Group Play - Dr. Faustus (Spring 2017)

[Leslie]

The focus play for our Elizabethan drama theme April-June 2017 is Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. Feel free to comment on any performances or adaptations you have seen in addition to the written play!

[Gill]

I'm looking forward to this. Thanks, Leslie.

[Antonio]

Leslie wrote: "The focus play for our Elizabethan drama theme April-June 2017 is Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. Feel free to comment on any performances or adaptations y..."

What a funny coincidence Leslie! I've just written a post on my blog https://unideadivita.blogspot.it/2017... about the book of Christopher Marlowe and Dr Faustus. It's in Italian and is also in coincidence with the publication of Pope Benedict XVI's last book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... Meaningful coincidences ...

[Petra]

I plan on joining in. Have requested my copy from the library.

[Pink]

Petra wrote: "I plan on joining in. Have requested my copy from the library."

Same here :)

[Pink]

I've got my copy and started this yesterday. What a pleasure to read! I was very apprehensive about this, as I've been having trouble recently with reading plays, without having watched them. No fear here, it's a delight to read. I have just under half left to read this afternoon. I'll give more of my thoughts when I've finished.

[Leslie]

Pink wrote: "I've got my copy and started this yesterday. What a pleasure to read! I was very apprehensive about this, as I've been having trouble recently with reading plays, without having watched them. No fe..."

Good to hear Pink! I still have to get a copy but hope to read it sometime this month.

[Leslie]

Ben wrote: "Dr Faustus. Is his related to Goethe's Faust ? Google is not kosher for me"

Yes, the same basic story.

[Gill]

I'm hoping to get to this later in the month.

[Gill]

I'm starting this now. I'll report back soon!

[Gill]

I enjoyed reading this. I also listened to a very interesting Great Courses chapter on Christopher Marlowe. Apparently, if he hadn't been murdered, he could well have been a greater playwright than Shakespeare. His great strength was his talent in writing blank verse.

Pink, did you notice that the word ' metempsychosis' comes up in the play, near the end? Last (and first!) time I came across that word was in Ulysses.

[Pink]

I'm glad you liked it Gill, I've also heard that we'd probably be discussing his works above Shakespeare's if it wasn't for his death.

I didn't notice the word metempsychosis being present here and in Ulysses! It's the sort of word that I think I should know, or assume everyone else does, but I don't really know what it means. I had to look it up.

[Gill]

Yes, that's the word that Molly keeps mispronouncing. Bloom comments on it a few times, and then Molly also talks about it in her soliloquy. In terms of Faust, it appeared quite near the end of it.

[Pink]

Ah, yes I remember it well in Ulysses now! I don't think I even noticed it in Faust. I think I have a bad habit of skipping over words when I don't really know what they mean, instead of actually looking them up while I'm reading. That's easier to do with kindle/online books though.

[Gill]

I've just come across a teachers' pack for the play:

https://cdn2.rsc.org.uk/sitefinity/ed...

[Pink]

Gill wrote: "Pink, did you notice that the word ' metempsychosis' comes up in the play, near the end? Last (and first!) time I came across that word was in Ulysses. ..."

Totally unrelated, but just came across this word again in Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. At least I remembered what it meant this time!

[Gill]

Oh, I didn't say I knew what it meant! Well done for remembering the meaning, Pink.

[Pink]

:)