Doctor Faustus

The Older Web of Deals

By Christopher Marlowe
British, 1604 & 1616 Ed.
Tragedy

Main Attractions


1.  Dramatic Scenes    
2.  Every Human Emotion
3.  Magic & Wish Granting
4.  Profound Dialogue
5.  Peculiar Humour
6.  Philosophical Questions
7.  Shocking Moments
8.  Bloodcurdling Sentences
9.  Memorable Characters
10.  Allusions Abound




Postcard 



Cuisine & Delicacies

Ranked as: Dessert Bar
This one’s tough to rank!  So let’s go with rich and complex undertones.  This play is only about 80 pages, but there is a lot going on under the surface.  The language invokes even more possibilities.  And the allusions to other great works also invites even more interpretations.  Superficially, it’s a great, chilling read for a summer afternoon or a cold, wintery evening.  The desert bar allows for the variety of interpretations that this play lays out for us.    

Why Visit Here

Marlowe’s play reminds my why I like to read plays.  They are a combination of great storytelling and poetry without the descriptive settings.  Marlowe’s dialogue is action packed and filled with great lines of meaning.  It’s a play to read many times over.  This is one of the older versions of the Faust story, so it’s a great one to begin with.  It’s been retold, changed and adapted numerous times.

Destination Summary

A great rendition from Thug Notes.  There’s spoilers and he goes into analyzing the play.


Off the Beaten Path

There are 2 versions of this play, A-Text (1604)  B-Text (1616) There’s only about 600 different lines of differences.  The Thug Notes link goes into fabulous detail to explain these two differences.  I recommend watching it after you’ve read it because he goes into an insightful discussion of it.

Travel Advisory

Not for the lighthearted or sensitive! There’s a lot of scenes with an imp encouraging impish behaviour.  Depending on your interpretation, it could be very anti religious or preaching religious doctrine.  I took it as shocking from a non-secular point of view.  

Packing List

✓ Reading Nook Decorations: scroll, quill and horse trinket
✓ Any Ancient Greek Works; By Ovid, Homer, Aristotle
✓ Tent Fort and Flashlight for Added Creepiness

Recommended Resources
Alternate Books
Faust 1 & 2 By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1808) - Goethe was inspired by Marlowe’s play and he wrote a very different take on the Faust Legend.
✓ Doctor Faustus By Thomas Mann (1947) - A full length novel based on this legend and inspired by Goethe.

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