Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Genre: Classics (Play)
Blurb (on back of book): Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus is one of the great works of English literature; its imaginative boldness and vertiginous ironies have fascinated readers and playgoers alike since its original publication.
MY OPINION: ****
I read this play for my European History class and I actually really enjoyed it. It was an interesting commentary on the Reformation and the Renaissance and the different elements of magic and religion.
Dr. Faustus sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for mastery of the world. To be quite honest, given how much power he receives and the final consequences (that he knew would befall him beforehand), I think he did not abuse his power enough. He receives the power of knowledge and necromancy and there is so much he could have done with that. He plays a few pranks on the Pope and other people and he conjures up some ghostly historical figures, but other than that, he doesn't really do anything that... interesting. I guess because this was literally published in the 1500s, there wasn't a lot going on but still. There was a lot of potential.
The side characters all took the forms of various demons and devils. His servant, Mephastophilis, tries to warn Faustus of the dangers that will befall him if he signs the contract with the Devil (but he still does it anyway). I feel like this Mephastophilis character had a lot of potential as well, but we ultimately just... don't get anything from him. He gives Faustus a couple bits of knowledge and does his bidding but he really was the most side character a side character can be.
The good devil and the bad devil were interesting. It reminded me of the good angel bad devil on the shoulders thing and I thought that was quite profound, given the time period. They were very literal personifications of the doubt and uncertainty Faustus must have felt when debating whether or not to sin or beg God for forgiveness.
The seven deadly sins were honestly very interesting to include in this play. They added another layer to the plot that I found very intriguing. To be quite honest, I could not be sure if this play took on a predominantly Catholic or Protestant tone for a bit. It has a fascinating undertone reflecting the Reformation and the revolution against Catholicism in this time period.
It also called upon several ancient classical figures in a very reminiscent way, which goes back to the humanism aspect of the Renaissance. I enjoyed reading about these familiar figures and trying to see what each one represented in the context of this specific play.
It reminded me a lot of Dorian Gray's selling of his soul to the Devil, but ultimately, was a very different story. I really liked this play and while I don't think I'll ever read it again, I wouldn't mind attending a live version of it one day. I'd recommend reading it, especially if you know a lot about the historical context behind it.
Main Character: Dr Faustus
Sidekick(s): Mephastophilis, demons, etc
Villain(s): Sin, Lucifer, etc
Classics Elements: This play is clearly a relic of the past and represents a core part of history.
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