As most of you probably know, I am in my final year studying English Language and Literature at University. Whilst my interests do lean very heavily towards the language part of my course, I do enjoy many examples of classic literature, and some of the books and plays i've studied have entered my general favourites. In this post, I'm going to attempt to convince you that a blank verse play about a man selling his soul to the devil, written in the 1500's by a guy who was stabbed to death and may have been an enemy of the state. I know. Bear with me, and I swear it'll be worth it.
To give it the full and original title, The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, is a play based on an old Germanic legend, concerning a man who sells his soul to the devil in the pursuit of knowledge and power, and ultimately brings about his own downfall because of this. Faustus is a learned man from a poor background, who at the beginning of the play, believes he has exhausted all of the subjects he has studied over the course of his life. He decides that the next logical step is to call on the devil and ask him to grant him more knowledge. As you do. The devil appears and grants Faustus a personal devil slave called Mephistophilis to grant his every wish on earth for the next twenty-four years, after which time he will be dragged to hell to spend eternity in damnation. Despite being given plenty of opportunity to repent and turn back on this clearly lop-sided deal (including an actual literal divine intervention I mean come on man), Faustus signs the contract in blood and skips off merrily to have a wonderful twenty-four years of mischief and merriment with his new devil friend.
If anyone has seen a horror film like, ever, you can probably guess how this is going to end. Faustus has a wonderful time dancing around with the seven deadly sins, playing tricks on the pope and meeting Helen of Troy, but ultimately, his time comes to an end. He repents right at the last second, but at that point it seems he has wasted all of his chances for salvation, and he is carried off the stage by a troupe of devils to spend eternity in Hell. Cheery, right?
I bet you're wondering why on earth I would be recommending this play right about now. Well, for a start, it is a very compelling story. Whether reading the play or watching it performed, Faustus draws us in as a complex and many-sided character. His dubious motivations make him difficult to sympathise with to start with, but his final glimpses of humanity and regret make it even more difficult for us to cheer for his demise. The play has a small cast with only a few major characters, and alongside Faustus is the mysterious and enigmatic devil Mephistophilis. He is less of an evil character than we might first expect to encounter, sticking with Faustus unquestionably and performing his every wish without hesitation, but not goading or encouraging him into anything. One of the most interesting parts of his character is his apparent fear and hatred of Hell - it 'strikes a terror to [his] fainting soul!' - slightly more dainty southern belle than spawn of Lucifer, but this is just one of the many ways this play subverts and plays with our expectations. Mephistophilis delivers some of the most memorable and striking lines in the play when he talks about his constant torment and desire to return to heaven:
'Why this is Hell, nor am I out of it
Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of God,
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells,
In being deprived of everlasting bliss?'
In Faustus, Hell is a state of mind as well as a place with fire and pitchforks, and this kind of concept was startlingly ahead of its time, saving the play from feeling too dated even now. Beside Shakespeare, Marlowe often falls into the shade, but his work ages just as well and is just as accessible to modern readers. The play goes against so many of the tropes of the time, and turned the traditional medieval morality play on its head. It also talks about quite a few theories of science that were around at the time, so if that's something that interests you this is definitely worth a read.
Essentially, if you've ever read a Shakespeare play and enjoyed it, I would really recommend you give Doctor Faustus a chance. There are two slightly different versions, the A text and B text, which can be bought together or separately, or there are performed versions available to buy and watch. I would especially reccomend the 2011 performance by the company of The Globe theatre in London, which is a brilliant cast and interpretation of the show. Doctor Faustus is shockingly interesting and easy to read/watch, and brings up some fascinating points on the nature of 'hell', moral greyness and the limitations of man.
I would give this play 4.5 stars out of 5, and strongly urge everyone to not overlook this for fear of how old and potentially boring it may be!
- Natalie XOX
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