Theatre/Dance ISU

The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, the masterful tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, stands securely as one of the great classics of the ages. Faustus sells his eternal soul in order to acquire the skills of black magic and to know more than any human being. Ultimately, he gains little from the bargain, and after 24 years his time is up. Faustus honors his bargain and is damned to hell. Images featuring pacts with the devil, good angels and bad angels arguing in one’s ear, and the Seven Deadly Sins as physical entities all derive from this play. Surprisingly, however, Marlowe interlaces these very dark scenes with comedic ones, making the play surprisingly diverse and suspenseful.