Marlowe's Doctor Faustus: Summary & Analysis

Abstract

The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly shortened to the title character's name, Doctor Faustus, is a play that was written by Christopher Marlowe and was published in 1604. In this lesson, we'll explore the plot of this play, and analyze some of the major characters, themes, and symbols. Doctor Faustus, a talented German scholar at Wittenberg, rails against the limits of human knowledge. He has learned everything he can learn, or so he thinks, from the conventional academic disciplines. All of these things have left him unsatisfied, so now he turns to magic. A Good Angle and an Evil Angel arrive, representing Faustus' choice between Christian conscience and the path to damnation. The former advises him to leave off this pursuit of magic, and the latter tempts him. From two fellow scholars, Valdes and Cornelius, Faustus learns the fundamentals of the black arts. He thrills at the power he will have, and the great feats he'll perform. He summons the devil Mephistopheles. They flesh out the terms of their agreement, with Mephistopheles representing Lucifer. Faustus will sell his soul, in exchange for twenty-four years of power, with Mephistopheles as servant to his every whim.