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1.The Faustus story is an old German tale, perhaps based in an historical person. It was popularized as The Faust Book, a 1587 English translation of a German compilation.
2.It is, of course, the famous and still popular tale of "the man who sold his soul to the devil." See Damn Yankees for a modern, musical parody.
3.Faustus is also a type, to some degree, of "the Renaissance Man." Bold, a seeker, willing to ask dangerous questions, not happy with the old answers and traditions. Luther, Galileo, Machaivelli, Francis Bacon, etc.
4.The play contains many elements of the medieval drama, especially the Morality Play.
a.the chorus (doctor?)
narrator
b.pageant of the Seven
Deadly Sins
c.Temptation, Salvation,
Damnation of mankind
d.the entertaining, comical
Vice (or devil)
e.concern with ultimate
spiritual issues
f.crude, farcical humor
grafted on to solemn story
5.Christopher Marlowe (1564-1693)
a.a contemporary of Shakespeare
(born the same year)
b.popular (like Shakespeare)
and learned (unlike Shakespeare)
c.famous for his "Over-reacher"
heroes (Tamburlaine, Barabbas, Edward II)
d.accused of "atheism";
died in a barfight at 29.
e.the question of his
sympathies for his heroes?
6.Questions about Doctor Faustus
a.Is Faustus a hero? In
what ways do we admire him?
b.What is the purpose
in the work of Wagner?
c.How is the character
of "Old Man" an echo of "Everyman"?
d.How does Marlowe make
us sympathize with Mephistophilis?
e.For all his bold claims
and desires, how does Faustus misuse his "days of power"?
f.What are the obstacles
for a modern audience’s understanding/appreciation of the play?