Plays were given an official licence if they were deemed suitable, but playwrights could be censored, arrested or even imprisoned. Marlow was forced to make a number of revisions to Doctor Faustus. The audio recording of an extract from the play, which starts with the line 'Was this the face that launched a thousand ships', is read by actor Michael Sheen.
Can't play the file above? But Faustus casts spells on them and sends them on their way, to the amusement of the duke and duchess. As the twenty-four years of his deal with Lucifer come to a close, Faustus begins to dread his impending death.
He has Mephastophilis call up Helen of Troy, the famous beauty from the ancient world, and uses her presence to impress a group of scholars. An old man urges Faustus to repent, but Faustus drives him away.
Faustus summons Helen again and exclaims rapturously about her beauty. But time is growing short. Faustus tells the scholars about his pact, and they are horror-stricken and resolve to pray for him.
On the final night before the expiration of the twenty-four years, Faustus is overcome by fear and remorse. Summary Read our full plot summary and analysis of Doctor Faustus , scene by scene break-downs, and more.
Characters See a complete list of the characters in Doctor Faustus and in-depth analyses of Faustus and Mephastophilis.
Character List Faustus Mephastophilis. Literary Devices Here's where you'll find analysis of the literary devices in Doctor Faustus , from the major themes to motifs, symbols, and more. Themes Motifs Symbols. When the Renaissance came to northern Europe, Faust was made into a symbol of free thought, anticlericalism, and opposition to church dogma.
The first important literary treatment of the legend was that of the English dramatist Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe, unfortunately, allowed the structure of his drama to follow the basic structure of the Faust-Book, thus introducing one of the structural difficulties of the play. The first part of the book through Chapter 5 showed Faustus' determination to make a pact with the devil, and after this is accomplished, the large middle portion of the Faust-Book handles individual and unrelated scenes showing Faustus using his magic to perform all types of nonsensical pranks.
Finally, the Faust-Book ends with Faustus awaiting the final hour of his life before he is carried off to eternal damnation by the agents of the underworld. Marlowe's rendition of the legend was popular in England and Germany until the mid-seventeenth century, but eventually the Faust story lost much of its appeal. The legend was kept alive in folk traditions in Germany, though, and was the popular subject of pantomimes and marionette shows for many years.
The close of the eighteenth century in Germany was a time very much like the Renaissance. Before long, the old Faust story, with its unique approach to the problems of period, was remembered. The German dramatist Lessing wrote a play based on the legend, but the manuscript was lost many generations ago and its contents are hardly known.
Perhaps the most familiar treatment of the Faust legend is by the celebrated German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the rare giants of world literature. A brief outline of Goethe's Faust will show both similarities and differences in the handling of this famous theme. Heinrich Faust, a learned scholar, feels that none of his many achievements has provided him with satisfaction or a sense of fulfillment.
He yearns to gain knowledge of truth and the meaning of existence. Faust turns to magic in the hope of finding a way to transcend human limitations. When Mephistophilis appears to him, Faust is willing to make a pact with the devil but includes many conditions in his agreement.
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