Christopher Marlowe (1) (–1593)

Wasn’t sure if I have the patience to read a classic play, but this wasn’t so bad. After having read “The Picture of Dorian Gray” earlier this year, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus has been looming at the back of my mind. Finally, I’m done with it.

The play is a medium-paced story written in typical classical style. Considering it was penned sometime between 1589-1592, the content is fairly readable and the theme is surprisingly relevant more than 430 years later. Well, I guess human nature doesn’t change in sync with societal advancements!

The story is based on the German legend of Faust. The eponymous Faustus, a renowned scholar, is bored with his life and starts dabbling in occult magic/ He ends up signing a deal with devil: his soul in return for twenty four years of power and knowledge. He makes the most of these two dozen years, meeting heads of the church and the state, and travelling across the country showing off his prowess. But when the sands of his gifted time come to an end, he cries and turns to God for forgiveness. And what do you think happens?

The book is a classic portrayal of the vagaries of human nature and how people remember God only in times of trouble. It is pretty well-written and quite interesting, though a tad more religious than I had expected. I can see why Christopher Marlowe was considered a talented dramatist in London until his untimely death changed the focus over to Shakespeare.

3.5 stars from me, rounding up to 4. I might have enjoyed it more had I actually read it or heard a better audio version. The Librivox recording was average.


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Puisque je venais de lire le [Faust] de Goethe, je me suis dit que c’était le moment où jamais de lire cette version antérieure de quelques siècles du fameux mythe. Christopher Marlowe, l’enfant maudit du théâtre élisabéthain livre ici une pièce qui n’a pas dû être facile à monter tant elle regorge de scènes qui demandent de recourir à des « effets spéciaux » (un bel anachronisme que je fais ici, je pense…).
C’est un autre anachronisme que de la comparer à la version de Goethe qui lui est donc largement postérieure, mais l’ordre de ma lecture m’y a poussée, et on sent que le Faust de Christopher Marlowe est moins complexe que celui de Goethe, les scènes un peu bouffonnes trop nombreuses à mon goût, les références au contexte politique de l’époque plutôt amusantes. Mais le mythe est déjà là, les frictions entre religion et savoir, entre pouvoir et vouloir, entre damnation et rédemption sont toutes en place et commencent à se tendre.

S’il ne fallait lire qu’une des deux pièces, c’est celle de Goethe que je conseillerais, mais celle-ci est très intéressante d’un point de vue culturel, pour ce qu’elle dit d’une époque et d’un théâtre que l’on réduit trop souvent à la seule figure de Shakespeare et pour ce qu’elle montre de l’éclosion et de la maturation d’un mythe.… (meer)

It is recognisable for its influence, and the "don't aspire beyond the human limits of knowledge" is a tale as old as time itself, but this still holds up magnificently, which I wasn't expecting.
A play written in blank verse with the theme of a repentant God, an unrepentant Devil, and a human having sold his soul to the latter in exchange for knowledge and relief from boredom sounds (and is) exciting. It helps that Marlowe keeps it simple, doesn't get too preachy, and fills up the gaps nicely even with a foregone conclusion.
TL;DR - don't sell your soul to the Devil, with a capital D - who would have guessed?… (meer)