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The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the Faust story (Faustus is Latin for Faust), in which a man sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge. On a deeper level, this play shows the decay of a person who chooses material gains (by commanding the devils to suit his desires) over spiritual belief and in doing so, loses his soul. Doctor Faustus was first published in 1604, eleven years after Marlowe's death and at least twelve years after the first performance of the play. Events Rebellion of the Catholic League against King Henry III of France, in revenge for his murder of Duke Henry of Guise. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In general usage a tragedy is a play, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Christopher (Kit) Marlowe (baptised 26 February 1564 – 30 May 1593?) was an English dramatist, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. ... Faust depicted in an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn (circa 1650) Faust or Faustus (the Latin for auspicious or lucky) is the protagonist of a popular German legend in which a mediæval scholar makes a pact with the Devil. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Events January 14 – Hampton Court conference with James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of Puritans September 20 – Capture of Ostend by Spanish forces under Ambrosio Spinola after a three year siege. ...

"No Elizabethan play outside the Shakespeare canon has raised more controversy than Doctor Faustus. There is no agreement concerning the nature of the text and the date of composition...and the centrality of the Faust legend in the history of the Western world precludes any definitive agreement on the interpretation of the play...."^[1]

Performance

The Admiral's Men performed Doctor Faustus 24 times in the three years between Oct. 1594 and Oct. 1597. On Nov. 22, 1602, the Diary of Philip Henslowe records a £4 payment to Samuel Rowley and William Bird for additions to the play, which suggests a revival soon after that date.^[2] This Elizabethan theatrical company was first known as the Lord Howards Men, named after their patron Charles Howard. ... Events February 27 - Henry IV is crowned King of France at Rheims. ... For other uses, see: 1597 (number). ... This page is about the year. ... Philip Henslowe (c 1550 - January 6, 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur. ... Samuel Rowley was a 17th century English dramatist. ...

The powerful effect of the early productions is indicated by the legends that quickly accrued around them. In Histriomastix, his 1632 polemic against the drama, William Prynne records the tale that actual devils once appeared on the stage during a performance of Faustus, "to the great amazement of both the actors and spectators." Some people were allegedly driven mad, "distracted with that fearful sight." John Aubrey recorded a related legend, that Edward Alleyn, lead actor of The Admiral's Men, devoted his later years to charitable endeavors, like the founding of Dulwich College, in direct response to this incident.^[3] The Histriomastix by William Prynne was published in 1632, although it had been in preparation by its author for almost ten years prior to its final printing. ... See also: 1632 (novel) Events February 22 - Galileos Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published July 23 - 300 colonists for New France depart Dieppe November 8 - Wladyslaw IV Waza elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after Zygmunt III Waza death November 16 - Battle of Lützen... William Prynne (1600 - October 24, 1669) was a Puritan opponent of the church policy of Archbishop of Canterbury William Laud. ... John Aubrey. ... Edward Alleyn (September 1, 1566 – November 25, 1626), English actor, was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyns School. ... Dulwich New College buildings. ...

Text

The play may have been entered into the Stationers' Register on Dec. 18, 1592—though the records are confused, and appear to indicate a conflict over the rights to the play. A subsequent Stationers' Register entry, dated Jan. 7, 1601, assigns the play to the bookseller Thomas Bushnell, the publisher of the 1604 first edition. Bushnell transferred his rights to the play to John Wright on Sept. 13, 1610.^[4] The Stationers Register was a journal maintained by the Stationers Company of London. ... Year 1592 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events February 8 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Elizabeth I of England - revolt is quickly crushed February 25 - Robert Devereux beheaded Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China Bad harvest in Russia due to rainy summer Dutch troops drive Portuguese from Málaga Battle of Kinsale, Ireland Births... // Events January 7 - Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean moons of Jupiter. ...

The two versions

Two versions of the play exist:
1) the 1604 quarto, printed by Valentine Simmes for Thomas Law; sometimes termed the A text. The title page attributes the play to "Ch. Marl." A second edition (A2) in 1609, printed by George Eld for John Wright, is merely a reprint of the 1604 text. The text is short for an English Renaissance play, only 1485 lines long. The size of a specific book is measured from the head to tail of the spine, and from edge to edge across the covers. ... Valentine Simmes (flourished 1585 – 1622) was an Elizabethan era and Jacobean era printer; he did business in London, on Adling Hill near Bainards Castle at the sign of the White Swan. ... // Events April 4 – King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 – Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. ...

2) The 1616 quarto, published by John Wright, the enlarged and altered text; sometimes called the B text. This second text was reprinted in 1619, 1620, 1624, 1631, and as late as 1663. Year 1616 (MDCXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events May 13 - Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after having been accused of treason. ... Year 1620 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events January 24 - Alfonso Mendez, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa. ... // Events February 5 - Roger Williams emigrates to Boston. ... Year 1663 (MDCLXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The 1616 version omits 36 lines but adds 676 new lines, making it roughly one third longer than the 1604 version. Among the lines shared by both versions, there are some small but significant changes in wording; for example, “Never too late, if Faustus can repent” in the 1604 text becomes “Never too late, if Faustus will repent” in the 1616 text, a change that offers a very different possibility for Faustus's hope and repentance.

The relationship between the texts is uncertain and many modern editions print both. As an Elizabethan playwright, Marlowe had nothing to do with the publication and had no control over the play in performance, so it was possible for scenes to be dropped or shortened, or for new scenes to be added, so that the resulting publications may be modified versions of the original script.

The 1604 version is believed by most scholars to be closer to the play as originally performed in Marlowe's lifetime, and the 1616 version to be a posthumous adaptation by other hands. However, some disagree, seeing the 1604 version as an abbreviation and the 1616 version as Marlowe's original fuller version.

Comic scenes

In the past, it was assumed that the low comic scenes were additions by other writers. However, most scholars today consider the comedy an integral part of the play, as its pettiness shows the decay of Faustus's ambitions.

Sources

Doctor Faustus is based on an older tale; it is believed to be the first dramatization of the Faust legend. Faust has inspired artistic and cultural works for over four centuries. ...

Some scholars believe that Marlowe developed the story from a popular 1592 translation, commonly called The English Faust Book,^[5] of an earlier, unpreserved, German edition of 1587, which itself may have been influenced by even earlier, equally unpreserved pamphlets in Latin, such as those that likely inspired Jacob Bidermanns treatment of the damnation of the doctor of Paris, Cenodoxus (1602). Whatever the inspiration, the development of Marlowe's play is very faithful to the Faust Book of especially in the way it mixes comedy with tragedy. Year 1592 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1587 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is in need of attention. ... Cenodoxus is one of several mediaeval miracle plays by Jacob Bidermann, an early 17th century German seminarian and prolific playwright. ... This page is about the year. ...

1592 Year 1592 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Play Structure

The play is in blank verse and prose in thirteen scenes (1604) or twenty scenes (1616). Blank verse is largely reserved for the main scenes while prose is used in the comic scenes. Modern texts divide the play into 5 acts; act 5 being the shortest. As in many Elizabethan plays, there is a chorus who does not interact with the other characters but rather provides an introduction and conclusion to the play and gives an introduction to the events that have unfolded at the beginning of some acts. Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. ... Prose is writing distinguished from poetry by its greater variety of rhythm and its closer resemblance to the patterns of everyday speech. ... Events January 14 – Hampton Court conference with James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of Puritans September 20 – Capture of Ostend by Spanish forces under Ambrosio Spinola after a three year siege. ... Year 1616 (MDCXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... In tragic plays of ancient Greece, the chorus (choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek dithyrambs and tragikon drama. ...

Synopsis

Faustus learns necromancy

As a prologue, the Chorus tells us about the type of play Doctor Faustus is. It is not about war or courtly love, but rather about Faustus, who was born of lower class parents. This can be seen as a departure from the Medieval tradition; Faustus holds a lower status than kings and saints, but his story is still worth being told. It gives an introduction to his wisdom and abilities, most notably in divinity which he excels so tremendously that he is awarded a doctorate. During this opening, we also get our first clue to the source of Faustus' downfall. Faustus is likened to the story of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun with his waxen wings and as a result fell to his death when the sun melted the wax. This does indeed clue us to Faustus's end as well as bringing our attention to the idea of hubris (excessive pride) which is represented in the Icarus story.

Faustus comments that he has reached the end of every subject he has studied, for instance, the skill of argumentative attributed to Logic. He dismisses Logic as being a tool for arguing; Medicine as being unvalued unless it allowed raising the dead and immortality; Law as being petty and below him; Divinity as useless because he feels that all humans commit sin, and thus to have sins punishable by death complicates the logic of Divinity. He dismisses it as "What doctrine call you this? Che Sera Sera (What will be, shall be)".

He calls upon his servant Wagner to bring forth Valdes and Cornelius, two famous magicians schooled in the art of Magic. The good angel and the bad angel dispenses their own perspective of his interest in Magic. Though Faustus is momentarily dissuaded, proclaiming "How am I glutted with conceit of this?", he is apparently won over by the possibilities Magic offers to him. Valdes declares that if Faustus devotes himself to Magic, he must vow not to study anything else and points out that great things are indeed possible with someone of Faustus' standing.

Faustus' absence is noted by two scholars who are less accomplished than Faustus himself. They request that Wagner reveal Faustus' present location, a request which Wagner haughtily denies. We can see Wagner as a person who thinks very highly of himself. The two scholars worry about Faustus falling deep into the art of Magic and leave to inform the head of the university.

Faustus summons a devil, under the presence of Lucifer and other devils although Faustus is unaware of it. After creating a circle and speaking and incantation, a devil named Mephistophilis appears before him. Faustus is unable to tolerate the hideous looks of the devil and commands it to change its form to that of a Franciscan friar. It would seem Faustus is either deliberately unwilling or simply unable to see things the way they are. Faustus, in seeing the obedience of the devil (for changing form), takes pride in his skill. He tries to bind the devil to his service but is unable to because Mephistophilis already serves Lucifer, the prince of devils. Mephistophilis also reveals that it was not Faustus's power that summoned him but rather anyone that abjured the scriptures would result in the devil coming to claim one's soul.

Mephistophilis introduces the history of Lucifer and the other devils while indirectly telling Faustus that hell has no circumference and is more of a state of mind than a physical location. Faustus' inquiries into the nature of hell lead to Mephistophilis saying: "Oh Faustus, leave these frivolous demands, which strikes a terror to my fainting soul." Mephistophilis seems to imply that Faustus's questioning has reminded Mephistophilis of his origins.

The pact with Lucifer

Using Mephistophilis as a messenger, Faustus strikes a deal with Lucifer: he is to be allotted twenty-four years of life on Earth, during which time he will have Mephistophilis as his personal servant. At the end he will give his soul over to Lucifer as payment and spend the rest of time as one damned to hell. This deal is to be sealed in Faustus' own blood. Interestingly, at first his blood congeals, leading to second thoughts by Faustus. Mephistophilis brings coals to break the wound open again, and thus Mephistophilis begins his servitude and Faustus his oath. Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (also Mephisto, Mephistophilus, Mephist, Mephy and Mephistophilis as referred to in the original text) is a name given to one of the chief demons of Christian mythology that figure in European literary traditions. ...

Wasting his skills

Faustus begins by learning much about the sciences. He has an interesting debate with Mephistophilis regarding astronomy and the "nine spheres". Two angels, good and bad, appear to Faustus giving him the chance to repent and revoke his oath to Lucifer. This is the largest fault of Faustus throughout the play: he is blind to his own salvation. Though he is told initially by Mephistophilis to "leave these frivolous demands, Which strike a terror to my fainting soul," Faustus remains set on his soul's damnation. The celestial spheres relate to Johannes Keplers work Harmonia Mundi in which he drew together theories from the world of music, architecture, planetary motion and astronomy and linked them together to form an idea of a harmony and cohesion underlying all world phenomena and ruled by a divine force. ...

Lucifer brings to Faustus the personification of the seven deadly sins. Faustus recognizes these as detestable, but ignores the echo of his own 'detestable' life. For other uses, see Cardinal sin (disambiguation). ...

A humorous interchange occurs shortly thereafter, wherein Faustus visits the Pope in Rome. Faustus turns invisible and steals the Pope's food from in front of his face. Later, he impresses the Duke of Vanholt by fetching grapes in winter time and he also excites several scholars by conjuring spirits from Troy (Helen of Greece).

From this point until the end of the play, Faustus does nothing worthwhile, having begun his pact with the attitude that he would be able to do anything. Faustus appears to scholars, and warns them that he is damned and will not be long on the earth. He gives a speech about how he is damned and eventually seems to repent for his deeds. Mephistophilis comes to collect his soul, and Faustus' body is found dismembered by his friends and colleagues.

Damnation

The text leaves Faustus' final confrontation with Mephistophilis offstage, and his final fate ambiguous. The scene following begins with Faustus' friends discovering his body parts strewn about the stage: from this they conclude that Faustus was damned.

Themes

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The play asks serious questions about humanity's relationship with God. In the first scene, Faustus believes that if we all have sins, sin is inevitable, and it is thus implausible that God would punish us for sin. This helps one to conclude if Faustus, who abandons divinity for the devil, was at fault to begin with. This is because it evokes his false notion that in the story of Adam and Eve, if the Creator -being all knowing as well as omnipotent- knew that Adam would sin in the end, he should have made Adam resilient to it (or rather make him of better stuff). This would lead one to think that if that were so, it would be the Creator's fault as opposed to Adam simply because the Creator gave him the ability to sin. Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ...

Faustus' conclusions are the result of self-selective interpretations and act as a consolation for Faustus. This is because Faustus as a renaissance man, is pressured by the environment he is in. Men who serve the community over God are acknowledged and given high esteem. On top of that, the renaissance meant the discovery of the world and man. It made it possible for a man of humble origin to carve a status of power and affluence. Faustus is influenced by the environment –an individual and its society- to carve out greater fame. Apparently, he is not rewarded accordingly or in proportion to his efforts and hence turns to the art of Magic which he says promises power and honour to the studious artisan.

Quotes

Faustus includes a well-known speech addressed to the summoned shade of Helen of Troy, in Act V, scene i. The following is from the Gutenberg project e-text of the 1616 quarto (with footnotes removed). A Shade in the mythological or supernatural sense can be one of many things. ... Helen was the wife of Menelaus and reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world, and her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War. ...

Faustus

"Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships,
And burnt the towers of Ilium?--
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.--
[Kisses her.]
Her lips suck forth my soul: see, where it flies!--
Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again.
Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena.
I will be Paris, and for love of thee,
Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack'd;
And I will combat with weak Menelaus,
And wear thy colours on my plumed crest;
Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel,
And then return to Helen for a kiss.
O, thou art fairer than the evening air
Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars;
Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter
When he appear'd to hapless Semele;
More lovely than the monarch of the sky
In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms;
And none but thou shalt be my paramour!" Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ... Statue of Paris in the British Museum This article is about the prince of Troy. ... Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ... Menelaus regains Helen, detail of an Attic red-figure crater, ca. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... In Greek mythology, Semele, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, was the mother of Dionysus (the god and his votaries were both identified as Bacchus) by Zeus. ... Arethusa means the waterer. In Greek mythology, Arethusa was one of the Hesperides. ...

The speech is today best known to contemporary audiences from the audition scene in the film Shakespeare in Love ^{[citation needed]}. Also, the first three lines were quoted by Trelane in the Star Trek episode "The Squire of Gothos". Shakespeare in Love is an award-winning 1998 romantic comedy film. ... William Campbell as Trelane in The Squire of Gothos Trelane is a fictional character who appears in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Squire of Gothos. He was played by William Campbell. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... The Squire of Gothos is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ...

Another well-known quote comes after Faustus asks Mephistophilis how he is out of Hell, to which Mephistophilis replies

"Why this is hell, nor am I out of it.
Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of God,
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells
In being deprived of everlasting bliss?"

Additionally, this quote comes from a translation of St John Chrysostom, implying that Mephistophilis has both a deep knowledge of God and a desire to return to heaven.

Faustus in Popular Culture

• The popular musical "Damn Yankees" is a modern adaptation of Faustus.
• David Ives' comedy "Don Juan in Chicago" is another adaption of Faustus.
• In the motion picture, V for Vendetta (film), the main character credits the phrase, Vi veri universum vivus vici that is sometimes attributed to this play, to Faust.

V for Vendetta is a 2006 action-thriller film set in London, England in a near-future dystopian society. ... Vi veri universum vivus vici is a Latin phrase meaning: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe. ...

Notes

gent is a morpheme, see contingent, agent, short for gentleman Native spelling for the Belgian city of Ghent This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A modern day chapbook. ...

References

• Chambers, E. K. The Elizabethan Stage. 4 Volumes, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1923.
• Logan, Terence P., and Denzell S. Smith, eds. The Predecessors of Shakespeare: A Survey and Bibliography of Recent Studies in English Renaissance Drama. Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 1973.

Sir Edmund Kerchever Chambers (1866–1954) was an English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar. ...

See also

• Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris, line from the play
• Faust

A useful Latin literary phrase having conceptual counterparts in other languages. ... Faust depicted in an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn (circa 1650) Faust or Faustus (the Latin for auspicious or lucky) is the protagonist of a popular German legend in which a mediæval scholar makes a pact with the Devil. ...

External links

• 1616 quarto online
• The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus From the Quarto of 1604 by Christopher Marlowe, available at Project Gutenberg.
• The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus From the Quarto of 1616 by Christopher Marlowe, available at Project Gutenberg.