Faustus Critics Quotes

Question 1

Quote about the actions of other characters?

Answer 1

Other characters ‘parody and thus deflate the actions of the tragic protagonist’ - Biester

Question 2

Quote about the descent of Faustus’ magic?

Answer 2

‘Shadows the bathos in Faustus’ magic, the plummet from grand designs to silly tricks’ - Biester

Question 3

Description of Marlowe?

Answer 3

‘the tripartite roles of wayward scholar, secret agent and innovative playwright’ - Riggs

Question 4

Similarity in background between Marlowe and Faustus?

Answer 4

‘Marlowe surely noticed that Dr Faustus came from a humble background’ - Riggs

Question 5

Reputation of Marlowe?

Answer 5

‘odious moral reputation’ - Riggs

Question 6

What did Marlowe consume?

Answer 6

‘…a proselytizing atheist, a counterfeiter and a consumer of boys and tobacco.’ - Richard Baines

Question 7

What has become public?

Answer 7

‘Marlowe bestrides the moment when English atheism comes out of the closet and acquires a public face.’ - Riggs

Question 8

Quote about Marlowe as a secret agent?

Answer 8

‘The evidence for Marlowe’s involvement with espionage and crime is too substantial to be explained away.’ - Riggs

Question 9

References to classics and mythology?

Answer 9

‘Marlowe veils the subversive element of his text in classical allusions’ - Riggs

Question 10

Where Marlowe grew up?

Answer 10

‘16th century Canterbury where Marlowe grew up was a spiritual wasteland with more public executions for heresy than any place apart from London.’ - Riggs

Question 11

How was his death viewed?

Answer 11

‘Protestant ministers saw Marlowe’s violent end at the age of 29 as an act of divine vengeance’ - Riggs

Question 12

Who did Marlowe desire?

Answer 12

‘Unless Marlowe was celibate, the readiest outlet for his own sexual desires lay with other men’ - Riggs

Question 13

What was intrinsic to education?

Answer 13

‘Love between men was intrinsic to the humanist educational programme’ - Riggs

Question 14

What did Marlowe’s generation look into?

Answer 14

‘Instead of seeking God in the heavens, Marlowe’s generation charted the earthly course of imperial conquest’ - Riggs

Question 15

What did early performances do?

Answer 15

‘Early performances of Dr Faustus were notoriously successful at blurring the distinction between performance and reality through elements of illusion and trickery’ - Riggs

Question 16

What was Marlowe interested in?

Answer 16

‘fascination with astrology and social advancement’ - Riggs

Question 17

Offensive to religion?

Answer 17

‘Jesus Christ was a bastard, St Mary a whore…’ - Riggs

Question 18

What was acceptable to modern audiences?

Answer 18

‘Marlowe, whose blasphemies stood for an impulse that was acceptable to modern readers – free thought, anti-philistinism, the quest for transcendence’ - Riggs

Question 19

Where was Marlowe taught evil things?

Answer 19

‘the institutions – city, church, grammar school, university, secret service and public playhouse. . . taught young Marlowe what transgression was.’ - Riggs

Question 20

Quote about the Pope bashing?

Answer 20

‘they are asked to condemn Faustus for his pact with Lucifer at the same time that they are encouraged to applaud him for playing practical jokes on a national enemy’ Sales

Question 21

Learn thou of Faustus’ manly fortitude?

Answer 21

‘Irony in his arrogant recommendation of manliness to a supernatural being’ (J D Jump)