Br

iefBi
ogr
aphyofChr
ist
opherMar
lowe
Bornthesamey earasShakespear etoashoemakerandhi swi fe, Marloweat tended
CorpusChr istiColl
egeatCambr i
dgeonschol arshi
p.Her eceiv edhi sBachel orofAr tsin
1584andhi sMast erofAr t
st hreeyearslat
er,despiteacont rov ersywhi chalmost
robbedhi m oftheMast ersbecauseofaccusat ionsthatheconv ertedtoCat holi
cism,
whichitwasi l
l
egal topracti
cein16t hcenturyEngland.Hi sfirstpl ayperformedont he
Londonst age, Tamburlaine,wasamongt hef i
rstEnglishplayswr itt
eninbl ankv erse.
Mar l
owe'spl ayswer eenormousl ypopular,buthiscareerwascutshor tbyhi sdeat hin
1593–anev entaboutwhi chl i
ttl
eisknownf orcertainbutmuchi sr umor ed;hei ssaid
tohav ebeenasecr etagent,andhi sdeathbyst abbing(intheey e!)insomeki ndofbar
fi
ghtmayi nfacthav ehadmor esinist
erorev enpoli
t i
calunder pinnings.Hei snow
consideredoneofEngl and'smosti mportantplaywrights,secondi nhist i
meper i
odt o
onlyWi l
l
iam Shakespear e

Hi
stor
icalCont
extofDoct
orFaust
us

Thepl aycanbeseeni ntermsofav ariet

yofculturalchangesoccur ri
ngdur ingt he
Renaissance, especial
lythenewf oundst resslai
dont hepowerandabi l
ityoft he
i
ndiv i
dual (
asopposedt oanov er
archingstressonr eligi
ousobedienceandpi ety)
.
Conf l
ictbetweent hePr otestantEngl i
shchur chandRomanCat holi
cism doubt l
essly
i
nfluencest heplay'sunf l
atteri
ngpor trayalofthepope.Att heti
met heplaywasbei ng
performed, Calvi
nism wasont herisewi t
hintheChur chofEngl andbutr emai neda
sourceofcont r
oversy.Accor dingt oCal v
ini
sm, people'sstatusaseithersav edor
damnedwaspr edest i
ned.Reader sandschol arshavecont i
nual
lydebatedt hest ance
Mar l
owe' splaytakest owar dstheCav lini
stdoctri
neofpr edesti
nat
ion:isFaust usfated
tofalltohell?

Ot
herBooksRel
atedt
o Doct
orFaust
us
Mar l
owel i
kelyl
earnedoft heDoctorFaustusstor
yfrom Histor
iav onD.IohanFausten,
ananony mousv olumei nGer manfrom 1587,
anEnglishtransl
at i
onofwhichwas
publi
shedi n1592.Mar loweaddshisownt ouchestothest or
yt ocreat
eanor i
ginal
tr
agedy .ThestoryofFaust usandthegeneralmoti
fofaFaust ianbargain(gi
vi
ngup
one'ssoul f
orli
mitlessknowledgeorpower )r
eappearfrequentlyinmodernli
ter
ary,
art
isti
c,andf ol
ktradit
ions.
KeyFact
sabout
 Doct
orFaust
us

 Ful
lTi
tl
e:TheTr
  agi
calHi
stor
yoft
heLi
feandDeat
hofDoct
orFaust
us

 WhenWr
it
ten:
 Unknown.Possi
blyar
ound1592,
whent
heEngl
i
sht
ransl
ati
onofa
Ger
manv
ersi
onoft
hest
oryi
sknownt
ohav
esur
faced.

 Wher
eWr
it
ten:
 Unknown.

 WhenPubl
ished:
 1604(
A-t
ext
)and1616(
B-t
ext
).Schol
arsdebat
ethe
aut
henti
cit
yandr
elat
ivemer
it
soft
heset
wov
ersi
onsofMar
lowe'
spl
ayt
hat
sur
viv
e.

 Li
ter
aryPer
iod:
 Engl
i
shRenai
ssance

 Genr
e: 
Eli
zabet
hanTr
agedy

 Set
ti
ng:
 Wi
tt
enber
g,Ger
many
;Rome,
att
hepope'
scour
t;t
hecour
tofemper
or
Char
lesV.

 Cl
imax:
 Scene13.Wi
tht
ensi
onmount
ing,
thehourofFaust
us'
sdeat
hand
damnati
ondrawsnear
.Hi
scri
esofregretforhav
ingsoldhi
ssoult
oLucif
erand
hi
spleasformor
etimear
eunsuccessf
ul,anddevil
sdraghi
m awaytoHel
l.

 Ant
agoni
st:
 Asi
sthecasewi
thanygoodt
ragi
cher
o,Faust
usi
sar
guabl
yhi
sown
antagonist.Hecertainlyactsasabadinf l
uenceonhi sfri
endsandacquai ntances
(l
ikehisser v
antWagner )andwi t
hpett
yv i
ll
ainytowardshisenemi es(li
kethe
knightatChar l
esV'scour t)
.Ulti
matel
y,though,theti
tl
eofant agonistshoul
d
probablygot oLucifer.Notonlydoeshecl ai
m Faustus'soul
,butalso,asthedev i
l
himself,heisostensiblyev
  eryone'
s 
antagonist
.

Ext
raCr
edi
tfor
 Doct
orFaust
us
FakeBeards,
RealFear. 
ThePurit
anWill
i
am Prynnereport
edthatata17t
hcentur
y
perf
ormanceof Doct
orFaustus,
upontheappari
ti
onoft hedevi
lonthest
age,
theact
ors
themsel
vesbrokecharact
erandfell
topray
erinfear
.
CelebGossip. Muchofthepopular
it
yofMarlowe'splaycanbeat
tri
butedtohisstar
actorEdwardAl l
eyn,
whoperformedtheti
tl
er ol
einthreeofMarl
owe'splay
sduringhis
l
ifeti
me,andf orwhom t
hepartofFaust
uswaswr i
tt
en.BenAffl
eckplaysAll
eyninthe
mov i
e Shakespearei
nLove.
 Doct
orFaust
usSummar
y
DoctorFaust
us isascholarli
v i
ngi nWittenber g,
Ger many.Feel
ingthathehasr eached
theendsofalltr
aditi
onalstudies,hedeci dest opursuemagi c,
andhashi s
serv
ant Wagner 
bringhim Valdes and Cornel i
us,t
womenwhocant eachhim howto
perf
orm magicincantati
ons.Two  angels (a GoodAngel  
andan Evi
lAngel)appear.The
GoodAngel tr
iestoconv i
nceFaust usnott opursueunholymagi c,
butt heEvi
lAngel
encourageshimt odelv
eintosor cery.ValdesandCor nel
iusgiveFaustusspell-
books
andFaustusisexcitedtobegincast i
ngspel l
sandsummoni ngspiri
ts.
Two schol
ars,whoknowofFaustusf
orhisr
eputati
onasascholar,wonderwhathei
s
uptoand,runningi
ntoWagner
,askhim.Wagnertell
sthem t
hatFaustusi
swithVal
des
andCornel
ius,andthet
woscholarsl
amentFaustus'i
nter
esti
nmagi c.
Faust
usbegi nsconj ur
ing,andsummonsupadev il
named  Mephastophi
li
s.Faustus
order
sMephast ophil
istodohi sbidding,butMephastophil
isinf
ormshimt hathecando
nothi
ngthatisnotcommandedby  Lucif
er.Faust
usaskshi m quest
ionsabouthelland
i
tsdevil
s,andt hentellsMephast ophil
istobringanoffertoLucif
er:
hewi l
lgivehissoul
toLucif
er,ont heconditi
ont hatheget s24y ear
sofunlimitedpowerandknowl edge,
withMephast ophil
isashiswi ll
i
ngser vant.Mephastophil
i
sgoest oLucif
er,andFaustus
thi
nksthathehasmadeagooddeal .
Meanwhi l
e,Wagnerf i
ndsa clown 
andper suadeshimt obehisserv
ant,pr
omisingto
teachhim somemagi cinreturn.I
nhisstudy,Faustusbeginst
ohesitat
eaboutt hedeal
hehaspr oposedwithLucifer
.Ashedebat esr epenti
ngandturni
ngbacktoGod, the
two angel
s appearagainandt r
ytopersuadeFaust usint
heirr
especti
vedir
ect
ions.
Faustusrenewshisresolvetogivehi
ssoul t
oLuci f
er.
Mephastophil
isretur
nsandFaust usquest ionshim abouthel lbef
oreof fi
ciall
yagreei
ng
tohisdealwit
hLuci f
er.Mephast ophil
isdemandst hatFaustuscerti
fytheagr eement
wit
hadeedofgi f
twr i
tt
eninFaust us'own  blood.AsFaust usat t
empt stosi gnthe
agreement,hi
s bl
ood congeals, asifrefusingt osign.Mephast ophil
i
sf etchessomehot
coalstomeltthecongealed blood, andFaust ussignst heagreement.Faust us
i
mmedi atel
yregretsthedeal,buti sdistractedf r
om hi sworri
eswhenMephast ophil
is
summonsupagr oupofdev i
lsbr ingi
ngv ar i
ousr i
chest ohim.Faustust henasks
Mephastophil
ismor equesti
onsabouthel l.HeasksMephast ophi
li
sforawi fe,but
Mephastophil
iscannotdoany thingrelatedt omar riage(aholyceremony ),sohe
summonsadev il
-womani nstead.
Mephast ophi l
isgivesFaust usbookscont ainingalltheknowl edgeofast ronomyandt he
stars,aswel lasofal lplantsandt rees.Faust usagai nbegi nstor egretgivinguphissoul
andconsi dersr epent i
ng.Att hi
s,the angels re-appearandagai nmaket heircasesto
Faust us.Faust usagai ndeci desnott or epent.Mephast ophili
st eacheshim aboutt he
mov ementoft hepl anet sandt hecomposi t
ionoft heuni verse.Faust usaskswhomade
thewor l
d, butMephast ophil
isrefusest oanswer ,
ashedoesnotwantt osayt hename
ofGod.Thi smakesFaust uswantt or epentagai nandt ur
nt oGod.Theangel sappear
again, andFaust ussay sthathewi shest orepent .Att his,Luciferappear swithother
devils,tell
ingFaust usnott ospeakofGodandChr ist.Faust usapol ogizesandassur es
Lucifert hathewi l
lrejectGod.Luci ferentertainsFaust usbysummoni ngup
personi fi
cat i
onsoft he SevenDeadl ySins, whi chparadepastFaust usf orhisenjoyment.
Lucifergi vesFaust usanot herbookt olearnf rom, befor eleaving.
Astabl e-
handnamed  Robin st
ealsoneofFaustus'
spel
l-
booksandtel
lshisfri
end,t
he
i
nn-keeper  
Rafe,
thattheyshouldt r
ytocastsomemagicspell
s.Wagnerinformsthe
audiencet hatMephastophil
ishastakenFaustusonagrandtouroft
hewor ldina
chariotdrawnbydr agons,inordertol
earnall
thesecr
etsofastr
onomy.Thepai ri
snow
headedf orRome.
OnceinRome, Faust
uswant stoseeal lt
hecity'
smonument s,
butMephast ophi
l
istel
ls
hi
mt ostayinthe 
pope's 
pri
vatechamber sandplayajokeonhim.Mephast ophi
li
s
makesFaustusandhimsel fi
nvisi
ble,andtheyconductmischi
efasthepopeandhi s
car
dinal
sattempttohav eabanquet .Agroupoffri
arsatt
empttosingadirgetodrive
awaymal ev
olentspi
ri
ts.
BackinGermany ,
a vint
ner  
(winemer chant)confrontsRobinandRaf eaboutagobl et
theyhavestolen.Thepai rusesFaust us'spell
-bookt osummonMephast ophili
sinorder
toscarethevintneraway .Mephast ophili
scomes, buti
sfrustratedthathehasbeen
summonedbyt wol owly“ sl
av es”(VII
I,39)forsuchabanal task.Meanwhi l
e, af
tersome
mor etr
avel
ing,Faustusr eturnstoGer many .Hisfameasaconj urerhasspr eadfarand
wide.TheGermanemper or CharlesV  hasinvit
edFaust ustohi scourt,
havingheard
abouthismagi cskil
ls.
Attheemper or'
scourt
,Faustusindul
gestheemper orbycall
ingupthespiri
t
of 
AlexandertheGreat
,essenti
all
yCharl
es'hero.CharlesVisexceedi
nglyimpressed,
buta kni
ght 
ofhisisuncomfortabl
ewiththedevil
ishmagicandi sskept
icalofFaustus.
Faustusrepaysthekni
ght'
srudenessbymaki nghor nsappearonhishead.
AfterFaustus'visi
ttot heemper or
,a horse-courser 
(horse-tr
ader)fi
ndshi m andasksto
buyhi shorse.Faustusagr eesbuttel
lshi m nott ori
dethehor seintowat er.Thi
nki
ng
thatFaustusi stry
ingtot ri
ckhi m,thehor se-courserri
dest hehorseintoapond.I nthe
middl eofthepond, thehor sev ani
shes, pl
ungi ngthehorse-courserintothewater.Angry
,
heat temptstoconf rontFaust us,whoi ssleeping.Hey anksonFaust us'
legt owakehim
up,butt helegcomesr ightoffFaustus'body .Her unsof f
,scared,whileFaustus'l
egis
i
nst antl
yreplacedbymagi c.Wagneri nformsFaust usthathiscompanyi srequestedat
thecour tofanobl eman, the DukeofVanhol t.
AttheDuke'scourt,Faust
usent
ert
ainst
heDukeand Duchess wi
thhi
smagic.The
Duchessasksf orhimtomakegrapesappear(i
tist
hemi ddl
eofwint
erandgrapesar
e
unavai
labl
e).Faustusdoesso,t
othedel
ightoftheDuchess.
Wagnert ell
stheaudi encet hathei swor riedFaust uswi l
ldi
esoon,ashehasgi venhi s
propert
yt oWagner .I
nanycase, Faust uscontinuest oimpresspeoplewi t
hhismagi c.A
groupofschol arsaskshi mt ocal l
upt hespiri
tof  
Helen ofGreece,t
hemostbeaut i
ful
womani nt hewor ld,whichhedoes.An  oldman  appearsandur gesFaustustorepent .
Faustusi stroubledandsay sthathewant storepent .Mephastophil
iscall
shim at r
aitor
andt hr
eat enst otearhisflesh“inpi ecemeal ”(XII,
59)f orhi
sdisobedience.Faustus
apologizesandr esolvesnott orepent .HeasksMephast ophil
istosenddemonsaf ter
theoldman, formaki ngFaust usdoubthi msel
f.Faust usasksMephast ophil
istomake
Helenhi slover,sot hatherbeaut ycandi str
acthimf rom hisimpendingdoom.
AsFaust us'deathdr awsnear er,
hebeginstodespai randt hegr oupofschol arswith
him askswhati swr ong.Hef inal
lyt
ellsthem aboutthedeal hehasmadewi t
hLuci f
er
andt heyarehor ri
fied.Theygot oprayforhi
ssoul .Aloneonst age,Faustusr eali
zesthat
hehasonl yanhourl eftt
olive.Hebegst imetost andstill
andgoesbackandf ort
hast o
whetherhewi l
lrepent .Hecal l
soutt oGod,sayingthatonedr opofChr ist'
s blood 
would
savehi m,buthei sunabl etocommi ttorepenti
ng.Het riestobar gainwi t
hGod, aski
ng
forsalvati
oni nreturnf orathousandorahundr ed-t
housandy earsinhel l
.Thecl ock
str
ikesmi dnight:Faust us't
imei sup.Hecr i
esout ,makingal astpromi set obur nhis
books, asdev i
lssur r
oundhi m anddr aghim away .
Thechorusdeli
ver
sanepiloguetoconcludetheplay,
confi
rmingthatFaust
ushasfal
l
en
tohell
,andtel
li
ngtheaudi
encetolearnfrom Faust
us'examplenottotr
ytolear
n
“unl
awfulthi
ngs”(
Epil
ogue,6)beyondtheli
mi t
sofappropri
atehumanknowledge.