Dr Faustus

chorus presents faustus as an overeacher?

“his waxen wings did mount above his reach”
-classical allusion of icarus adds to interpretation that this is a cautionary tail.
-consolidated by the fact that this is done in chorus form.

faustus praises necromantic books

“necromantic books are heavenly”
-juxtaposes would be shocking to Marlowe’s audience.

faustus explaiing what he will do when he has his powers.

“ill have them fly to India for gold, ransack the ocean for orient pearl”

-ironic due to european colonisaition in the 16th century, establishment of the east india company.

faustus explaining how his different areas of study are becoming boring and not enough for his ambition.

“divinity is basest of the three, unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile.”

-soliloquy sees Faustus condemn the traditional schools of thought, most significantly theological study. shocking to Marlowe’s audience.

-could be seen as a legitimate critique as Faustus embraces humanism

mephitsopheles explaining how faustus’s ritual isnt what actually summoned him.

“for when we hear one rack the name of god”
“we fly in hope to get his glorious soul.”

-enforces the superficiality of the dark arts - it was his sacrilegious thoughts which summoned mephistopheles.

faustus sets out the deal he wants to make with mephistopheles.

“spare him four and twenty years, letting him live in all voluptuousness’”

-contractual, legal nature of the pact sees him request specifically 24 years for seemingly no reason. his hubris leads him to believe that he can achieve everything in only 24 years.

faustus explaining he would do anything for mephastophilis

“had i as many souls as there be stars, id give them all for mephastophilis”

“by him ill be great emperor of the world”

-hyperbole here highlights how depraved a proud male figure could be when given opportunity. slight homoerotic tones.

-mocks expansionist rhetoric of 16th century european powers.

faustus contemplates repentance, however he misunderstands gods love and thinks that faustus is already damned.

“now faustus, must though needs be damned. and canst thou not be saved”

Faustus has a breif moment of anagnorisis, however he misunderstands the forgiving nature of god, and continues to embrace hedonism.

quote from the good angel showing how faustus is still not damned despite his actions

“never too late, if faustus will repent”

-good angel responds to Faustus’ brief anagnorisis, however he rejects the advice of the angel.

faustus’s final lines of the play

“ill burn my books-ah, mephastophilis!”

-Faust’s hamartia and pride can be seen. despite his theological expertise, he misunderstands religious doctrine by believing it is his books which damned him, rather than his own actions.

the lines which conclude the play, showing how faustus has overreached himself.

“to practice more than heavenly power permits”

-denouement chorus acts as a morality warning.

-however, could also be an invitation from marlowe to question the dogmatic order.

faustus demands teat mephastophilis changes, and states he is too ugly.

“thou art too ugly to attend on me”

-1989 RSC mise en scene shows mephistopheles as a bloody, christ like figure.

faustus shows his trust in the devil and his hatred of god

“despair in god and trust in beelzebub”



dramatic irony here as the audience knows the devil is not to be trusted.

faustus talks about how he will build beelzebub religous buildings

“To him ill build an altar and a church”

Faustus’s sacreligious twisting of chrisitan arhitecture is perhaps particularly important due to the 16th century archietectural projects of the renaissance.

faustus talks about how he is willing to sacrifice innocent human life in order to serve beelzebub

“offer lukewarm blood of new-born babes”

Faustus flirts with sacrifice as a means of achieving his hedonistic goals. Links to Enron ‘sacrificing’ california

a sign (possibly from god) written in altin appears on fausts arm in order to warn him of the contract")

-in an aside, what does mephastophiles say in return?

“Homo, fuge!” yet shall not faustus fly”

-the foolishness of Faust is here as he misunderstands a signal from god, despite his apparent knowledge. dramatic irony.

(aside) “Ill fetch him somewhat to delight his mind”

-dramatic asides warns the audience of the power of temptation.

one of the first things that faustus asks for

“let me have a wife, the fairest maid in germany, “

“i am wanton and lascivious and cannot live without a wife”

-misogyny and lust

upon faustus asking mephistopheles for a wife, he makes fun of marriage and says that its pointless.

-this quote also has a homoerotic side to it.

“marriage is but a ceremonial toy. if thou lovest me, think no more of it”

-homoerotic tone
-mephistopheles rejects marriage and embraces hedonism.

quote from the emobidiment of pride, talking about how it hates its parents

“I am pride. I disdain to have any parents”

-rejection of gerontocratic social order
-1989 RSC mise en scene shows sins presented as a group of black clad actors
-2011 version however sees sins presented as an eccentric group of elusive figures, tempting the audience.

quote from covetousness, about how he is willing to sacrifice both people and place for gold.

“I would desire that this house and all the people in it were turned to gold”

quote from lechery that shows how horny it is

“I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton better than an ell of fried stockfish”

as the clock is ticking, faustus panicks

As Fausts pact ends, he calls on god:

. “O god, if thou wilt not have mercy on my soul”

-catharsis through this final solilquoy.
-Apostrophe sees Faustus cry out to god, however he has already damned himself.

Faustus’s humble origins?

“his parents base of stock”

-faustus pushes social mobiliy to unholy limits

faustus relies on others for his evil deeds?

faustus praises his servants, saying “their confrence will be a greater help to me than all my labours”

-Faustus’s hubris leads him to drag other, innocent individuals into his transgression, like skilling.

universitiy scholars view on faustus’s transgression?

-Faustus is a renaissance man in the persuit of new knowledge
-the scholas are a symbol for traditional, conformative education, who refuse Faustus and “inform the rector” instead

faustus rejects god and embraces hedonism

“the god thou servest is thine own appetite”

Faustus embraces 16th century humanism - gustatory connoations of desire and pleasure.

materialism from the evil angel?

good angel asks faustus to “think of heaven and heavenly things”
"while the evil angel asks faustus to “think of honour and wealth”

-ironic as 16th century monarchs colonisied for honour and wealth.

stage direction in which mephistopheles “delight[s]” faustus following the message on his arm from god?

devils enter the stage “giving crowns and rich apparel to faustus and dance and then depart”

-sartorial imagery sees Faustus push the limits of social mobility.

after faustus asks mephistopheles to bring him a wife, what happens?

mephistopheles enters the stage with a devil, dressed like a woman, with fireworks

-homoertoic connoations as the ‘wife’ is simply a devil dressed as a woman.

-haptics of 1989 RSC version sees Faustus get an electric shock each time he attempts to touch the ‘wife’ highlighting the superificial nature of Fausts gains.

comment from faustus after vewing the 7 deadly sins?

O, this feeds my soul!”

-ecophonesis to highlight pleasure

the literalisaton of the metaphor of faustus overeaches himself?

in the second chorus, wagner informs the audience that Faustus has travelled in a chariot “drawn by the strength of york dragons necks”

-concretization of metaphors.

what does faustus do as the aproaches death?

in the fourth chorus, Wagner expresses confusion as Faustus is engaging in “banquet and carouse and swil” despite the fact that he knows he will “die shortly”

-polysyndton here.

marlowe invokes a classical allusion to highlight faustus’s depravity?

-Faustus asks mephistopheles to bring Helen of Troy before him.
-he asks helen to “give me my soul again” and engages in intimacy with her.

-symbol for ‘soul’ here is physical pleasure,rather than repentance, highlight depravity.