Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Faustus Task 2
The first thing we learn about Faustus’
character is his origins. He doesn’t come from a well-off background “his
parents base of stock.” This comes from the ‘chain of being’ where stone was
the lowest and God was the most supreme level of the chain. It then explains
that he moved from his home town of Rhode to Wittenberg. This is significant to
the play as Wittenberg was the home of Lutherism and the overturning of the
Catholic Church. It could be interpreted as Marlowe’s personal comment on the
Catholic religion. It is also significant because we learn from the prologue
that Faustus is studying divinity, “So soon he profits in divinity” as was
Marlowe at the time of writing. This links with the regular of usage of
religious vocabulary, “heavenly...devilish” which is one of many examples of
the binary opposition that is frequently used. The fact that Marlowe was also
studying divinity at university raises the question of whether the character of
Faustus is in fact Marlowe talking about himself. In lines 20 and 21 the chorus
hint towards what causes Faustus’ downfall, “swoll’n with cunning of a self deceit,”
indicates that Faustus had knowledge and was a very intelligent man, however this could have been his weakness. “his
waxen wings did not mount above his reach,” tells us that he became too
arrogant and aimed to high. His arrogance is reinforced by the use of the word “chiefest” in line 27.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
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| Darren Stokes as Mephistopheles, in Opera Memophis' adaptation of Doctor Faustus.I think that this image shows Mephistopheles as having a slight madness that isn't evident in the play. The skull he holds links to the sacrifice he made that led to him being under Lucifer's control and beign trapped in hell. The long finger nails, and sections of red in his clothing still portray the more traditional image of the devil that is more well known. However I think that the top hat and suit he is wearing links to the scene where Faustus first meets Mephistopheles and he disguises himself. |
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
"Tis magic, magic that hath ravished me." Dr Faustus Act1 sc1 Create a blog which outlines the key events in the life of Christopher Marlowe. Consider creating an animoto or a visual and text driven resource to explore the life and times of this great writer who may have excelled Mr William Shakespeare...had he lived!
He studied divinity at Cambridge University and was well known for his use of blank verse and over reaching protagonists in his work.
In 1593 a warrant for Marlowe's arrest, connected with allegations of blasphemy. His colleague Thomas Kyd was arrested.
Marlowe went in court on 20 May however there are no records of the privy council meeting.
It is thought that on 30 May Christopher Marlowe was killed, while staying with friends, however there are many different versions of how Marlowe actually died.
Friday, 29 June 2012
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