Dr Faustus Prologue and Act I

 Prologue:

·         Chorus = Macbeth

·         Stagecraft is important

·         Traimene – Italy

·         Wittenburg is where Hamlet went to university and Luther proclaimed Protestantism

·         Faustus earns his doctorate through hard work as he came from the “Stock-base”

·         Intellectual pride v. arrogance

·         Icarus – Greek mythology. Waxen wings.

·         “Cunning self-conceit”

·         “Necromancy” – black magic.

·         Faustus is similar to Frankenstein in the sense that he is pushing the boundaries of knowledge.

·         The prologue tells us about the life of the protagonist before thee events which will unravel before the audience.

·         Charming “base-stock” – shows a willing for hard work.

Act I:

     Scene I:

·         Faustus’ first soliloquy – talks in Latin – the audience don’t need to understand the Latin, just the simple fact that Faustus is intelligently fluent in the language - reflects Marlowe’s own intelligence and education?

·         Faustus explains that he wants more from life; he wants to be god-like and have imperial knowledge compared to everyone else.

·         “Stipendium peccati mors est. Ha!” – the wage of sin is death.

·         He wants to create a world of riches where schools are ‘filled with silk’ – possible Marxist interpretation? Everyone shall have equal riches?

·         Faustus is lost in his mental judgement – it’s clouded.

·         He needs to be entertained and fulfilled in life – has he reached his peak of academia?

·         Faustus tempts Mephistopheles – Lady Macbeth and Macbeth?

·         The good angel v. bad angel adds a conscious element to the play.

·         ‘glutted’ is mentioned twice – 7 deadly sins

·         Valdes and Cornelius – don’t persuade Faustus to do anything – simply outside characters observing. They’re already evil and confirm what he thinks.

Scene II:

·         Between Wagner and the scholars the audience find out that Faustus selling his soul is a bad thing as he’ll be eternally damned to hell.

·         Structure – a break from Faustus – gives the audience and outside opinion.

Scene III:

·         Intentions?

·         Mephistopheles dressed as a Friar – ironic due to religious contexts.

·         Faustus makes the demands - he see’s himself as equal to the devil – he orders Mephistopheles around – again possible Marxist interpretation.

·         Biblical influences – holy water, circle drawing etc.

·         the spell seems pro-God

·         the lasting impression of the Greeks in Medicine and Philospohy

·         moral dilemma

·         M. argues that hell is a state of the mind – once one has been to heaven, everything seems like hell.

·         He can’t escape hell.

·         It’s not the devils doing – Faustus is pushing the topic onto M.

·         Faustus brings it upon himself – he asks for it – thus at the end of the play the audience feel no sympathy for him.

·         Arrogance and naivety.

·         Overpowering.

·         M. always has the power over Faustus.

Scene IV:

·         Comic interlude

·         Wagner/Robin – comedy scene to lighten the mood

·         It appeals to the punters “flea”

·         Sexualisation of women.

·         No female characters introduced at all at the start of the play.

·         The audience agrees that Faustus is self absorbed and feels equal to the devil – egotism.