Dr.

Faustus

Analysis: Prologue
The Choruss introduction to the play links Doctor Faustus to the tradition of Greek tragedy, in
which a chorus traditionally comments on the action. Although we tend to think of a chorus as a
group of people or singers, it can also be composed of only one character. Here, the Chorus not
only gives us background information about Faustuss life and education but also explicitly tells
us that his swelling pride will lead to his downfall. The story that we are about to see is
compared to the Greek myth of Icarus, a boy whose father, Daedalus, gave him wings made out
of feathers and beeswax. Icarus did not heed his fathers warning and flew too close the sun,
causing his wings to melt and sending him plunging to his death. In the same way, the Chorus
tells us, Faustus will mount above his reach and suffer the consequences (Prologue.21).
The way that the Chorus introduces Faustus, the plays protagonist, is significant, since it
reflects a commitment to Renaissance values. The European Renaissance of the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries witnessed a rebirth of interest in classical learning and inaugurated a new
emphasis on the individual in painting and literature. In the medieval era that preceded the
Renaissance, the focus of scholarship was on God and theology; in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, the focus turned toward the study of humankind and the natural world, culminating in
the birth of modern science in the work of men like Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton.
The Prologue locates its drama squarely in the Renaissance world, where humanistic values
hold sway. Classical and medieval literature typically focuses on the lives of the great and
famoussaints or kings or ancient heroes. But this play, the Chorus insists, will focus not on
ancient battles between Rome and Carthage, or on the courts of kings or the pomp of proud
audacious deeds (Prologue.45). Instead, we are to witness the life of an ordinary man, born to
humble parents. The message is clear: in the new world of the Renaissance, an ordinary man
like Faustus, a common-born scholar, is as important as any king or warrior, and his story is just
as worthy of being told.

Analysis: Scene 1
The scene now shifts to Faustuss study, and Faustuss opening speech about the various fields
of scholarship reflects the academic setting of the scene. In proceeding through the various
intellectual disciplines and citing authorities for each, he is following the dictates of medieval
scholarship, which held that learning was based on the authority of the wise rather than on
experimentation and new ideas. This soliloquy, then, marks Faustuss rejection of this medieval
model, as he sets aside each of the old authorities and resolves to strike out on his own in his
quest to become powerful through magic.
As is true throughout the play, however, Marlowe uses Faustuss own words to expose
Faustuss blind spots. In his initial speech, for example, Faustus establishes a hierarchy of
disciplines by showing which are nobler than others. He does not want merely to protect mens
bodies through medicine, nor does he want to protect their property through law. He wants
higher things, and so he proceeds on to religion. There, he quotes selectively from the New
Testament, picking out only those passages that make Christianity appear in a negative light. He
reads that The reward of sin is death, and that If we say that we have no sin, We deceive

ourselves, and there is no truth in us (1.4043). The second of these lines comes from the
first book of John, but Faustus neglects to read the very next line, which states, If we confess
our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thus, through selective quoting, Faustus makes it seem as
though religion promises only death and not forgiveness, and so he easily rejects religion with a
fatalistic What will be, shall be! Divinity, adieu! (1.48). Meanwhile, he uses religious
languageas he does throughout the playto describe the dark world of necromancy that he
enters. These metaphysics of magicians / And necromantic books are heavenly (1.49
50), he declares without a trace of irony. Having gone upward from medicine and law to
theology, he envisions magic and necromancy as the crowning discipline, even though by most
standards it would be the least noble.
Faustus is not a villain, though; he is a tragic hero, a protagonist whose character flaws lead to
his downfall. Marlowe imbues him with tragic grandeur in these early scenes. The logic he uses
to reject religion may be flawed, but there is something impressive in the breadth of his
ambition, even if he pursues it through diabolical means. In Faustuss long speech after the two
angels have whispered in his ears, his rhetoric outlines the modern quest for control over nature
(albeit through magic rather than through science) in glowing, inspiring language. He offers a
long list of impressive goals, including the acquisition of knowledge, wealth, and political power,
that he believes he will achieve once he has mastered the dark arts. While the reader or
playgoer is not expected to approve of his quest, his ambitions are impressive, to say the least.
Later, the actual uses to which he puts his magical powers are disappointing and tawdry. For
now, however, Faustuss dreams inspire wonder.
QUESTION: Why did he choose to study magic but not other thing?
ANSWER: In a long soliloquy, Faustus reflects on the most rewarding type of scholarship. He
first considers logic, quoting the Greek philosopher Aristotle, but notes that disputing well seems
to be the only goal of logic, and, since Faustuss debating skills are already good, logic is not
scholarly enough for him. He considers medicine, quoting the Greek physician Galen, and
decides that medicine, with its possibility of achieving miraculous cures, is the most fruitful
pursuityet he notes that he has achieved great renown as a doctor already and that this fame
has not brought him satisfaction. He considers law, quoting the Byzantine emperor Justinian,
but dismisses law as too petty, dealing with trivial matters rather than larger ones. Divinity, the
study of religion and theology, seems to offer wider vistas, but he quotes from St. Jeromes Bible
that all men sin and finds the Bibles assertion that [t]he reward of sin is death an unacceptable
doctrine. He then dismisses religion and fixes his mind on magic, which, when properly pursued,
he believes will make him a mighty god.

THE HOLLOW OF THE THREE HILLS

THE THREE VISIONS:
1)The witch, reminding the young woman that their time together is short ("there is
but a short hour that we may tarry here") and directing her to kneel and lay her
head upon her knees, pulls her cloak over the young woman's head, thus blinding
her to the exterior world. The witch utters a profane prayer, by which she works a
spell that enables the young woman to hear the voices of her parents and those of
her family, whom she abandoned.
2)Her parents, now old, lament the "shame and affliction" her desertion of her
family has brought them. The witch tells the young woman that her parents are
"weary and lonesome."
3)Next, her husband speaks from within the confines of a mental institution,
complaining of his wife's "perfidy" and "of a wife who had broken her holiest vows,
of a home and heart made desolate." Apparently, his wife's desertion of him and
their daughter has caused him to lose his mind. The young woman lifts her head,
replying to the witch's question as to whether it seems likely that there could be
"such merry times in a madhouse" by saying "there is mirth within its walls, but
misery, misery without."
Gothic literature is marked by characteristic place settings and personality types that strive to lead to a
sense of horror or despair. Gothic style additionally suggests a belief in the supernatural, something that
is fearful and mysterious.
Elements of Gothicism or Dark Side of Romanticism :
1) Eerie/unusual/mysterious setting: Cold, lonely old mansions, castles, houses, graveyards, vault or
crypt, haunted hills, deserted places
2) Mysterious, suspenseful atmosphere: A wide range of elements that create a sense of terror,
decay, despair, or death can contribute to a Gothic setting and Gothic mood because of the images
of isolation and loneliness that they create.

3) Supernatural events (magic), characters/ beings: monsters, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, the
devil....
4) Unexplained (bizarre )phenomenon/ events
5) Characters: grotesque ,Distressed, obsessed, disturbed, or incestuous characters
6) Flawed heroes / heroines who may suffer from conflicting emotions and may be somehow exiled
or outlaws.
7) Dark imagery
8) Violence
9) A vendetta or vengeance perpetrated against the protagonist and/ or his/ her family by the
antagonist.
10) Women: threatened by tyrannical male/ patriarchal figures.

A Gothic Atmosphere

(Important for the EXAM)

A typical Gothic story is set in and around a castle ruined or otherwise

graveyard, cave, convent, monastery, church, cathedral, chapel, dungeon
or charnel house. The locations are most often in uninhabited mountain
ranges, wild forests, or other secluded places.
Gothic conventions are important for developing a Gothic atmosphere.
Architectural paraphernalia (rudiments) such towers, trapdoors,
mysterious corridors, rusty hinges, tunnels, and lightless niches all serve
to entrap their helpless victims. Flickering candles, burial vaults, tolling
bells, hidden manuscripts, curses and prophecies, suits of armor, ghosts,
clanking chains, animated portraits, lamps, evil potions and spells,
fluttering bats, storms, lightening, and howling winds add to the aura of
terror and mystery that define the Gothic genre. A wide range of elements
that create a sense of terror, decay, despair, or death can contribute to a
Gothic setting and Gothic mood because of the images of isolation and
loneliness that they create.
Themes, Motifs, Symbols

(Important for the EXAM)

Triumph of Evil Over Good This is one of the salient features of Dark Romanticism, where characters
are often presented as being ever prone to sin, guilt and delusion. The fair lady in the story supposedly
symbolizes the goodness of humanity, but due to some mistakes in her past, which she does not have
control over, she decides to seek help, not to physically correct her mistakes, but to assuage her sense of
guilt and as a result, she visits somebody who she thinks is able to solve her problem; the witch in the
story. Ironically ,the fair lady subsumes herself under the authority of the witch who makes her lay her
head on her knees and from here, there is a symbolic transfer of virtue as she lays her head on her laps.
Instead of having her sense of guilt assuaged or even have a sense of assurance of her past mistakes
rectified, she is further made more guilty and worried. She is worse off than when she visits the witch
and by the end of the story, as she has rightly foreshadows I will do your bidding though I die, she loses
her life and soul.

Deception-The fair lady in the story succumbs to deception when she feels the witch could solve her
problem of regaining assurance of the state of her relatives. She is taken through a web of delusions of
being shown some visions of her past, which may only be a phantom, woven by the witch. The irony is
that instead of having her problems solved, they are compounded. Her so called conjured relatives
from her father to her husband are still full of sorrow due to her betrayal. From the first trance to the last
one, the lady is somehow hypnotized until the end of the story, where she pays the supreme price with
her life. The writer also uses language to convey this sense of deception. In the midst of the stark evil in
the story, there are always glimpses of something positive and beautiful, all these to create a false sense
of beauty and security. There is the, chill beauty of an autumnal sunsetnow gliding the three hill
tops In the second trance, All these noises deepened and became substantial to the listeners ear, till
she could distinguish every soft and dreamy accent of the love songs
Witchcraft/Supernatural/Death-One of the enhancing styles cum theme of the story is the influence of
the supernatural and witchcraft. These aptly symbolize the power of evil. From the eerie and surreal
setting to the incantations recited by the witch to invoke the past of the fair lady, elements of the
magical are explored. This theme is also implied in the use of language where most descriptions employ
stark, dark imagery such as As the old withered woman spoke, a smile glimmered on her countenance,
like lamplight on the wall of a sepulchre.The trance that the witch takes the other woman into is
magical, frightening and evil.Symbolically,the third trance presents a procession of mourners carrying a
coffin, which foreshadows this time round, not her physical death, but her spiritual death having sold her
soul to the agent of the devil, the witch.
Guilt/ Worldly Cares/Worries-This theme captures the motive of the fair ladys visit to the witch. In her
former life, she has probably defiled the love of her relatives and now is remorseful , she wants to see
how she could make a remedy. This guilt is so strong that she resorts to the power of an evil power. She
probably has her sense of guilt temporarily assuaged from her attitude after the three trance
experiences but ironically, she is left more worried and emotionally shattered. By the third trance it is as
if she is now under a spell which continues to propel her to know more which in the end, leads to the
loss of her soul.
Motifs
Three hills-Symbolic representations of the spiritual 3 as a number. Note that the fair woman is taken
through a 3-phase trance.
Hollow basin- Bell and coffin-A foreshadowing effect of the fair ladys eventual spiritual death.

DEATH BE NOT PROUD

Analysis

(Important for the EXAM)

In "Death be not proud" (Divine Sonnet X), Donne turns his rhetorical skills on his greatest poetic
adversary - death itself.
Divine Sonnet X by John Donne is one of his best-known religious poems. It famously begins Death
be not proud and advances a stream of arguments to prove that mans greatest fear has no power over
him.
Apostrophe
The opening line, Death be not proud, is an apostrophe or address to an abstract figure. Donne
favors apostrophes and dramatic monologues, which give immediacy and urgency to his rhetoric in his
career as a churchman, Donne was a famous preacher, so its no surprise that many of his poems sound
like dramatic speeches. In rhetorically picking on death, Donne is taking on a big adversary, though not
entirely without precedent. There is an echo in the opening of St. Pauls famous demand in 1Corinthians
15:55, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Arguments
Rather than developing a single line of logic, Donne throws several arguments at Death to try to humble
it. those whom thou thinkst thou dost ovethrow/ Die not he declares, without fully explaining what he
means at this point. Rest and sleep seem to be the pictures of death, and these are enjoyable, he
argues, so the real thing must be even more pleasant and in any case soonest our best men with thee do
go; if the good die young, why should anyone want to avoid it?
In a brilliant turn of argument, Donne tells Death that it is not mighty and dreadful because it is merely
a functionary, a slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men. Anything which can be whistled for by
so many despicable causes is hardly to be respected. Its habitat is amongst poison, war and sickness, a
realm which no-one would want to rule. This is typical Donne: grandiose, verbally aggressive, and
picking up any argument, however specious or inconsistent, which can serve to support his cause. He
even goes so far as to patronize the Grim Reaper, calling it poor death and demanding why swellst
thou then?
Conclusion
As the poem ends he elaborates on his earlier statement that those whom thou thinkst thou dost
overthrow/ Die not...nor yet canst thou kill me, by pointing out that for Christians, death is merely the
beginning of eternal life: one short sleep past, we live eternally. He encapsulates this in an even shorter

phrase in the last line, mingling the consolation of the Christian faith with a paradox, and triumphing
Death will be more no more, death, thou shalt die.
John Donne's "Death, Be not Proud", also known as Holy Sonnet X, is a fierce sonnet that personifies
death as a real entity that is not to be feared. Donne elaborates throughout this piece how death is far from
fearful, but instead, an abstract figure to be pitied, for it is death that will truly die in the end.
In first four lines, Donne verbally assaults death in explaining that death has little power over anyone.
Despite death's ability to overthrow all men, Donne attempts to overthrow death itself in claiming that
death has no right to feel any accomplishment in his work. Donne invokes the literary term known as
apostrophe, where a speaker will address a non-human entity, as if it were part of the conversation.
Donne explains that while some do fear death, (those who see him as "mighty and dreadful") Donne
staunchly claims that he should not be feared by anyone, for death cannot truly kill anything. Thus death
is actually regarded as "poor" here, as if Donne takes pity upon him. After all, he is literally called death
and yet he cannot cause death in any sense, a tragic irony.
In the next four lines, Donne explains exactly why death has no effect on the world: Donne states how the
state of death (not the abstract figure) looks simply like a peaceful sleep, and that "Much pleasure" is to
be gained when a person goes with death. Thus, Donne explains that as soon as: "our best men with thee
do go", their souls are delivered (peacefully) by death itself. In that sense, death is a wonderful thing, and
death the entity can claim no horror or fear over people, because he leads each soul to a graceful end.
The last six lines of this piece argues how Death is in a sorrier state than anyone who actually dies: Death
is "slave" to anything that causes death because he has no choice but to answer the call. Thus any time
that a person dies by fate, chance, warre, sickness, or even by their own hands (desperate men), death
must deliver that person to a peaceful sleep. What's even better is the fact that in dying to fate or in a war,
a person avoids death's own "stroke" or his crushing blow, and therefore, death is denied the satisfaction
of even causing the death that he must relinquish.
Donne then states that even if death does manage to snag a person, they are merely "one short sleep"
away from eternal bliss, where "death shall be no more" (14). The final line also states that it is within this
delivered place that death "shalt die" (14). Death will die not only because anyone within this realm will
have already gone through death (and thus death has no purpose), but also because everyone else still
alive will eventually die, and when everyone has reached the eternal bliss, death will be left on earth with
no point in living.
Overall, this is an excellent sonnet that is fascinating in its idea. Donne's state of being where "we wake
eternally" probably refers to heaven which death cannot possibly enter, making his situation much worse.
Moreover, personifying death as a character and attacking him verbally is almost as empowering for the
reader as it is for the writer. Finally, Donne's viscous argument that attempts to put death in his place
destroys just as much as it pities the predicament that death is in.