Title: Doctor Faustus.

Full Title: The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.

Playwright: Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)

When Written: Probably in 1592 or 1593

Published: 1604

Genre: Elizabethan Tragedy

Act: 5

Time Setting: Late 1500s

Place Setting: a) Wittenberg, Germany; b) Rome, at the Pope's court; c) The court of Emperor Charles V

Literary Age: Renaissance Period (1550-1660)/Elizabethan Age (1558-1603)

Key Notes

University Wits

The University Wits were a group of young and talented English writers in the late 16th century. They all went to famous universities like Oxford or Cambridge. They wrote plays and poems. They helped make English drama more exciting and powerful. The most famous University Wits were Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe, Thomas Lodge, George Peele, and Thomas Kyd. They came before Shakespeare and helped prepare the way for him and other great writers.