This is the second time that I have taught Dr Faustus at A-level. Christopher Marlowe’s play about a man who trades his soul to the devil for 24 years of supernatural powers once again strikes me with how much can be gained from studying it.

I began by asking the class where they would draw a line to prevent their curiosity from having free rein. We discussed what their decision would be influenced by and the concept of a universally accepted right and wrong. This led on to considering the importance of historical context - whether we consider the rights of the individual more or less important in the 21st century than when Dr Faustus was being performed in the 17th century. After all, how relevant should the context be?

Marlowe was homosexual and an atheist - does this mean that we see his creation of the character of Faustus as a reflection of these things? Someone isolated from society and a criminal for his lack of faith? There is a danger here that the context dictates too much of our understanding. Marlowe’s writing reflects the concerns of the age - man as centre of the universe - but also transcends to touch something far more unrestricted by time - the relationship of Man to God.

Structure next. In using the Chorus, Marlowe shows how capable he is of using theatrical tradition, but in an inspired way. The Chorus tells us at the beginning of the play that we will witness Faustus’s downfall from learned scholar to “aspiring pride and insolence”. This is an early Brechtian technique (Bertolt Brecht, 1898-1956) - take away the expected suspense, give your audience the ending and make them focus instead on how they get there.

...‘So much he profits in divinity,

The fruitful plot of scholarism grac’d,

That shortly he was graced with doctor’s name,

Excelling all, and sweetly can dispute

In th’ heavenly matters of theology;

Till, swollen with cunning of a self-conceit,

His waxen wings did mount above his reach,

And, melting, heavens conspir’d his overthrow;

For, falling to a devilish exercise,

And glutted now with learning’s golden gifts,

He surfeits upon cursed necromancy;

Nothing so sweet as magic is to him,

Which he prefers before his chiefest bliss:

And this the man that in his study sits.

Add to this a main character who is symbolic of Man’s condition on Earth, and Mephostophilis the archetypal anti-hero, and you have effectively used another technique of Brecht’s, which is to prevent the audience from being able to relate to the main characters, preventing them from losing a sense of self, disappearing into the characters portrayed. The result? Engaging the intellect rather than the emotions of the audience.

In discussing all this we looked at the opening Chorus to make such abstract thought and ideas practical. We came to the conclusion that as our attention is being taken away from the outcome of Faustus’s waxen wings mounting above his reach, Marlowe is encouraging the audience to focus rather on how and why Faustus gets to that end, not whether that end should be there. The inevitability of the ending is never in doubt. Interesting to consider whether the play is actually atheist then, since it seems to focus more on Man and his desire to be a god than on the object of his lust.

One of the strongest criticisms levied at the play is that it is an “ill-assorted mixture of elements” - in fact, I have seen this come up as an exam question. It makes me feel like writing “and...?”. The play contains comedy - not thought to have been written by Marlowe - and tragedy, with the relationship symbolic rather than anything more tangible. There is a large section in the middle where the scenes could be moved around without significant impact as they appear only loosely connected (Brecht again). There is a sense of timelessness for a split second (or a few pages, whichever you prefer) and then suddenly the clock begins to strike and Faustus’s time is up.

Considering the method in Marlowe’s use of the Chorus, why should we think either that being an ill-assorted mixture of elements is a criticism or that it is not deliberately done? We all know the old chestnut from school:

“Shakespeare put the comedy scenes in to entertain the masses and provide relief from the tragedy.” What Marlowe achieves is this but more.

He allows Faustus to take on a mythical quality - removing him still further from the audience so that we see him as representing universality rather than being an individual. A clever way of being didactic rather than just entertaining. We see how petty the antics are of Robin and Dick, recognise the relationship to Faustus and yet, conversely, also see him as unconnected because of his superior intelligence and links made to the brightest angel.

When the scenes of the play seem only to be loosely connected, this lack of structure parallels Faustus’s plight. He has been given an exact amount of time in exchange for his soul - 24 years - but seems to feel no sense of urgency. When he dismissed all previous study at the beginning of the play he was methodical and exact with a clear purpose. Exchanging his soul for black magic has lost him such purpose and focus.

The fact that we may feel, when studying the play, that the scenes could be placed in any order, effectively reflects just how idle Faustus’s mind has become. At the end, with the clock chiming to echo his demise, we wonder where the middle of the play has gone and what it was made up of. We flick back through the pages and still find it hard to answer the question. Did Marlowe deliberately run the risk of writing what seemed to be a play of ill-assorted elements and loosely connected scenes? If so, why? Was he as interested in form as he was in content? Perhaps he recognised the potential danger in giving Faustus mythical qualities in order to make him universal and created loose chaos in the middle to remove our admiration before his final collapse.

So, what about the plight of Man? If Faustus represents our condition then it is a pretty depressing one. We are born with innate curiosity and the intelligence to pursue it, but must not go beyond the limits our very make-up encourages us to question. We are not angels, happy to look in awe upon God, content with being what we are with no ambition or jealousy. Faustus makes us Lucifer - the sinner, the betrayer and the brightest star to fall. I asked the class to consider whether God is not then cruel to give humans the ability to question, to have ambition, to want to increase their knowledge (maybe not my Year 11 period 5 on a Friday - granted!) and then impose limits with no explanation. Should we blame Faustus for his innate curiosity? Are we in any position to judge such an accomplished, such an intelligent man unless we are on the same level - unless we know what it is like to succeed in everything? Marlowe’s skill as a poet provides insight into this. Compare two of Faustus’s speeches: first, where he dismisses the subjects and areas he has studied; second, where he states what he would do if he had the power that black magic could offer him. The active verbs running throughout the second example and the beauty of the description teaches the audience that this man has a vested interest.

If this decision were the rational one he would lead us to believe, this speech would not be separate but a natural conclusion to his subject dismissal and therefore written in the same style. Faustus speaks of ransacking the “ocean for orient pearl” and walling all “Germany with brass”. Not an ill-assorted mixture of elements, just an effective way of distancing the audience from a speech that could have them disappearing in a dream state into this vision.

First speech:

‘Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin

To sound the depth of that thou wilt profess;

Having commenc’d, be a divine in show,

Yet level at the end of every art,

And live and die in Aristotle’s works.

Sweet Analytics, ‘tis thou hast ravish’d me!’

Is to dispute well logic’s chiefest end?

Affords this art no greater miracle?

Then read no more, thou hast attain’d that end;

A greater subject fitteth Faustus’ wit’

Be a physician, Faustus, heap up gold,

And be eternis’d for some wondrous cure’

Couldst thou make men to live eternally

Or being dead raise them to life again,

Then this profession were to be well esteem’d.

Physic farewell! Where is Justinian?’

Speech 2

‘I’ll have them fly to India for gold,

Ransack the ocean for orient pearl,

And search all corners of the new-found world

For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;

I’ll have them read me strange philosophy

And tell the secrets of all foreign kings;

I’ll have them wall all Germany with brass

And make swift Rhine circle fair Wittenberg;

I’ll have them fill the public schools with silk

Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad;

I’ll levy the soldiers with the coin they bring

And chase the Prince of Parma from our land

And reign sole king of all our provinces...’

We concluded that the important lesson here is that though Faustus may represent Man and though we might be distanced through structure and style from his character, we still see a man. There is disappointment but also hope. Faustus does parallel Lucifer, but is small and not such an angel; we are not all destined for the same end simply because we may share the same condition. We are all responsible for our own actions. I then made a wonderful link to revising for mock exams...

www.marlowe-society.org http:polyglot.lss.wisc.edugermanbrecht

Jane Christopher is deputy head of Droitwich Spa High School, WorcestershireWeb: www.droitwichspahigh.worcs.sch.ukl A new production of ‘Doctor Faustus’, starring Jude Law, opens at the Young Vic Theatre in London on March 7. Box office: 0207 928 6363