Reading Journal, Act 1, 'Dr Faustus'

Prologue:

• The chorus is generally an actor outside of the drama who is there to inform the audience about the play, characters and the plot.
• Here, the prologue introduces Faustus, describing that Faustus became a great scholar, but brought about his own destruction after practising necromancy.
• ‘Not’ and ‘nor’ – the Chorus tells us that the play is not a play about love, war or politics. Immediately brings questions to the audience’s mind about what the play will be about.
• Faustus isn’t introduced immediately, but as he is named, we know he will be a main character.
• ‘His waxen wings’ – reference to Greek mythology. Parallels Icarus who flew too close to the sun with Faustus who reaches too far and ends in his comeuppance.
• First introduction of the word ‘glutted’ which will be repeated many times in the play. Instantly showing greed.
• I admire Faustus from the Chorus’ description – it mentions how he came from ‘base stock’, yet, through his own perseverance, he still managed to become a great scholar.

Scene 1:

• Includes many Latin phrases – emphasising Faustus’ intelligence. The audience do not need to know what it means though to understand this.
• ‘Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man’ – Faustus is not content with what he has and this is foreshadowing that he will go to great lengths to achieve the highest level of knowledge and power.
• The good angel and bad angel appear – they are the conscience of the play.
• Faustus conjures up a world of beauty: ‘I’ll have them wall all of Germany with brass’
• Valdes and Cornelius are not characters of persuasion, however, they do tempt him – ‘our experience shall make all nations to canonise us.’ This differs to the character of Lady Macbeth, who almost blackmails by insulting Macbeth’s masculinity into killing.

Scene 2:

• The scholars become worried that Faustus is dining with Valdes and Cornelius.
• When the scholars ask where Faustus is, Wagner replies ‘God in heaven knows’ – this is ironic, as we know that Faustus will never reach heaven.

Scene 3:

• Faustus calls on Mephistopheles as a friar – ironic and satirical.
• Interesting aspect of the play is that Faustus makes the demands – ‘I charge thee’.
• Mephistopheles does not have to persuade or tempt Faustus into the bargain.
• ‘This is hell’ – Mephistopheles describes even Earth as hell, as nothing will ever be as great as heaven.

Scene 4:

• This is another comic scene of the play between Wagner and Robin.
• Wagner is a comic character, yet he still remains authoritative: ‘Sirrah boy’. ‘Sirrah’ is a term to address someone inferior. Robin dislikes this and throws it back in his face – at first Robin does not approve of Wagner, but at the end of the scene Wagner then serves him. This could parallel between Faustus and Mephistopheles – at the end of their first meeting, Mephistopheles must serve Faustus anything he wants.
• It is important to focus on the staging of the scene. I believe that, as a comic scene between two people of low status, it should be over exaggerated and very visual. This will add to the comedy.
• The stage direction: ‘to the audience’ makes the play more personal.
• ‘Balioll’ – mispronunciation is comedic – provides entertainment for the audience.
• This scene could be setting up what will happen to Faustus later in the play and provide a perspective from which to view Faustus’s actions in scene 1 and scene 3.