Concetti Chiave
- Christopher Marlowe, son of a poor shoemaker, excelled in his studies with the help of a benefactor, attending King's School and Cambridge University.
- Marlowe's first tragedy, "Tamburlaine the Great," was produced in 1587 and is notable for its use of blank verse.
- Marlowe died young after being stabbed in a brawl, leaving behind a legacy that, while less profound than Shakespeare's, shines for its imaginative and poetic qualities.
- "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" is based on a German legend about a man who sold his soul to the devil for worldly pleasures.
- The play closely follows the narrative of the Faustbuch, a 1587 publication, highlighting Faust's tragic end and the moral implications of his pact.
What was the life of Christopher Marlowe?
Christopher Marlowe was son of a poor shoemaker of Canterbury; he however – thanks probably to the pecuniary assistance of some appreciative friend – made excellent studies, first at King’s School., Canterbury, and later at Cambridge University, where he took his degree in 1583. He then joined the Earl of Nottingham’s theatrical company and in 1587 produced his first tragedy: Tamburlaine the Great, written in blank verse. Blank verse is a literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter.
The Legend of Faust
His other plays are: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1588 or 1589), The Jew of Malta and Edward II. He unfortunately received a stab in a drunken brawl at Deptford, and died from its effects before he was thirty years of age. For his knowledge of human nature, Marlowe stands considerably below Shakespeare, but “the splendour of his imagination and the noble surging of his verse make us forget his want of dept variety.
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is founded on the German legend with which the Faust of Goethe has made every one familiar. Faust was a real person who lived at the beginning of the sixteenth century, a magician, astrologer and alchemist who was believed to have made a compact with the devil and bartered his soul for all the enjoyments attainable in the world.
The Fate of Faust
The last hour comes, and Faust is brought face to face with his doom, eternal misery. The history of Faust appeared at Frankfurt in 1587 in a small volume known as the Faustbuch; it was soon translated into English, and this translation is the basis on the play of Marlowe, who follows the German legend very closely. The scene quoted below is the final scene of the Tragical history. Faustus has subscribed to the following “deed of gift of body and of soul”
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the educational and early career achievements of Christopher Marlowe?
- How does Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" relate to the German legend of Faust?
- What is the significance of the final scene in Marlowe's "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus"?
Christopher Marlowe, the son of a poor shoemaker, received financial assistance to pursue his education, studying at King’s School, Canterbury, and later at Cambridge University, where he graduated in 1583. He joined the Earl of Nottingham’s theatrical company and produced his first tragedy, "Tamburlaine the Great," in 1587, notable for its use of blank verse.
Marlowe's play is based on the German legend of Faust, a magician and alchemist who allegedly made a pact with the devil, exchanging his soul for worldly pleasures. The play closely follows the narrative of the Faustbuch, a small volume published in Frankfurt in 1587, which was translated into English and served as the basis for Marlowe's adaptation.
The final scene of Marlowe's play depicts Faust confronting his inevitable doom and eternal misery, a consequence of his pact with the devil. This scene underscores the moral and existential themes of the legend, highlighting the tragic fate that befalls Faust as a result of his choices.
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