The Church of St. Martin, Canterbury, an Illustrated Account of Its History and Fabric Book

Author’s Background- The play, The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, was written by Christopher Marlowe. Christopher was born in Canterbury, England, in 1564. No one knows for sure when he was actually born, but since he was baptized around February 26 historians assume he was born around that day. While Christopher left behind a legacy after writing his famous play, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, his literary career only lasted less than six years. Christopher was arrested for his assumed religion of atheism which was a crime back then. People thought his play about someone selling their soul to the devil was very corrupt. Marlowe was killed on May 30 after a fight broke out between him and Ingram Frizer-the same person that recruited Marlowe into secret service. Marlowe was stabbed in the forehead and was killed, but the actually cause for his death is still being debated today.


Literary Time Period- 1592(although the play wasn’t published until a decade later)


Setting- Medieval Wittenberg, Germany; Papal palace in Rome; Court and kingdom of Carolus, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor.


Characters-
Faustus- power-thirsy, brilliant scholar, sells his soul
Mephastophilis- devil that appears when Faustus is messing with magic, good devil(attempts to discourage Faustus from selling his soul)
Old Man- mysterious, doesn't appear until the final scene, tries to convince Faustus to repent and ask God to show him mercy
Good Angel- holy, voice of reason, tries to convince Faustus not to go through with selling his soul because he would regret it.
Bad Angel- evil, voice of corruption, tells Faustus that he should sell his soul knowing the consequences, seems like a recruiter for Hell in a way.
Lucifer- ruler of Hell, Mephastophilis’s master
Wagner- Faustus’s servant, sneaks Faustus’s master books to learn how to summon devils and work with magic


Theme-
Temptation, Sin, and Repentance
Faustus gave into temptation when given the opportunity to gain power and control
He sinned when he sold his soul to the Devil and messed with all of those people
He repented when he knew the 24 year period was coming to an end and then it really dawned on him that his soul was going to be damned for eternity.
Free will vs Fate
In Faustus time Christianity outlooks were changing and at the time there was the belief of predestination which meant god has already predestined everyone to either heaven or hell and that free will is just an allusion.
Throughout the book Faustus encounters moments of free will where he has the choice to make whatever decision he wants but it is debated that he made those decisions because they were all part of his predestined plan


Plot Summary- A well-respected scholar named Dr. Faustus from Wittenberg, Germany finds interest in magic after deciding that his years of being a scholar have come to an end. He tells his servant to bring him men that can teach him magic and two angels appear. One trying to convince him not to partake in dark magic and the other telling him it's ok. After messing around with magic he summons up a demon by the name of Mephistopheles and he is used as Lucifer’s messenger. After talking to Mephastophilis Faustus agrees to make a deal with the devil that included selling his soul to experience 24 years of power and riches. After signing the agreement with his blood he immediately regrets it and wants to repent but Lucifer finds a way to distract him from the thought of wanting to repent. Faustus goes on to make himself the talk of the town. He entertains people from the Emperor of Germany to the Duchess of Vanholt. After his 24 years is up demons come to take Faustus’s soul but he tries to repent in the name of God, but by that time it is too late.
Literary Devices-
Symbolism
Good and Evil Angels- They stand for the inner battle of wisdom vs. corruption that Faustus battles with throughout the whole story
Blood- Faustus’s blood means something to Lucifer, because once he has his blood he has all of him.
Foreshadowing
Blood- when the blood congeals while Faustus tries to sign the agreement it just foreshadows that things aren’t going to get pretty from that moment on. It’s like his own blood was telling him to watch out.


Memorable Quotes-
“Fools that will laugh on earth, most weep in hell.” By saying this, Faustus meant that those who laugh on earth are the ones who sin and experience pleasure, but at the end of it they experience damnation because they have been fooled by their earthly desires.
“Was not that Lucifer and angel once?”
“Yes Faustus, and most dearly loved of God.”
“How comes it, then that he is prince of devils?”
“O, by aspiring pride and insolence, for which God threw him from the face of heaven”
This quoted conversation was frustrating because Mephistopheles was clearly hinting the sins that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven and Faustus does not seem to get the hint that these are the sins he himself has indulged in and that he might not make it into heaven because of it, but he chooses to ignore his wrong-doings.