Part 2: CS Lews, Adam and Eve, & Dr. Faustus
Part 3: Worldview Clashes and the Faustus Legend
I am going to post some analysis of Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus tomorrow. In the mean time, here is a brief summary of the plot, as well as an interesting (to me) sidenote. For additional commentary, click here for a wikipedia summary. Say what you will, wikipedia is a good resource.
Dr. Faustus is a classic play that deals with a popular theme, namely, selling one's soul to the devil. Dr. Faustus is brilliant and respected, but he is not satisfied with the rewards that religion and virtue have earned him. He decides to take lessons in conjuring from a two of his friends, and in doing so summons a demon named Mephistopheles. Faustus is quite taken with Mephistopheles and his powers, so he agrees to sell his soul the devil, Lucifer, in exchange for youth and power. He signs his name with his own blood to seal the agreement, despite the warnings of an angel.
The devil is true to his word. With Mephistopheles' help, Faustus becomes the world's most powerful magician. He can do whatever he wants to whomever he desires, including the pope and an emperor. However, he is still ultimately doomed. He is give several chanves to repent throughout his life, but he rejects them all. On his deathbed, he bemoans his fate but refuses to believe that he can be saved. Then Faustus dies and goes to Hell. The chorus, which acts as Faustus' conscience, delivers the plays moral - avoid conjuring, magic, and other ungodly pursuits.
Now for the scintillating sidenote:
Have you ever read a Tintin comic book? If so, chances are that you've met the charismatic opera singer Madam Castafiore, also known as the Milanese Nightingale. You may also recall that her favorite song is 'The Jewel Song' from Faust. Here's the literary connection - the composer Gounod turned the story of Dr. Faustus (or Faust) into an opera, and the opera really does have an aria called 'The Jewel Song.' So, Christopher Marlowe's play is connected to Tintin!
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4 comments:
Karen, is it possible that you meant "world's most powerful MAGICIAN" instead of "musician?" It may be the case that your version of Faust is different than mine...:)
Good point, they didn't even have amplifiers back then, I don't think. [chuckle]
I was going to say..."musician"?
This was a duo at Nats this past year wasn't it? In fact, didn't it win second place???
Very good analysis tho...
Marshall
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Those who put their trust in spell check will be disillusioned, for it does not catch everything! Yes, it's most definitely magician. *blush*
Marshall - I think the Faust duo at nats was from the version written by the German poet Goethe, but I could be wrong. I'm going to compare the two works later this week.
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