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beautifully written. i loved the story as well as the humour. it was really compelling ! the only thing that irritated me slightly was the use of latin which i kept having to look up haha
I feel like I should like this one more than I do, and it is a very funny play. I get especially a kick out of the side characters, so are truly corrupt, and yet more hones than Faustus himself. He puts on airs and glorious in his erudition, magic, tricks, and high society, but at the end of the day, he's no different than Wagner or the ostlers. He trades heaven for a bowl of pottage, and his being dragged down to hell is as pathetic as the men changed into an ape and dog.
I do like it, and I can see how Marlowe was one of Shakespeare's influences. Overall, though, this story just feels lacks weight that I associate with the Faust legend. It's more of a farce than a tragedy, and that's fine. It's just not one I see myself going back to very often.
I do like it, and I can see how Marlowe was one of Shakespeare's influences. Overall, though, this story just feels lacks weight that I associate with the Faust legend. It's more of a farce than a tragedy, and that's fine. It's just not one I see myself going back to very often.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My English Lit module this term is all plays. This is the first one we’re doing, Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Honestly? This is going to be a bad review, for several reasons. Firstly, I have an enormous headache. Secondly, even though I finished it, I pretty much skimmed it. I need to reread it with the notes. You would think that considering those facts, I’d refrain from writing a review. But I’ve become so accustomed to writing a review when I finish a book that I can’t really pick up a new one until I do. So forgive me for this.
I was underwhelmed, to be honest. Ever since I read Hornby’s phrase, “The trouble with influential books is that if you have absorbed the influence without ever reading the original, then it can sometimes be hard to appreciate the magnitude of its achievement”, I have thought of how often this applies. Doctor Faustus is about selling his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. The problem is, it’s not like I’ve never seen this done before. We’ve all seen it, many times probably. Besides, one of my favourite books is Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Grey. So to see it done in a way that I didn’t find overly fascinating was uninteresting. Plus, I just thought that Faustus was an idiot. If you’re given proof that there is a heaven, and a hell, and you directly face-to-face make a deal with the devil, you’ve got to be a bit of a loon. Especially when said devil tells you that it’s torture to not be in heaven having experienced it.
Also, I’ve been reading Paradise Lost as well, so it’s just a lot of devils in too short a period of time. I’m ready to move on.
I was underwhelmed, to be honest. Ever since I read Hornby’s phrase, “The trouble with influential books is that if you have absorbed the influence without ever reading the original, then it can sometimes be hard to appreciate the magnitude of its achievement”, I have thought of how often this applies. Doctor Faustus is about selling his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. The problem is, it’s not like I’ve never seen this done before. We’ve all seen it, many times probably. Besides, one of my favourite books is Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Grey. So to see it done in a way that I didn’t find overly fascinating was uninteresting. Plus, I just thought that Faustus was an idiot. If you’re given proof that there is a heaven, and a hell, and you directly face-to-face make a deal with the devil, you’ve got to be a bit of a loon. Especially when said devil tells you that it’s torture to not be in heaven having experienced it.
Also, I’ve been reading Paradise Lost as well, so it’s just a lot of devils in too short a period of time. I’m ready to move on.
The play has the A version and the B version. I just read the A version.
There's this theory that a lot of Shakespeare's work was actually Christopher Marlowe's work. I've never liked the theory, but I'm especially not seeing it based on Faustus. Maybe other Marlowe plays are more insightful, but Faustus is missing Shakespeare's complex characters and thoughtfulness about human nature.
It's basically, "Dude's greed makes him short-sighted; he regrets it later." Which is an important lesson for people to learn, but Faustus presents it in the broadest, sketchiest, possible way. It keeps a lot of distance between the audience and the main character; never caring whether readers understand or relate to him. I'm curious though to see if that's something that can be corrected with great actors in a live performance.
It's basically, "Dude's greed makes him short-sighted; he regrets it later." Which is an important lesson for people to learn, but Faustus presents it in the broadest, sketchiest, possible way. It keeps a lot of distance between the audience and the main character; never caring whether readers understand or relate to him. I'm curious though to see if that's something that can be corrected with great actors in a live performance.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Too bad Christopher Marlowe was murdered. Dude was super smart.
[First read October 2004]
[First read October 2004]
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes