The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
by Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593)
- Free to read
- 1 hour to read
- 6 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe is an Elizabethan tragedy written in the late 16th century and first performed around 1594. A scholar sells his soul to the devil in exchange for magical powers, facilitated by the demon Mephistopheles. The play follows Faustus's rise as a magician and his ultimate downfall as damnation approaches. Blending classical tragedy with Elizabethan drama, it explores ambition, the limits of knowledge, Christian theology, and Renaissance humanism. The work survives in two distinct versions with ongoing scholarly debate about their significance.
- Germany
- Tragedies (Drama)
- Faust, -approximately 1540
- Magicians
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The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
By Christopher Marlowe
From The Quarto of 1604
Edited by The Rev. Alexander Dyce
In reprinting this edition, I have here and there amended the text by means of the later 4tos,—1616, 1624, 1631.—Of 4to 1663, which contains various comparatively modern alterations and additions, I have made no use.
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About this edition
This free edition of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #779, released 1997-01-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas, Classics of Literature, British Literature.
Other editions: eBook #811.
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
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