One of Western culture's most enduring myths recounts a learned German doctor's sale of his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. ...
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Jan 30, 2012
Manny
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Selling Your Soul: A Short PowerPoint Presentation
Good morning. I recall reading an article about Tony Blair
where the columnist said that one of the surprising things about selling your soul is that the price usually turns out to be so low. There is, indeed, a tendency to think that it's a question of getting an advantageous deal. Here, Faust has landed himself a terrific package, even better than the one Keanu Reaves gets in The Devil's Advocate.
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Good morning. I recall reading an article about Tony Blair
where the columnist said that one of the surprising things about selling your soul is that the price usually turns out to be so low. There is, indeed, a tendency to think that it's a question of getting an advantageous deal. Here, Faust has landed himself a terrific package, even better than the one Keanu Reaves gets in The Devil's Advocate.
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Mar 23, 2011
Elizabeth
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Do you pick up books that you hope will speak to an event in your life? Something to help you think through something that's happened? I do. All the time. Sometimes I don't realize I've done it until I am in the middle of the book and it is just the right thing for the situation. Sometimes, it's deliberate but that's harder, since it will be that much worse if the book fails you. Am I the only one who does this? The book for the plane when leaving home for six months. The book I read on 9/11. Bo
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Dec 27, 2010
Amber
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 07, 2012
Bridgette
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As a member of a fundamentalist church, I've heard my share of fire and brimstone sermons. Rarely though, have they moved me the way this 400-year-old story of Christopher Marlowe's did.
Marlowe, a popular contemporary of Shakespeare, chose for his play a classic tale of a man of overweening pride who purchases supreme power, wealth, and knowledge on a credit card that he claims will never come due.
The language in the play makes one proud to be an English speaker. It is poet More...
Marlowe, a popular contemporary of Shakespeare, chose for his play a classic tale of a man of overweening pride who purchases supreme power, wealth, and knowledge on a credit card that he claims will never come due.
The language in the play makes one proud to be an English speaker. It is poet More...
Jan 21, 2012
Esdaile
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I was very surprised that I had not included this play on my "read" list. I played the part of Lucifer in a school production and that is how I remember the names of the Seven Deadly Sins to this day! A lot of this play is just hijinks/horseplay and the hijinks and horseplay are good rollicking fun but the best of it is magnificent. The final speach of Faustus belngs to one of the greatest set pieces of literature. Oh that ghastly irony taken from Horace Lente lente currite noctis equi
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Oct 16, 2011
Michael
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I have a strange fascination with stories involving Satan, Hell, and the like. I love seeing authors' different spins on the underworld. Dante's Inferno presents a more traditional view, No Exit shows it from an existential perspective, and so on. Dr. Faustus, however, mostly lets the reader make what he or she will given the minimal stage directions and descriptions. Whenever the Seven Deadly Sins or Lucifer ventured onto the stage, they weren't explicitly described, and that was probably m
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May 26, 2011
Risa
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It had been about eight or nine years since I had last read Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus. I recall how I had had to study it on my own for I had been ill when my professor dealt with it in my undergraduate class. I also recall how much I loved, how it left me passion-spent, sitting at the edge of my chair as Faustus steadily moved toward eternal damnation.
A year later, while doing my masters, another professor asked us to do a short assignment on Marlowe. I had read of how, durin More...
A year later, while doing my masters, another professor asked us to do a short assignment on Marlowe. I had read of how, durin More...
May 23, 2011
John
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Though Marlow was born the same year as Shakespeare, he really can't be considered in the same league as The Bard. Doctor Faustus is not a good play, but it is a gutsy one (for the time), and probably a lot more interesting to study than to read. I've never seen a play attempt to be this scary before, but it's far too cheesy and the writing too weak (though there are a couple of great passages) to continue to produce its intended effect in this day and age. Faustus himself is one of the most
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Apr 23, 2011
Lloyd
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I bought a Kobo e-reader a few months ago, I love it, and this is one of the books that is on there for free, plus I already bought the book years ago. Although I attend school on line, when I take a break and pick up the e reader to read I loved reading this scary book about a man who sells his soul to the devil. This book will stay in my e reader forever. I highly suggest all of you who love to read and consider your selves to be literate to read this book, buy it and add it to your coll More...
Nov 02, 2010
Genna
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Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, was one of the brightest poets of his age. In his Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, he introduces the reader to the title character, a proud man who has learned all there is to learn in medicine and philosophy and still yearns for more. He decides that black magic will be his next frontier, and calls upon a demon named Mephastopholis to teach him the secrets to the dark arts. The demon obliges, and Faustus agrees to give his soul to the devil af
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May 12, 2010
Garrett
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Jan 22, 2010
Allan
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I must say that of the two Marlowe versions, one where Faustus is dragged to Hell with little hope and the later version where his friends bury his remains offering him some measure of hope at salvation, I got to say I prefer the former. Maybe it's the same part of me that actually likes the ending to Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell , but I think the beauty of Marlowe's lyrical style is highlighted by simple yet poignant contrast when Faustus ends in his life in damnation without hope of salvati
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Sep 24, 2011
Dorina
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Overall, rather disappointing. The fact that this book caused a bit of an outrage (for its time) with the whole 'sell-his-soul-to-the-devil' thing is what really got me interested. Then looking at the length (or lack thereof) of this book I started to wonder if it could really be all I expected.
This play was a quick read, relatively easy to read (might want to have some knowledge of Latin, and be fluent in Shakespearean-style poetry) but it was rather boring. I just wasn't " More...
This play was a quick read, relatively easy to read (might want to have some knowledge of Latin, and be fluent in Shakespearean-style poetry) but it was rather boring. I just wasn't " More...
Aug 15, 2011
Michi
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The elements of Doctor Faustus are timeless: an ambition-driven man sells his soul to the devil to gain knowledge and power. This ancient motif first entered the realm of literature in Germany in the late 16th century and was developed into a drama by the Englishman Christopher Marlowe around 1604. Marlowe’s drama in turn inspired Johann Wolfgang Goethe to write Faust, perhaps the most celebrated literary work of the German-speaking world. Faustus reappears in 1947, in German novelist Thomas Man
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Sep 06, 2011
Sammy
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"Faustus", like all Marlowe's plays, is a fascinating exercise but far from a satisfying one. This seems like a cheap and somewhat naive review to give to one of the most well-known works of the Western canon, but there you go.
After the uneven poems-cum-plays of "Dido" and "Tamburlaine", Marlowe achieved comedic success with "The Jew of Malta", even though it too runs on far too long. "Faustus", which followed, certainly doesn't have More...
After the uneven poems-cum-plays of "Dido" and "Tamburlaine", Marlowe achieved comedic success with "The Jew of Malta", even though it too runs on far too long. "Faustus", which followed, certainly doesn't have More...
Aug 03, 2011
Matthew
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Marlowe is a strange, brilliant man. Faustus started out somewhat silly, and I wasn't really interested in the characters, but each act got better and better, and by the final scene, I was completely enthralled and was in love with the stoy that Marlowe wove around me.
The Longman edition that I had was part of a compilation used in a survey course, so I am not sure what kind of bonus sections this particular version has. Both were the B text, however, so I can only assume a copy and paste appr More...
The Longman edition that I had was part of a compilation used in a survey course, so I am not sure what kind of bonus sections this particular version has. Both were the B text, however, so I can only assume a copy and paste appr More...
Oct 27, 2010
Baron Hotschaft
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Well worth reading. Some of the dialogue was complicated and hard to understand because of the use of inverse sentences. Mostly, however, the dialogue was fantastic. It was rich, thought provoking, and emotion filled. There were often comic seems mimicking the preceding serious ones. I especially enjoyed reading Faustus' last soliloquy. I thought Marlowe's depiction of hell was outstanding. Also the classic lines in this play were superb:
"Yet art thou still but Faustus, a More...
"Yet art thou still but Faustus, a More...
Feb 06, 2012
Maria
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Man oh man, if I had known what I was getting myself into I wouldn't have read this play late at night. The star-studded cast of the Underworld gave me the creeps (which I guess is exactly what is expected).
This play was a great read. Every character that interacts with Faustus, though, has to do with Faustus' story (well, I guess if I was writing a play on losing one's soul to the devil, it would be the central thrust of the matter too). I also expected a little more tension, but th More...
This play was a great read. Every character that interacts with Faustus, though, has to do with Faustus' story (well, I guess if I was writing a play on losing one's soul to the devil, it would be the central thrust of the matter too). I also expected a little more tension, but th More...
Oct 07, 2011
J.a.h
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I very much enjoyed this play. I don't normally read old literacy for leisure, but after being referred to this book by my older sibling - who was shocked that I've never heard of Dr. Faiths - I was immediately drawn in by the plot. The idea is simple, but the way it was told was the truly entertaining part. Being the pessimistic type when it comes to human nature, it's not that difficult for me to consider a person damning his soul for eternity for a relatively short moment of having his wishes
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Feb 11, 2010
Alan
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This is not exactly a novel, but since I have been doing a lot of reading for my British Renaissance class, I thought it was worth adding to good-reads.
Dr. Faustus is an interesting tale of a man who sold his soul to the devil for "four and twenty years" of service from Lucifer's henchman, Mephistopheles. Any of you who have seen "Shakespeare in love will recognize the name Christopher Marlowe as Shakespeare's contemporary. In that movie there is also a scene where eve More...
Dr. Faustus is an interesting tale of a man who sold his soul to the devil for "four and twenty years" of service from Lucifer's henchman, Mephistopheles. Any of you who have seen "Shakespeare in love will recognize the name Christopher Marlowe as Shakespeare's contemporary. In that movie there is also a scene where eve More...
Sep 03, 2010
Beth
rated it:
Dude. That's the first word that comes to mind after having completed Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus." First of all, Marlowe is a sick character. Renouncing the god his society accepted, writing a play about selling your soul to the devil; and the way he portrays Faustus! I mean, you're almost rooting for him to get his wishes and spoils regardless of his nefarious personality.
The only thing that I can't help getting annoyed about is: who wrote it? I read both the A and B texts and More...
The only thing that I can't help getting annoyed about is: who wrote it? I read both the A and B texts and More...
May 04, 2009
Rob
rated it:
Every time someone trots out the idea that Marlowe write Shakespeare, I think of this, and shake my head. It's a great concept, but Marlowe's hero is hardly the romantic figure we might expect. Instead Dr. Faustus, at many times seems, ah, rather less than decisive or intellectually gifted
Of course, the real reason for Faustus's indecisiveness and bumbling is that this work is the child of morality plays, and has the same problem that DC comics did when they decided to give the Joker More...
Of course, the real reason for Faustus's indecisiveness and bumbling is that this work is the child of morality plays, and has the same problem that DC comics did when they decided to give the Joker More...
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Nov 10, 2011
Lauren
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Reading Elizabethan plays always strikes me as the first step of a project: without seeing it staged (caveat: by actors with the necessary skills to interpret and embrace the 16th-century dialogue), it’s impossible to fully appreciate the work. But now I really, really want to see Doctor Faustus on stage. This tale of a man selling his soul to the devil for knowledge is hopelessly quaint by modern standards. There are no massive battles or bright, shiny events. The play is small, but that’s part
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Jul 06, 2009
Chory
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Feb 06, 2012
Katie
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If you have knowledge or experience with the language written this way than it is a VERY quick read. I say I spent less than an hour actually reading it - perhaps closer to the half an hour mark. But I have also been in a production of a version of this play (not the one I read) so it obviously helped that I had prior knowledge of the plot. I read this play when I was about 15 years old and I liked it much better this time around. Who knows? Perhaps I'll pick it up again in a few years and like
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Nov 05, 2011
Melanti
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I'll be the first to admit that I just don't get blank verse most of the time. I know it's written in iambic pentameter but even when reading it aloud, I can't always hear the rhythm without the giveaways of a rhyming scheme.
That being said, there's some beautiful gems of verses in this play, but the fill between them seems rather flat. It is probably wonderful performed on stage, but from reading, it seems more like a morality tale than a play.
I kept waiting for Faustu More...
That being said, there's some beautiful gems of verses in this play, but the fill between them seems rather flat. It is probably wonderful performed on stage, but from reading, it seems more like a morality tale than a play.
I kept waiting for Faustu More...
Aug 07, 2010
Molly
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Feb 11, 2011
Caitlin
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Read this for a class (the same class I read Paradise Lost for). It's also relevant to my interests, what with the whole "sell your soul to the Devil" thing I have going. (I am attempting to plot a story that is centered around the concept, so reading how it's been done before has been helpful.)
It was pretty good — some moments seemed ridiculously funny and I'm not sure if they were supposed to be. Other moments were harrowing and very, very disturbing. (The end... Oh, just More...
It was pretty good — some moments seemed ridiculously funny and I'm not sure if they were supposed to be. Other moments were harrowing and very, very disturbing. (The end... Oh, just More...
Jul 31, 2011
Manda
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Dec 20, 2011
Lucille
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How many times have you heard the expression, to make a deal with the devil? Dr. Faustus is based off of an old germanic legend about a man whose quest for knowledge and power lead him to make a deal with the devil. At first, Faustus seems unconcerned with his end of the deal- after 24 years his soul will belong to Lucifer. For Faustus, who has mastered every human form of knowledge and who portrays very humanist ideals, death is not something to fear. The afterlife is not important- what matter
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