Writer’s Intro:
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe, was a playwright, poet, and translator in Elizabethan-era England (1564-1593). He wrote the tragic play “Doctor Faustus”. In this context, we are going to discuss Doctor Faustus’ summary. Let’s enjoy the summary.
Theme
The play revolves around three fundamental themes: Sin, Redemption, and damnation.
Character list of Doctor Faustus
Faustus: Faustus is an extremely knowledgeable man who seems to have discovered everything there is to discover about the natural world. In the early 1600s, Wittenberg, Germany is home to Faustus, a scholar. He has an intense thirst for knowledge and is proud and indignant about it. With the promise of earthly power and wisdom as well as an extra 24 years of life, Faustus makes a deal with the devil.
Mephistopheles: The devil, whom Faustus summons whenever he needs him. He has spent the last 24 years as Faustus’ employee. Mephistopheles manipulates Faustus into selling his soul and then urges him to waste his 24 years of power in immoral and illegal works.
Wagner: Servant of Faust who learns how to summon evil spirits after he steals Faustus’s writings. He seems very concerned about his master’s safety at the play’s conclusion.
The Good Angel and the Evil Angel: Faustus’ inner torment is personified by the Good Angel and the Evil Angel. They diverge in their counsel at crucial moments. They also represent Christian beliefs about how humans are given guardian angels and how devils can manipulate minds.
Valdes and Cornelius: Friends of Faustus include the two men Valdes and Cornelius. Faustus studies with Valdes, who is an expert in necromancy (the black art of magic). He appears in the first act and a little more.
Lucifer– A name of Satan. The name “Lucifer” was originally a synonym for Venus. Satan has a brief appearance in Doctor Faustus when he is misnamed by Marlowe as “Lucifer.”
Beelzebub: He is the name of one of Lucifer’s officers. He is a powerful demon who possesses something with a lot of bad spirits.
Other important characters:
The Seven Deadly Sins: Seven cardinal sins can destroy a person’s life. Envy, gluttony, greed/avarice, desire, pride, sloth, and wrath are the seven deadly sins listed in the Bible and other Christian writings. They display themselves one by one in a parade before Faustus.
Robin the Clown: By reading one of Faustus’s books, Robin discovers how to summon demons. In several comedic intervals between the more serious parts of the plot, he takes center stage.
Dick: Robin has a pal named Dick. In the story’s few comedic moments, he plays a key role.
Rafe: He is an equestrian friend of Robin, an accomplished rider. He summons Mephistopheles with the help of the Clown which does not make Mephistopheles happy.
Vintner: An individual engaged in the business of selling or producing wine is called a vintner. It all starts when this Vintner discovers his silver goblet has been stolen by Robin and Rafe.
Horse-courser: A “horse-courser” is a man who purchases Faustus’ horse. He gets cheated on by Faustus.
The Pope: His portrayal by Marlowe as harsh, power-hungry, and not at all holy likely pleased his Protestant audience. Faustus plays various dexterity of hand techniques on him.
The Doctor Faustus summary
The First part of Summary
Doctor Faustus, a brilliant German professor at Wittenberg, has been complete dissatisfaction with the worldly limited knowledge. He thinks that he has learned all he can from traditional fields of study and has nothing more to learn. Nothing else can satisfy him anymore, so he’s going to try the black magic called necromancy. The arrival of a Good Angel and an Evil Angel shows Faustus that he must choose between his Christian conscience and the road to hell. The good Angel tells him to stop looking for magic, while the bad Angel tries to get him to keep going.
Valdes and Cornelius, two of Faustus’s friends, teach him about necromancy. He’s excited to think about all the great things he’ll be able to do with this power. He calls on the devil, Mephistopheles. While they work out the details of their deal, Mephistopheles stands in for Lucifer. Faustus will sell his soul to Lucifer and Mephistopheles will do what Faustus wants from him for twenty-four years. In the meantime, Wagner, who works for Faustus, is shown to have learned magic in a funny moment. This is how he gets Robin the Clown to work for him as his servant.
The Second part of the Summary
Faustus has doubts, but he pushes them away before signing the contract. When Mephistopheles comes back, Faustus writes the contract for the sale of his soul in blood. When Faustus sees the words “Homo fuge” (Fly, man) written on his arm, he is filled with fear. Mephistopheles tries to get him to look away by dancing like Satan. Mephistopheles says no to Faustus’s request for a wife, but he does give him a library full of books to learn from. Even though Faustus has seen many miracles, he blames Mephistopheles for keeping him from going to heaven.
He can hurt Mephistopheles, but the devil runs away as soon as the name of God is mentioned by Faustus. Both the Good Angel and the Bad Angel have come back. The bad Angel tells him to stick to his wicked ideas, but the Good Angel tells him to turn around the bad proposal and repent to God. When Faustus is seen about to leave the bad path, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Mephistopheles are back to threaten him. He gets afraid of their threats and says he will never again talk about God or even think about the possibility that he might exist.
Lucifer tells Faustus that he will take him to hell after they show him the Seven Deadly Sins as a joke. Faustus has been all over the world in a chariot pulled by dragons, and now he is on his way to Rome for the St. Peter’s Day celebration. Mephistopheles and Faustus are waiting for the Pope, who is shown to be arrogant and completely evil. They do a series of tricks where they magically change how they look and disappear, and then they leave.
The Third part of the Summary
When the chorus returns, it tells us that Faustus has gone back to his home country, where his skills as an astronomer have made him famous. One of Faustus’s magical books has ended up in the hands of Robin the Clown. Rafe calls Mephistopheles with the help of Robin who doesn’t like being called, but Robin the Clown has learned enough magic to amaze his friend Rafe. Faustus’s tricks at the court of Emperor Charles V amaze him. He also puts down the knight Benvolio. When Benvolio and his friends try to get back at Faustus, he tells his demons to attack them. As a result, Benvolio and his friends get horrible looks, like horns growing out of their heads.
Later we see that Faustus tricks a Horse-courser. When the Horse-courser comes back, Faustus plays a scary trick on him. From there, Faustus goes to the Duke of Vanholt to do his job. A Carter, Robin, and a Horse-courser named Dick have a chance encounter. All of them have been hurt by Faustus’s powers. They go to bring Faustus to the Duke’s court so they can tell him what’s wrong. Faustus entertains the Duke and Duchess with some small tricks before the victims show up at the court. They like to watch Faustus play with them and then beat them with magic, which makes the Duke and Duchess very happy.
The Fourth part of the Summary
Faustus’ 24 years of voluptuous life is almost out of time. Wagner tells the people listening that he thinks Faustus is making plans for his death. He says that Wagner will get everything he owns. Faustus, however, continues to party with his fellow students even though he knows his time is short. Faustus casts a spell that makes a ghost look like Helen of Troy, which makes his academic friends laugh.
After a while, an Old Man shows up and tells Faustus he needs to change. Faustus chooses happiness over sadness and asks Mephistopheles to bring Helen of Troy to him so that she can be his love and comfort in his last days. It is known to all that Mephistopheles will agree. Afterward, Faustus reveals to his learned companions that he has been condemned and that he paid the ultimate price for his power. The Scholars, who have good reason to be scared, leave Faustus to his fate. Mephistopheles mocks Faustus as the clock strikes eleven.
The Fifth part of the Summary
Faustus says that Mephistopheles is to blame for his eternal damnation, and Mephistopheles agrees. Both the Good Angel and the Bad Angel come to see Faustus, but the Good Angel leaves quickly. The Demonic Angel makes fun of Faustus and talks about the horrible tortures waiting for Faustus. The time is up at eleven. In his final, frantic monologue, Faustus talks about how sad he is about the way his life has turned out. At twelve, the gates to hell open. Satan pulls Faustus away as he prays for forgiveness from both God and the devil. After a while, Faustus’s friends find his body, which has been cut up into pieces.
Epilogue. The Chorus stresses that Faustus is no longer with them and that his immense potential has left him. The Chorus tells us to remember his fall and the lessons it teaches us.