39

Dr. Faustus Notes

Background Info Age of Tudor Sovereigns o 100 years war o War of Roses o Death of Richard III Henry VII o kills Richard III o establishment of the Tudor line Henry VIII o young, athletic wrestler o portrayed in pictures as old and fat o not liked by many o at the time of his brothers death, was single and if the king dies , it is very typical for an unmarried brother to many his wife o women have their sex appetite with needs to be filled o Henry was 20 years old o the widowed Catherine of Aragon was 40 years old o this major age difference caused issues o the duty of the king was to produce an heir 1st pregnancy Mary born (not male) miscarriage miscarriage miscarriage Oh No! I need a son, this old hag is getting old and losing he fertility o there is no such thing as a divorce o Henry asks the pope for an annulment officially say they arent married o if the pope annuls the marriage, Catherine has a child and the isnt married = child of wedlock = majorly bad sin = straight to hell o Catherine is the sister to the king of Spain o Pope must choose, damn the king of Spains sister to hell (Spain = superpower) or refuse to end the King of England (weak lame little country) o choice is easy, refuses annulment o Henry says hes the king and decides that all of England is now protestant = forms the Anglican Church Church of England same as Catholic Church except for: priests can marry divorces allowed o Henry then meets Ann Bolin and have an affair o divorces Catherine and marry Ann o the relationship isnt working due to lack of childbearing o he is about to divorces her, then she has Edward o Catherine found guilty of not being loyal and gets beheaded via guillotine o Ann is divorced an send to convent o Edward takes the reins, but is weak, fragile, sickly, and dies within a year o this messes up line because never had child

40 o Mary o Whos next in line? closest blood with Henry VIII = Mary (1st child)

bastard = she is an illigitament child who has a whore as a mother because of the divorce o she hates father and his church o returns the Church to Catholic o kills 300 Protestant heretics at the stake nicknamed Bloody Mary for this o arrests Elizabeth (some relation too confusing to explain) because he advisors told her to o Elizabeth is the next in line and will turn the church into het Anglican Church again o Mary refuses to kill her o Mary dies and Elizabeth accents to the throne Elizabeth o turned the country to Protestantism again o has everyone sign loyalty oath o there were hidden Catholics, but they couldnt attend college or have any leadership roles in the society o Mary Queen of Scots shes a Stuard everyone else in line is illigitament, so once Elizabeth dies, the Tudor line would end and Mary would become Queen o Elizabeth has Mary arrested (sounds familiar) o Elizabeth was in the same position years prior and has sympathy and doesnt kill her o Mary signs a paper with some group saying that she would ascend to the thrown if they kill Elizabeth o The show Elizabeth and she is forced to have Mary, Queen of Scotts killed = beheaded o Elizabeth was smart and was making similar oaths, but never signed her name Affects of the 100 years War Growth of Nationalism Growth of Travel via Ship o Columbus gets funding for his expiation right after war o Pirates hired to mess with Spain illegal, then legal, then illegal o Sir Frances Drake was the second to circumnavigate the globe o Magellan was the first o see next page for story of Drake Economic Growth Military Growth o importation of gunpowder from the East o = end of feudalism o Why? o there was no need for a knight, swords were useless b/c guns o no talent needed to shoot gun vs. major talent and training for sword fighting o also: English Longbow

41 o very advanced bow and arrow that could pierce armor Stability of Government Rise in Education o printing press created by William Claxton o main two books printed: Morte DeArthur and the Bible o tried to spread works like Aristotle and Plato, but put down by English government o in 1500, literacy was less that 10% o in years following, raises to 60% o Platos Academy nation ruled by Philosophers Protestant Reformation Martin Luther November 1, 1517 separation of Church and State deprotestantism o Secularization o lax on rules, like cursing: blasphemy is saying anything about God with a bad connotation attached by nails and by blood is referring to Jesus nails and blood when crucified, but not in a good way, which means he is cursing In modern days, he said, What the fuck kind of story is that?!? (from Canterbury Tales Prologue of Pardoners Tale) another blasphemous remark is zounds king becomes more powerful than the Church people want to read Bible and learn what is taught o increase of literacy no national religion precept o emphasis on the individual o super important to formation of America Nationalism Elizabeth I o 1558-1603 = Elizabethan Age o best monarch/ Queen of England o super pretty o honored a lot by the English o look at a typical Tudor household ---------> rotate it and see: o Elizabeth the Virgin Queen refused to marry upon her death, the Tudor line would official end for Elizabeth Why? - honor her if she married a: English Spain and France angry French Spanish angry Spanish French angry it was very common for the French and Spanish governments to send over good looking guys to hook up with her

42 o Political Expertise papal bull pope issued that it is OK to kill Elizabeth and it would not a sin order to kill Why? Mary Queen of Scotts would become queen and change the nation back to Catholic spin doctors propaganda made Elizabeth popular formed stories of how Elizabeth could talk w/ God Spanish Armada she was hiding Drake in England but refused to admit it then she knight Sir Francis Drake o he is 2nd to circumnavigate globe o wanted by the Spanish government cant refuse hes there o harboring evil o like Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan this is the final straw: Spain declares war of England as the Spanish Armada (finest fleet in the world) is crossing the English Channel, a kamikaze blows up (hurricane or typhoon) o in WWII- stands for suicide pilots o pre WWII- stands for the divine wind hurricanes are not very common in the channel, so many say that she talked with God to help her All of the armada is destroyed and England wins the war! Woot! upon her death, James is the new king

Commercialism/Expansionism Pope issues Treaty of Tortesillers o avoid two Catholic countries going to war o ripped off Portuguese b/c they only get Brazil, but the line was pushed back once it was discovered America conquest o Elizabeth was in charge of Roakano o James was in charge of Jamestown Henry o subjugation of Ireland English takes over Ireland double the occupancy half army says to enforce (Roman system of Occupancy) (constant reminder) other half head back colonize sent people over w/ lots of land grants cant fix hard problem with easy solution Rabbits is Australia o Kangaroo Problem

43 o rabbits eat same food as kangaroo o overpopulate Australia with rabbits o doesnt work b/c rabbit has no predator o now, both a kangaroo and rabbit problem Ireland was catholic and turned into protestant two religions clash still to this day, in northern Ireland, religious brawls How to tell if someone is a native or colonist where they go to church on Sunday Anglo-Saxon do the same w/ Celts and Picks

Patronage not what you know, its who you know giving of jobs to supporters Sir Walter Raleigh o good at dancing o social butterfly o always hung out in court and showed his social graces o once Elizabeth got out to her carriage, but a mud puddle was nearby, so he took off his coat and laid it in the mud to let queen cross Art and Nature Alice in Wonderland o political satire o Queen of Hearts/Red Queen look at her forehead off with their heads Bloody Mary silly tasks painting roses red War of Roses jobs of humans is to help nature o Elizabethans actually painted roses o Concerns new rich hierarchy Literacy Conventions, Modes, and Genre everything there themes: Love, Determination, Hard-Work, etc o examine roles of humans Dramatic Theater o entrance of comedy to scene o still have who onslaught of mysteries, interludes, morality, and religious plays

44 Ideals and Values Sir Phillip Sidney o archetype of a man o Ambassador of Holland o solider o sonneteer o literary critic o statesman Lincoln, Bunin, York, Hemmingway, and more all in one o Australias capital named after him Christopher Marlowe Biography o born 2 months before Shakespeare o believed to be Shakespeare/penname false o faked death o spy? maybe in France Major Theatrical Works o Tamburlaine seek godhead through the power of rule o Jew of Malta seek godhead through the power of money o Doctor Faustus seek godhead through the power of knowledge Comedy o Shakespeare like comic relief with dogs o Marlowe like clowns Godhead o science discover things about nature in the 1600s, there is a hierarchy of entities God atop all very structured o cant move on or usurp God o if you try = overreacher/overachiever God People Males Females Animals Lion Cat Plants Tree Bush

45 Faustus based on old German folktale Till Eulenspiegel Characters o Faustus o Mephostoplies o Lucifer o 7 Deadly Sins: Pride, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony EXAMINATION OF TEXT Prologue (461-2. 1-29) o 4_ Wittenberg university founded by Martin Luther published 95 thesiss here o 7_ Icarus made wax wings and flew to sun, but once he got to close, wax melted and he tumbled back to Earth in a messy, waxy mess, and died over-reacher o Character Flaw Faustus is conceited, prideful, and arrogant o Two ways of describing something what its like what its not 1_ not about war 3_ not romance or politically themed themes is not 5_not about glory or honor 6_ call upon a muse 7_ exiled: leave to Wittenberg 8_ supernatural powers (devils and angels) 9_ vast setting epic conventions 10_ allusions -- Icarus 11_ brief history 12_ media res Not an epic, not a play, so what is it: an epic play? o both very popular, so combined both and made story Scene 1 (462-6. 1-165) o Soliloquy (1-63) o Line 1-12 Philo Sophia love of knowledge seeks to answer the 3 main questions of conduct, knowledge, and governments Is the purpose of philosophy/logic to debate Faustus_ Yes, I am good at debating No, it is much deeper Is there no greater art Faustus_ No, so no need for philosophy Yes

46 o not as smart as he thinks he is arrogance (flaw)

Line 12-27 Physics and Medicine heap of gold, be eternized wants fames and glory family fortune o is the end to live forever o raise the dead o not interested, b/c cant hes just graduated and looking for a job, but only wants the job that says, GOD purpose of medicine is not to just make one healthy, it may be to relieve pain or prolong life, ect. line 20-25 exaggerated plague wasnt eradicated, he didnt same millions and there are no statues of him hes just out of school o extent of his pride, he is living in a distorted world o Line 26-36 Law civil and criminal case of inheritance Faustus only believes there is law so one can sue another all money related o Line 36-47 Religion juxtaposition of two things: o law = make money o religion and medicine = help people Making Deal with the Devil o very serious o why o witch trails reality of time witch = person with supernatural powers how do you get these powers God good Devil evil held in civil court 200,000 to 1,000,000 burned at stake 80-85% were old, widowed women o stagecraft appearance of good and evil

47 o Going to the Movies when watching a movie, you need to believe that the movie is real, or it will seem bad and pointless seem like a morality play good always wins so audience believes Faustus will repent when he doesnt = suspense Movie Examples: Friday 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm St., Texas Chainsaw Massacre we get frightened, why dont we just run out of the theater screaming bloody murder little voice in the back of our head says that is just a fake representation of reality (and for the less smart brains, its not real) if the movie has some values and makes sense and seems possible in real life, it is much more scary o aliens not as scary o normal guy goes on murder rant and kills neighbors scary Faustus was like this in the Elizabethan times o very possible goal is to apply tension and then take it off if you dont, it is just a monotone and the tension will become the normal and will only be scary for first ten minutes Faustus tension analysis o Scene 1 deal with devil tension o Scene 2 scholars comedy relief o Scene 3 finish deal with devil tension o Scene 4 clowns funny

Scene 2 o Funny o scholars went to college, have money, and are noble o Wagner assistant, working class class interaction done to mock the upper class who are supposed to be smarter Examination of funniness 4_ Where is your master at? 5_ God knows o like Santa, who knows who is naughty or nice o even knows when someone makes deal with devil o most people think they go good (rationalization)

48 Faustus therefore thinks he is right by making deal if someone cheats and doesnt get caught, they think I got away with it o God said he will seek justice, just never said when o 50 years if not that long in Gods time, and does in fact bring Faustus to justice 6_ So you dont know o scholars believe that he says I dont know 7_ Yes, I know where he is, but you last response makes no sense o I only said that God knows, not that I didnt hahaha (lol) reversal of expected roles audience is laughing, then line 23 : acting like a puritan o soon to be NFL o Why mock the different group o make yourself feel bigger o puritan jokes = funny o persecuted jokes about opposed people o Black, Mexican, Jew, ect. o o

Scene 3 o some time has passed o need magic words: abracadabra Latin phrase (16-22) o 23-25 (Meph. come back as a friar) St. Francis of Assai very devote and holy joke come back as a friar joke, Catholics are a bunch of devils Meph. is only here to take his soul per command of Satan Faustus believes he is the reason 36_ overreacher contradiction of normal 40_ faulty logic Mount Olympus Elysium Greek area of heroes Elysium Earth area of underworld Hates Hates 60_ I dont believe in Hell, therefore, I dont fear it Meph. is from there Hi, you from Gary, well, Gary doesnt exist (Bizarro World) 67_ insolence: bluntly disrespectful Faustus parallel fall of Lucifer see Paradise Lost 77_ Hell damned in forever, how are you on Earth Earth think of all the people that have every lived Hell say only 10% of them go to Hell

49 you still cant fit them all inside the core this is hell state of mind/existence, not physical place 102_ expanding ego what Faustus wants to do

Scene 4 o comic relief o clowns Scene 5 o Reversal of Natural Order (RONO) o think about repenting o good and evil angels on shoulder Hitler theoretically, what would happen to him if he said to God that he was truly sorry for what he did he would be forgiven could possible enter heaven people have lack of forgiveness Theme Why? Henry o catholic to protestant Mary o protestant to catholic Elizabeth o catholic to protestant Good cant come from evil 30-43_ what good will me soul have do to Lucifers kingdom misery loves company the question is not what good, because no good could come from evil, but if everyone is miserable together, they fell slightly better that no one is above them Faustus is making the deal with the devil in order to be happiness, but he cant see past the next 50 years he will face sadness, failure, etc, but we act are a society irrationally wake up every morning with courage Is Faustus courageous? No, he is avoid them for 24 years 49_ then stab your arm courageously false, no courage RONO 52_ the great Lucifer false, hes evil RONO 53-81_ RONO, RONO, RONO 64_ what might this mean o blood clotting rhetorical questions for us, not a good deal but Faustus doesnt see it the 65_ is it unwilling I write this same way o yes

50 Jesus is: o the word made flesh Faustus is: o the flesh made word 191_ I cannot repent predestination o is already condemned to Hell o offered 4 chances to repent

7 Deadly Sins o Pride! no parents b/c have no dependence on anyone we are dependent on parents cant have parents o all males except Lechery rather have sex that eat food 324_ Mistress Minx Why? Women are sex-driven psychopaths think sex 24-7-365 women ruined the world (eve) Salvation o Gods love is like a tsunami o who can resist o no one except those with hardened hearts (cant hear God) o How to get to Heaven Saved Works Predestination by acting as images of God Gods grace o Faustus has a hardened heart Scene 12 o 26_ enter old man symbol: wise, time, father, God, archetype 7th chance to repent numerology: 7 = complete Scene 13 o scholars to the nth degree (pride) Faustus says that he is worse that Lucifer (really?) all he has to do is say that he is sorry and he can be saved and spend all of eternity in heaven with God he would rather suffer in hell for all of eternity than admit he is wrong o Prideful? o The Tragically History of Doctor John Faustus tragedy = fall physical fall death and spiritual fall Hell