The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

In Histriomastix, his 1632 polemic against the drama, William Prynne records the tale that actual devils once appeared on the stage during a performance of Faustus, 'to the great amazement of both the actors and spectators'. The powerful effect of the early productions is indicated by the legends that quickly accrued around them.

On 22 November 1602, the Diary of Philip Henslowe recorded a 4 payment to Samuel Rowley and William Bird for additions to the play, which suggests a revival soon after that date.

The Admiral's Men performed Doctor Faustus twenty-five times in the three years between October 1594 and October 1597. It is the most controversial Elizabethan play outside of Shakespeare, with few critics coming to any agreement as to the date or the nature of the text. Doctor Faustus was first published in 1604, eleven years after Marlowe's death and at least twelve years after the first performance of the play. The price is extraordinary, and the recording is a very good value.The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe - From The Quarto of 1604 - Edited by Alexander Dyce - The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply as Doctor Faustus, is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the German story Faust, in which a man sells his soul to the devil for power, experience, pleasure and knowledge. Nevertheless, I'm grateful to Audible for making this recording available, and hope they track down more Elizabethan and Jacobean drama other than Shakespeare. On the other hand, I think a lot is lost by reducing the parade of deadly sins to an audio format, especially when Faustus clearly says that he wants to see them, and the interruption of the Pope's dinner is also hard to follow in an audio format. Faustus's misplaced confidence and mounting desperation recalls Richard Burton's film version. I particularly appreciated Mephistopheles's irony. The source is evident in a distinct background hum, though the actors are very precise, in the manner of an older generation of classical actors, so their voices remain easy to understand. This particular version seems to follow the B-text, but cuts all of the comic episodes unique to it. Moreover, the text of Marlowe's Doctor Faustus is famously complex. In fairness to Audible, this recording seems merely to follow the cuts made in the original recording, for cassette tape, I believe.

As a result of the cuts, Faustus is neither shown needing help to master magic, nor wasting his powers on stupid tricks.

Oddly, Faustus's long and, to a modern audience, incomprehensible Latin incantation, is retained. Amongst other things, everything dealing with Cornelius and Valdes is cut, as is the Horse-courser episode. Don't be fooled: this recording is not complete, however much it may be unabridged from an earlier recording.

The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe