- Wagner gives an account of Faustus's travels to view the universe and informs us that he has arrived in Rome. Faustus discusses the sights he has seen with Mephistopheles. Why doesn't he travel outside of Europe? Because Europe is the center of everything. There is no world outside of Europe.'To know the secrets of astronomy' - Marlow doesn't even know the word for it and this may also be why he doesn't talk about anything else. The supernatural is involved 'Drawn by the strength of yoky dragons' necks'.
- Mephistopheles confirms that, in accordance with Faustus' request, they are now in the Vatican where they can witness - and mischievously participate in - the celebration of 'holy peter's feast'.
- At the Banquet, Faustus, who is invisible , disrupts the feast by snatching food and wine from the pope and his guests. This is a comedy scene because of how the pope is being mocked by Faustus. Lorraine thinks that Faustus is a soul that's not ready for heaven, 'purgatory'.
- Believing that they are being haunted by a ghost from purgatory, the Friars ineffectually attempt an exorcism/excommunication and flee when Faustus and Mephistopheles throw fireworks among them.
- Robin, accompanied by Rafe, has stolen a cup from a tavern and attempts to outwit the furious vinter by sleight of hand and then by conjuring.
- Robin's incantations in raising Mephistopheles, who angrily turns Robin into an Ape and Rafe into a dog.
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Dr Faustus
Acts 3 Scene 1 - 2
Dr Faustus
Act 2 Scenes 1 - 3
My notes from Act 2 is when we are brought back to Dr Faustus in his study, which is the same as when we where first introduced into him in act 2.
This is when Faustus is known for having his first wobbly step after deciding to change his life from education to magic. His study has been used to remind the audience of his educational status. He has used the reference of 'Beezlebub' more than once and it raises the question why does he use this instead of Lucifer? As they both fit the metre.
Fautus' first speech is about him deciding either a life of magic or God. Then the good and bad angel come back and they seem to give Fautus an idea of what he should do.. either good or bad.
When Faustus is drawing his blood his blood congeals. This could be read as a sign that what he is doing is bad and that he shouldn't do it. A significant moment is when he says 'Consummatum est.' This is significant because it was supposedly the last words of Jesus Christ and now Faustus is saying them. 'Faustus boasts of the virtue of his heavenly words; and Mephistopheles urges Fautus to pray devoutly to the prince of hell. As Johnathon Dolimore observes 'Faustus is not liberating himself, he is ending himself. "its finished".'
My notes from Act 2 is when we are brought back to Dr Faustus in his study, which is the same as when we where first introduced into him in act 2.
This is when Faustus is known for having his first wobbly step after deciding to change his life from education to magic. His study has been used to remind the audience of his educational status. He has used the reference of 'Beezlebub' more than once and it raises the question why does he use this instead of Lucifer? As they both fit the metre.
Fautus' first speech is about him deciding either a life of magic or God. Then the good and bad angel come back and they seem to give Fautus an idea of what he should do.. either good or bad.
- The play is told in second person.
When Faustus is drawing his blood his blood congeals. This could be read as a sign that what he is doing is bad and that he shouldn't do it. A significant moment is when he says 'Consummatum est.' This is significant because it was supposedly the last words of Jesus Christ and now Faustus is saying them. 'Faustus boasts of the virtue of his heavenly words; and Mephistopheles urges Fautus to pray devoutly to the prince of hell. As Johnathon Dolimore observes 'Faustus is not liberating himself, he is ending himself. "its finished".'
- Lucifer is used as a reference to light within the Gothic Drama. (light bearer)
- The deed specifies that Faustus may be a spirit and that Mephistopheles will be at his command. In return, Lucifer is allowed to carry Faustus off, body and soul at the end of the 24 years.
- Faustus asks Mephistopheles a series of questions about hell, scoffing at the concept of eternal torment.
- Mephistopheles provides Faustus with a 'wife' in the form of a devil dressed like a woman, alive with fireworks, and gives him books of the necromantic spells and astronomy.
- Robin has stolen one of Faustus books and tells Rafe the stable boy what delights he will be able to accomplish.
- Wondering at the stars, Faustus curses Lucifer for having deprived him of the joys of heaven.
- Listening to the promptings of the good and evil angels, Faustus is unable to repent. He consoles himself with reminders of the pleasures he has experienced thanks to his new-won powers.
- Mephistopheles answers Faustus's questions about the universe, but refuses to tell him who made the world.
- Mephistopheles angrily departs when Faustus pushes him to an answer, returning with Lucifer and another of his chief ministers, Beezlebub. Lucifer reminds Faustus of his pact.
- Lucifer distracts and entertains Faustus with a show of the seven deadly sins.
- This sins continue to describe themselves to Faustus, one by one.
- Faustus is delighted by the vision of the sins and by a book given to him by Lucifer.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Dr Faustus
Prologue
Not marching now in fields of Thrasymene,
Where Mars did mate the Carthaginians,
Nor sporting in the dalliance of love,
In courts of kings where state is overturn'd
Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds,
5 Intends our Muse to vaunt her heavenly verse:
Only this, gentlemen,—we must perform
The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad:
To patient judgments we appeal our plaud,
And speak for Faustus in his infancy.
10 Now is he born, his parents base of stock,
In Germany, within a town call'd Rhodes:
Of riper years, to Wertenberg he went,
Whereas his kinsmen chiefly brought him up.
So soon he profits in divinity,
15 The fruitful plot of scholarism grac'd,
That shortly he was grac'd with doctor's name,
Excelling all whose sweet delight disputes
In heavenly matters of theology;
Till swoln with cunning, of a self-conceit,
20 His waxen wings did mount above his reach,
And, melting, heavens conspir'd his overthrow;
For, falling to a devilish exercise,
And glutted now with learning's golden gifts,
He surfeits upon cursed necromancy;
25 Nothing so sweet as magic is to him,
Which he prefers before his chiefest bliss:
And this the man that in his study sits.
I have highlighted the parts that i found interesting within the Chorus of Dr Faustus. This is important as it is telling the audience what the play is not about. As the audience we get told that it is not a play about love or good deeds and more a play about morality and religion. We are also teased with the idea that black magic is involved. This is in line 25. We also discover that Dr Faustus is in fact high on the academic ladder and has achieved a lot throughout his life. However, it seems as if he has become very arrogant.
Act 1 Scenes 1 - 4
Act 1 Scene 1 Line 1 'Settle thy studies,' which means to make your mind up about what you want to do in life. This shows how Dr Faustus is unsettled about what he is going to do and he is talking to himself and the audience about making up his decision. He does this by searching through many books in his study. Then eventually stumbles across a book of magic.
Act 1 Scene 1 Line 24 'Wouldst thou make man to live eternally? Or being dead, raise them to life again?' This line relates to Victor Frankenstein because of the symbol of creating life.
There are two angels in the play and these are the good angle and the bad angle. They appeared just as Faustus begins to get interested in the book of magic and they show a sign of moral conflict. This links with the 'morality play'. When Faustus begins to fantasize about what he could have if he was on top of the world because of the magic. We see clear evidence of how he does not plan to be completely selfish, and he does have ideas for the world itself to make it a better place. This is shown in lines 90 to 94. 'I'll have them wall in Germany with brass... I'll have them fill the public schools with silk... students shall be bravely clad... I'll levy soldiers with the coin they bring'.
In act 1 scene 2 there are many significant words that are used such as 'conjure' and also there are many references to religious artifacts within the play already so far.
Again in Act 1 Scene 2 we are introduced to the characters of 'First scholar' and 'Second scholar', these characters enter the play causing some unease. This is because they both immediately make the audience aware of the danger Dr Faustus is entering.
Act 1 Scene 3, this is when we meet Mephistopheles for the first time, he brings a dark aroma to the play as he talks about 'hell' and he also talks about how he is bound to hell and therefore cannot help anyone. We discover that Faustus did not actually summon him and in fact Mephistopheles heard him mumbling the spell and he was curious as to whether he could take his soul.
Act 1 Scene 4 is when we are first introduced to the deal that Faustus has offered '24 years of luxury life and he will send off his soul. From lines 104 to 116 Faustus speculates about what he could do if the deal is accepted.
Throughout Act 1 Scene 4 we can also see that there is a parody of the bargains Faustus is about to make and this highlights his foolishness. This parody is reflected in the scene with Wagner and Robin. Also in Act 1 Scene 4 Robin who is a clown expresses his vulgar side and becomes very crude talking about tickling 'the pretty wenches' plackets!'
Overall i think that so far the play has been very interesting and i think there is much to come from Faustus' actions in relation to the magic. I think that the play has very important characters and the humor within the play is also very significant typically within the time the play was on stage.
Not marching now in fields of Thrasymene,
Where Mars did mate the Carthaginians,
Nor sporting in the dalliance of love,
In courts of kings where state is overturn'd
Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds,
5 Intends our Muse to vaunt her heavenly verse:
Only this, gentlemen,—we must perform
The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad:
To patient judgments we appeal our plaud,
And speak for Faustus in his infancy.
10 Now is he born, his parents base of stock,
In Germany, within a town call'd Rhodes:
Of riper years, to Wertenberg he went,
Whereas his kinsmen chiefly brought him up.
So soon he profits in divinity,
15 The fruitful plot of scholarism grac'd,
That shortly he was grac'd with doctor's name,
Excelling all whose sweet delight disputes
In heavenly matters of theology;
Till swoln with cunning, of a self-conceit,
20 His waxen wings did mount above his reach,
And, melting, heavens conspir'd his overthrow;
For, falling to a devilish exercise,
And glutted now with learning's golden gifts,
He surfeits upon cursed necromancy;
25 Nothing so sweet as magic is to him,
Which he prefers before his chiefest bliss:
And this the man that in his study sits.
I have highlighted the parts that i found interesting within the Chorus of Dr Faustus. This is important as it is telling the audience what the play is not about. As the audience we get told that it is not a play about love or good deeds and more a play about morality and religion. We are also teased with the idea that black magic is involved. This is in line 25. We also discover that Dr Faustus is in fact high on the academic ladder and has achieved a lot throughout his life. However, it seems as if he has become very arrogant.
Act 1 Scenes 1 - 4
Act 1 Scene 1 Line 1 'Settle thy studies,' which means to make your mind up about what you want to do in life. This shows how Dr Faustus is unsettled about what he is going to do and he is talking to himself and the audience about making up his decision. He does this by searching through many books in his study. Then eventually stumbles across a book of magic.
Act 1 Scene 1 Line 24 'Wouldst thou make man to live eternally? Or being dead, raise them to life again?' This line relates to Victor Frankenstein because of the symbol of creating life.
There are two angels in the play and these are the good angle and the bad angle. They appeared just as Faustus begins to get interested in the book of magic and they show a sign of moral conflict. This links with the 'morality play'. When Faustus begins to fantasize about what he could have if he was on top of the world because of the magic. We see clear evidence of how he does not plan to be completely selfish, and he does have ideas for the world itself to make it a better place. This is shown in lines 90 to 94. 'I'll have them wall in Germany with brass... I'll have them fill the public schools with silk... students shall be bravely clad... I'll levy soldiers with the coin they bring'.
In act 1 scene 2 there are many significant words that are used such as 'conjure' and also there are many references to religious artifacts within the play already so far.
Again in Act 1 Scene 2 we are introduced to the characters of 'First scholar' and 'Second scholar', these characters enter the play causing some unease. This is because they both immediately make the audience aware of the danger Dr Faustus is entering.
Act 1 Scene 3, this is when we meet Mephistopheles for the first time, he brings a dark aroma to the play as he talks about 'hell' and he also talks about how he is bound to hell and therefore cannot help anyone. We discover that Faustus did not actually summon him and in fact Mephistopheles heard him mumbling the spell and he was curious as to whether he could take his soul.
Act 1 Scene 4 is when we are first introduced to the deal that Faustus has offered '24 years of luxury life and he will send off his soul. From lines 104 to 116 Faustus speculates about what he could do if the deal is accepted.
Throughout Act 1 Scene 4 we can also see that there is a parody of the bargains Faustus is about to make and this highlights his foolishness. This parody is reflected in the scene with Wagner and Robin. Also in Act 1 Scene 4 Robin who is a clown expresses his vulgar side and becomes very crude talking about tickling 'the pretty wenches' plackets!'
Overall i think that so far the play has been very interesting and i think there is much to come from Faustus' actions in relation to the magic. I think that the play has very important characters and the humor within the play is also very significant typically within the time the play was on stage.
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