be sins. One of the brother confesses :

   I did leave my cell for the Night Office without the Scapular and had to return for it.

  Which is a deadly infringement of the first degree of humility, that of obedience without

 delay (19).

   While all the other monks chastise themselves, Martin takes it a step further and calls himself “a worm and no man”(19). In this scene it almost seems as though Martin is competing with the other monks to see who is more sinful. Martin quickly becomes a source of ridicule because of his fellow monks become aware of his many “imaginary sins”(27). It did not take long for  “the whole convent knows you’re always making up sins you’ve never committed”(28), which is why “no sensible confessor will have anything to do with” (28) him. Martin’s “over- stimulated conscience”(28) proves to be the reason for his unconscious arrogance and undeniable scrupulosity.Towards the end of Act One-Scene one, Martin even admits that :

       I sought out my master, and he punished me, telling me to fast for two days.

       I have fasted for three , but even so, I can’t tell if the murmurings are really gone (22).

    In this quotation, Martin admits to not only seeking punishment but also doing more than his assigned punishment. Some of Luther’s critics have come to the conclusion that he might be a masochist and enjoys being punished and terrified by his sins . Martin seemingly enjoys “demanding an impossible standard of perfection”(64) from himself and punishing himself when he cannot fulfill his unrealistic goals.  At the beginning of the second scene of the second act, the audience experiences Martin’s paranoia yet again. Martin looks up  and sadly notes “the birds always seem to fly away the moment i come out”(61). Martin is not only overly scrupulous but quite demeaning of his being.

    Martin appears to be either masochistic or depressed during different time periods in the play. Either way it is rather clear to Luther’s audience that he is tormented in some way. Martin Luther, who received a STD in theology,  justifies everything with the bible. Such a man lives with high standards not only for himself but for everyone he encounters. Luther, who is overly scrupulous, believes that he cannot be forgiven even though he is a religious scholar. For Luther, there is no grey area because everything can either be wrong or right.

     Luther’s knowledge of God and sin also causes him to be even more scrupulous. Because of his knowledge of the religious world, Luther is more aware of sins than his fellow brethren. This proves to be more of a curse than a blessing because it causes Luther to become obsessed with sins. It turns out that Martin, as he says, “I am alone...and against myself”(20), because of his profound knowledge on the issue of sin. This causes Martin to become overly scrupulous throughout the play. Throughout the play, Martin struggles because he is not capable “to hate your own will”(18).   

             Martin’s scholarship causes him to believe that God’s truth has to be completely absolute, not leaving a chance for the middle ground. Martin is overly scrupulous because he spends most of his time analyzing and discerning sins no one else can see or understand. Martin even asks Mary when he is praying “Am i the only one to see all this , and suffer”(33). Luther is seemingly overwhelmed with knowledge of sin and cannot hep but look for and find them. Martin does not understand that he is “expected to master”(29) sins and “not be obsessed by them”(29). Martin is blinded so much that he cannot “see what work or merit can come from a heart like mine”(64) .

    Martin is so obsessed with sins that “all i can feel is God’s hatred”(30). His scrupulosity causes Martin to unconsciously accumulate pride and arrogance. Despite all his knowledge, Martin cannot figure out a way to control his strange obsession with sins. By living by such impossible morals, Martin tends to make himself feel superior to others. Luther’s scrupulous ways inspire him to alter and improve the church. Luther’s ability to find evil in seemingly everything prevents him from achieving the goal of righteousness he sets for himself.   

   Martin becomes a priest for the wrong reasons, and this haunts him for the rest of his career . One fateful day, Martin was caught in a thunderstorm and out of fear he prayed to St. Anne to save him , and in return he would become a monk. After this Martin “always talks (acts )as if lightning were just about to strike” (37). Although “he’s a good, and devout monk”(35) , Martin’s initial reasons for becoming a monk are wrong and show how weak Martin’s will is. For example when Martin says his first mass, he begins “running all over with sweat”(26), although he is perfectly prepared to perform the mass. Martin is so paranoid that he asks Brother Weinand, the brother saying the mass with him, “do you think i should shave again ?”(27).

    Brother Weinand  tries to console Martin by telling him that “there  are plenty of priests with dirty ears administering the sacraments”(27) but Martin still feels as though he is “a trough”(31). Martin believes like he cannot be forgiven and is scared he will be damned in hell. Martin seems to see himself to be a sinner ; this further reinforces his indubitable scrupulosity. Martin’s paranoia is so much that it seems as though “every time you break wind they say you rush to a confessor”(28). His over scrupulosity also causes Martin to be a very angry young man. He is angry because he believes that God hates him and refuses to forgive his sins.

     Martin is not able to realize “God isn’t angry with you. It is you who is angry with him” (33) . Fear causes Martin to feel as if he is “living in the Devil’s worm-bag”(29) . Fear causes Martin to feel very vulnerable ; he even says “Security? I don’t feel that ”(63). He feels as though he will be attacked at any moment, like the he was during the lightning accident. It is safe to come to the conclusion that Martin’s scrupulosity has made him a victim of his own vices.

    Martin’s undeniable fear of hell causes him to be depressed and live in fear. Martin’s life seems to be controlled by fear ; even all the good works he performs are out of irrational fear. Another reason why Luther is neurotic and appears very scrupulous and arrogant is because of his father’s treatment of him. Martin’s father is mean to Martin because he does not agree with Martin’s decision to be a monk. From the very beginning of the play Martin Luther’s father, Hans, does not support Luther’s decision to become a monk. Immediately after Luther takes his oath to become a monk, Hans begins to complain saying he does not understand “what made him do it” (17) .

         Hans feels like he is “losing a son”(14) again but this time  to the monastery. Hans has lost two of his sons to plagues which is why he values Martin and sees him as as the promise child. After Martin’s “two brothers died with the plague”(54), Hans put all his hope, love and dedication into raising Martin into the man he has now become. It was a true disappointment to Hans when he  had to give consent to his son’s decision to become a monk, instead of “a Master of Arts, be a lawyer”(50). Martin loves his father , and the audience can see this when he says to his father “You make me sick”(46). But he immediately refutes his previous statement by saying “it isn’t the truth at all”(46) and blaming his previous statement on “drinking too much wine”(46).

       Martin’s love for his father causes him to want to please his father. It annoys and hurts Martin that his father is not supportive of the career path he has decided to take . Likewise, Hans’ love for his son causes him to grieve his son’s decision to become a monk. Hans sees so much potential in Martin and feels that by becoming a monk, Martin was wasting all of that potential. Hans’ rejection of Martin’s decision to join the order is actually reasonable and is driven solely by love. Because “Martin’s a scholar”(15) and “a master of arts!”(15) , Hans wants him to be “a man of stature”(16).

     Martin’s father feels that Martin is capable of so much more, and that he is wasting his talent and time performing priestly duties. Martin’s father is also angry because he believes Martin could provide for him if he pursued a different occupation. Hans sees Luther’s decision to become a monk as Luther’s way of short changing himself. Hans believes Martin is becoming a monk because he was seeking the easy way out and because of his arrogance. Hans is disappointed that Martin became a monk because he was scared, Hans clearly expects more from Martin. During an argument with Martin in Act One, Hans tells Martin:

      You’ve been scared for the good reason that ...you most like to be...

      Like that day... the thunderstorm broke, and you were so piss-scared,

      You lay on the ground and cried to St. Anne because you saw a bit of lightning (53).

       Hans is disappointed that his son let fear drive him since he has “been scared ever since you could get up off your knees and walk”(53). Martin’s father is also annoyed by Martin because he believes Martin is driven solely by arrogance. Martin is also angry at his father because he knows that he gave consent to his monkery because he gave up on him. Martin is sad because he feels his father “gave me up for the dead”(54). The problem with Martin is that he is a perfectionist that cannot achieve the perfection that he imposes upon himself. This causes Martin to appear arrogant to his father and others who encounter him.

  One of the ways that Mr. Osborne shows Luther’s scrupulosity is through Luther’s confessions of sins. It is undeniable that people today will ridicule Luther for what he considers a sin. What is considered to be sinful has definitely evolved from Martin’s time. The problem with Martin is that he is a perfectionist that cannot achieve the perfection that he imposes upon himself. Luther is, indeed, tragic, which is a pity because he has the purest intentions. It is true, in Martin’s case, that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

      However, it is does appear that Martin views himself differently “from the rest of mankind”(12), which would prove that he was arrogant and his scrupulosity causes him to lack faith in himself. The audience witnesses Martin rebuke himself for a series of trivial immoral acts. Another instance where the audience can view Martin’s scrupulosity and arrogance occurs whenever Martin encounters his father. Fear is what makes Luther truly tragic because it determines how Luther perceives many of the events he comes across. Martin Luther in his arrogance and scrupulosity is a testimony to the truth that even the most knowledgeable men are no match for the trap their wisdom creates.