Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, a five-act tragedy, narrates the tale of the protagonist's pact to trade his soul to the devil for twenty-four years of unlimited power.

Chorus

In drama, a chorus consists of one or more actors who comment on and interpret the onstage events. In Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, the chorus appears four times. Initially, it introduces the play's theme. Subsequently, it provides context regarding time and place in the narrative. Lastly, it conveys the moral lesson and aids the audience in grasping the significance of the final scene.

Allegory

An allegory uses characters to symbolize abstract concepts, teaching moral, ethical, or religious lessons. Marlowe's play includes a Morality Play segment where Mephistopheles arranges a parade of the seven deadly sins to amuse Faustus. Sins such as Pride, Envy, and Lechery are considered deadly in Christian doctrine because committing any one of them condemns a person to hell.

Antithesis

Antithesis refers to a direct opposite. Examples in the play include the Good and Bad Angels who attempt to save and tempt Faustus, respectively. Other antithetical pairs are God and Lucifer, Helen and the Old Man, and Faustus and Mephistopheles.

Elizabethan Drama

Elizabethan Drama encompasses English comic and tragic plays produced during the Renaissance, specifically during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who ruled from the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century. Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus was first performed in 1594.

Comic Relief

Comic relief involves using humor to lighten the tone of a serious story. In this play, while Faustus has sold his soul to the devil to achieve grand feats, the comic relief is provided by Wagner, Robin, and Dick, who use magic mainly for tricks and pranks. Although not purely comedic, there's an ironic twist as Faustus also squanders his powers on trivial tricks instead of achieving anything significant.

Tragedy

Elizabethan Drama is characterized by a particular structure—in the case of Doctor Faustus, a tragedy. Some critics argue that Marlowe's Doctor Faustus deviates from the structure of a pure tragedy. They assert that while the play has a tragic beginning and end, it lacks a true middle where the protagonist evolves, changes, or learns something. According to Aristotle's renowned treatise on drama, "Poetics," a tragedy must have a beginning, middle, and end. Some scholars attribute the perceived lack of a substantial middle in Doctor Faustus to the involvement of co-authors, who are speculated to have filled the gap between Marlowe's beginning and ending.

By definition, a tragedy is a drama about a prominent hero who, due to a fatal character flaw or misdeed (known as hamartia), causes his own downfall. Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tells the story of a renowned scholar who, driven by hubris (pride), sells his soul to the devil and is ultimately damned to hell.

Hamartia

In a tragedy, a specific event or action leads to the hero's or heroine's downfall. In Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, this pivotal act is the contract Faustus makes with the devil, trading his soul for worldly power.

Catharsis

At the conclusion of a tragedy, the audience is expected to experience a release of emotional energy, having felt both pity and fear. They feel pity for the character enduring the tragic fate and fear that a similar fate could befall them. Playwrights often aim to evoke catharsis in their audiences as a form of caution, using it to teach them to avoid the protagonist's unfortunate fate.

Suspense

Marlowe keeps the audience engaged by making them wonder whether Faustus will ever repent and what the outcomes of his actions will be. Up until the final act, there remains a chance that Faustus might seek forgiveness from God. This "will he or won't he" dilemma—along with the uncertainty of whether God would accept Faustus's repentance if offered—maintains the audience's suspense.

Faustus's Study

In the heart of Germany's University of Wittenberg resides the study of Dr. Faustus, a learned scholar driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge. This setting serves as the central stage for much of the play, with characters frequently entering and exiting, and even conversing in Faustus's absence. The study itself, though sparsely described, houses an array of books and the tools of both scholarship and clerical work. It is spacious enough to accommodate up to nine people at once. The choice of Wittenberg as the setting is a deliberate nod to its historical significance as the site where Martin Luther famously posted his ninety-five theses, marking the dawn of the Protestant Reformation and the split from the Roman Catholic Church.

Fantastic Travels

Faustus's ambitions take him on fantastical journeys far beyond his study. As the play progresses into the third act, the chorus reveals that Faustus has soared above the clouds on dragons, granting him a soaring view of the world. His travels chart a course from Wittenberg through the sunlit regions of Naples and Campania. Despite having access to demonic magic, Faustus sometimes chooses to walk, perhaps savoring the world at a more grounded pace.

Papal Palace

The play's narrative transports Faustus to the papal palace in Rome, the epicenter of the Roman Catholic Church's spiritual authority. Here, Mephistophilis, the devil's envoy whom Faustus summons, magically whisks him to the pope's private chambers. Within this sacred space, the pope holds audiences and dines. Faustus and Mephistophilis take advantage of the situation by disguising themselves as cardinals, with Faustus eventually turning invisible to play mischievous pranks on the unsuspecting pope.

Court of the German Emperor

Faustus's journey also leads him to the court of the German emperor, the nexus of political power. Emperor Charles warmly welcomes Faustus, feasting him with grandeur. Yet, Faustus's antics provoke the emperor's retainers, resulting in comedic attempts to ambush him in a setting that suggests the great outdoors. Throughout these travels, Faustus's lofty aspirations elevate him to the heights of privilege and exclusivity, yet he continually finds himself returning to the more humble byways and rooms of the common people.