Doctor Faustus
Drama
|
Christopher Marlowe
Doctor Faustus Main Text
THE TRAGICAL HISTORY
OF
DOCTOR FAUSTUS
By Christopher Marlowe
.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
THE POPE.
CARDINAL OF LORRAIN.
THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY.
DUKE OF VANHOLT.
FAUSTUS.
VALDES, ] friends to FAUSTUS.
CORNELIUS, ]
WAGNER, servant to FAUSTUS.
Clown.
ROBIN.
RALPH.
Vintner.
Horse-courser.
A Knight.
An Old Man.
Scholars, Friars, and Attendants.
DUCHESS OF VANHOLT
LUCIFER.
BELZEBUB.
MEPHISTOPHILIS.
Good Angel...
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Doctor Faustus Key Facts
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 (1550-166...
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Doctor Faustus Summary
Prologue—Chorus
At the beginning of the play, a character called the Chorus comes on stage. The Chorus is not a specific person in the story, but acts like a narrator. He gives an introduction to the audience. He tells the audience that the play is not about great kings, heroes, or knights. Instead, it is about the life and fate of one man, Doctor Faustus. This means the play will focus on Faustus...
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Doctor Faustus Themes
Pride and Ambition: Faustus is very proud of his knowledge and wants to know more than anyone else. He becomes unhappy with normal subjects and chooses to study magic, hoping it will make him as powerful as God. Like Lucifer, Faustus falls because of his pride. Instead of using his powers for good, he wastes them on silly tricks and showing off. This pride and ambition led him to his tragic death....
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Doctor Faustus Characters
Doctor Faustus – Doctor Faustus is a brilliant scholar. But he wants more knowledge and power. He wants to be powerful like God. He is not happy with normal learning, so he uses magic to become great. But Faustus makes a big mistake by selling his soul to the devil, in exchange for 24 years of unlimited power and knowledge. Even when he gets chances to repent, he does not. In the end, his pride a...
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Doctor Faustus Literary Device
Symbols
The Good Angel – The Good Angel is a spirit who appears on stage. The Good Angel tells Faustus to stop practising magic and return to God. The Good Angel is the symbol of Faustus’s own conscience, which tells him to stay away from sin.
The Evil Angel – The Evil Angel is a spirit who appears on stage. The Evil Angel tells Faustus to continue with black magic and enjoy honour and wealth. Th...
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Doctor Faustus Quotations
“A sound magician is a mighty god.”
Faustus says this. This line shows that Faustus wants to be powerful like God. He is not satisfied with his knowledge. He wants more knowledge and power. This is his pride and high ambition, his tragic flaw.
“O, Faustus, lay that damned book aside.”
The Good Angel tells Faustus to leave magic and pray to God. But Faustus ignores this warning and chooses necroma...
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Notes
Explore 14 detailed notes related to Doctor Faustus. Each note provides in-depth analysis, explanations, and critical insights.