1. The Tragical History of Dr Faustus
Christopher Marlowe

2. Overview of Doctor Faustus
Marlowe makes excellent use of Christian religious convention Christian in the play
In the play, the character Faustus strives against human limitation to the point of selling his soul to the devil
Faustus is not only a seeker for power but also a knower and a desirer to know
The story is created out of Medieval morality play with a late Renaissance temper
This is because a ‘knowing’ Faustus deliberately launching himself upon a course of evil-doing

3. Faustus – a man ruined by knowledge

4. More on Dr. Faustus
He is a scholar overpowered by his intellectual pride
Doctor Faustus is thus a tragedy of a man who misdirects great gifts of mind and spirit and who therefore progressively loses his soul by disintegration
This disintegration brings low comedy into the tragedy

5. The danger of having too much…
This low comedy serves to show the tragic failure of the hero to live up to his high hopes of what he would gain from magic
It also illustrates that knowing too much would eventually kill the person in you

6. The play begins… The Chorus introduces the theme of the play
It informed that the play will not deal with:
the subject of war
scenes of love in royal courts
presentation of “proud audacious deeds”
This play will deal with “Faustus’ fortunes, good or bad” and opens with an introduction of Faustus as a genius who was sent to an established university to study medicine

7. Act One
Faustus is shown in his study, examining various fields of learning in order to decide upon his choice of the particular field in which to specialize:
Analytic = he already attained great proficiency in it
Medicine = his skill as physician already recognized
Legal = suitable for those who have money in their minds

8. Act One
Divinity appeals to him but it teaches a doctrine which is for him totally unsatisfactory
So what actually appeals to Faustus???

9. MAGIC This study appeals to him because: It promises wealth
It promises power
It promises glory
Magic will enable him to extend his authority as far as the mind of man can go, “A sound magician is a demi-god”
Faustus then instructed Wagner to bring his two friends Valdes and Cornelius to ask for advice

10. Good angel vs evil spirit
While waiting for Wagner to come back, these two elements/supernatural characters enter and offer Faustus advices:
Good angel asks Faustus to put the book aside
Evil spirit asks Faustus to go forward

11. In his soliloquy, Faustus begins to plan..
The things that he will instruct the sprits under him to do:
Get all the gold, pearls from all over the world
Find rare, exotic food
Read to him ‘strange philosophy’
Reveal to him the ‘secrets of foreign kings’
Wall all Germany with brass
To cloth students with silk

13. Modern adaptation of soul-selling story