Book:
Doctor Faustus
Author:
Christopher Marlowe
What I’m watching: TV: Cadfael, The Critic, Community, Reboot, Once Upon a Time Movies: Battle Royale, Howl’s Moving
Castle, The Producers
What I’m playing: Skyrim, Arena, Morrowind, Uncharted, Uncharted 2, Super
Smash Bros. Melee, XIII
WARNING!!!
I make little to no effort to hide plot spoilers for any book. Of course, this
play is over 400 years old, so I don’t feel bad about it.
All
I knew about the story of Faustus came from an episode of Wishbone. That’s true
for many books.
However, “Fleabitten Bargain” was based
on Geothe’s Faust (which will also be
appearing on this blog at some point). I already knew that Faustus sells his
soul to a demon named Mephistopheles (which is an awesome name) for a lifetime
of whatever he desires. The premise sounds so promising, but Marlowe’s version
of the character Faustus is a lame, idiotic asshole.
Faustus
starts by reading a bunch of Latin, which I didn’t realize is translated at the
back of the book. I only recognized “Che será, será” because of Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much (I, i, 49).
But Faustus is bored with learning, and he turns to magic. Luckily, he has a
book of magic handy. Good Angel and Bad Angel appear to warn/encourage Faustus
about using the book. Then they leave before Faustus answers, and I’m not
really sure if he heard them.
Marlowe
uses a lot of classical allusions which I don’t get. My book doesn’t provide
explanations for the references, which is a big problem. Faustus has monologues
full of them, but they mean little to me. He mentions “stranger engines for the
brunt of war / Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp’s bridge” (I, i, 97). That
sounds pretty cool, but I have no idea what he’s talking about.
Later,
Faustus summons Mephistopheles. He asks the demon to change his appearance to a
“Franciscan friar” (I, iii, 25). Is he trying to be ironic? Offensive? Whatever,
I don’t get it. This scene actually reminds me of Skyrim. Not an hour before
reading this scene, I was doing the “Conjuration Ritual Spell” quest which involves
summoning a demon and making it follow orders.
A daedra from Oblivion –pretty much a demon from Hell
Faustus
offers Beelzebub “lukewarm blood of new-born babes” (II, i, 14). I don’t
remember that from Wishbone. Reason number one that Faustus is an idiot: After
selling his soul to Mephistopheles, Faustus tells him “I think hell’s a fable”
(II, i, 130). He’s talking to a demon that he just summoned from hell! Understanding
hell should be something to do before condemning your eternal life there, if
you want my advice.
The
first thing Faustus asks for in his new wish-fulfilling life is “a wife” (II,
i, 143). That seems admirable until he describes her. He basically wants a whore.
Mephistopheles presents him “with a devil dressed like a woman, with fireworks”
(II, i, 151). Faustus doesn’t know what he wants. He keeps flip-flopping
throughout the play between fearing for his damned soul and reveling in his
wickedness. The demons put on a parade of the seven deadly sins for Faustus.1
Gluttony gets pissed when Faustus refuses to invite him over for dinner and
curses at Faustus “the devil choke thee” (II, iii, 153). That was pretty funny.
This whole parade potentially could be an impressive and fun scene to actually stage
in a production.
I
called Faustus an asshole. After the pageant of depravity, Faustus gets an invisibility
cloak to mess with the Pope. He steals the Pope’s food and punches him in the
face. I really couldn’t find a motive for Faustus other than he’s a dick.
Friars come in to exorcise Faustus because they believe he’s an evil spirit. In
response, the stage directions read that “Faustus and Mephistopheles beat the friars,
and fling fireworks among them” until they leave (III, i, 100). Double dick!
There was one allusion that I looked up in this scene. Faustus and
Mephistopheles referred to a “bell, book, and candle” (III, i, 83-84). I
recognized these as items from the super-awesome-really-fun-I-want-to-play-it-right-now!
board game Betrayal at the House on the Hill, which involves a haunted house
and evil omens. Apparently, these objects refer to the method of
excommunication from the church.2
I
guess everyone learns that Faustus has the devil as his companion, and he
starts doing tricks for people’s amusement. A knight doesn’t believe Faustus
has magic, so he scoffs at Faustus. Faustus gives the knight horns, and makes a
joke about him being a cuckold (a reference that I actually got). Faustus
reminds me of the boy from the Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life."
The kid has the power to will his every thought into existence. He’s impulsive,
selfish, and cruel, wronging those around him on the slightest whim.
To
the cornfield!
Faustus also shysts a guy out of 40
gold coins. There are a few other characters that aren’t central to the main
plot. There’s not much to say about the characters Robin, Wagner, and Rafe
except that they are all jerks, too.
The
play fast forwards near to the end of Faustus’s contract. He’s unhappy with his
life and still flip-flopping between repentance and debauchery. He finally gets
from Mephistopheles his concubine/wife that he asked for in the first place, so
Faustus chooses debauchery again. Faustus chooses for his lover Helen of Troy,
and upon seeing her, he famously exclaims, “Was this the face that launched a
thousand ships / And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? / Sweet Helen, make me
immortal with a kiss” (V, i, 91-93).
Evelyn
de Morgan’s Helen of Troy
He goes off and enjoys his time with
Helen until the last hour of his life. Ultimately, Faustus was never happy,
regretting his life. The end comes when devils arrive and carry him to hell.
All
in all, Doctor Faustus was a story about
a bunch of people who treated each other like crap. Half the time, Faustus was
thinking with his dick, and the rest of the time, he was just being a dick.
Faustus sells his soul for ultimate power and does practically nothing with it
besides minor pranks. He stupidly wastes both his mortal and eternal lives.
Believe
it or not, my copy of Doctor Faustus
is actually two copies of Doctor Faustus.
That was the A-text: a version of the play that was likely how it was
performed. There is also a B-text right after: a version of the play that was
likely the first written. The B-text includes more scenes and characters which
were cut because, I guess, the stage directions were too outlandish for
production companies to create on stage. In one scene, Faustus comes on with a
false head that gets chopped off. Another character pulls Faustus’s leg off his
body and runs off with it. Some of these scenes are ridiculous, but others
actually explain Faustus’s motivation for his tricks. In the B-text, he plays
tricks on the Pope because he is helping a rival pope who he supports escape a
death sentence. The knight gets a name (Benvolio), and more people are victims
of Faustus’s petty pranks. I liked the B-text more than the A version; it adds
a continuity throughout the acts, it explains partly why Faustus acts like a
jerk, and it has a few funny parts.
Verdict (Is the book staying or going?): Going. With bell, book, and candle, Doctor Faustus will be removed from my
library.
1. It reminds me of the Muppet Show’s
original pilot “Sex and Violence.”
2. Thanks, Wikipedia!
Works
Cited
Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus. London: Nick Hern Books,
2001. Print.
