The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
Cast of Charcters
THE POPE
CARDINAL OF LORRAIN
THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY
DUKE OF VANHOLT
FAUSTUS
VALDES, friend to FAUSTUS
CORNELIUS, friend to FAUSTUS
WAGNER, servant to FAUSTUS
Clown
ROBIN
RALPH
Vintner
Horse-courser
A Knight
An Old Man
Scholars, Friars, and Attendants
DUCHESS OF VANHOLT
LUCIFER
BELZEBUB
MEPHISTOPHILIS
Good Angel
Evil Angel
The Seven Deadly Sins
Devils
Spirits in the shapes of ALEXANDER THE
GREAT of his Paramour, and of HELEN
Chorus
[Enter Chorus]
Scene I. Faustus’s study
FAUSTUS discovered
Scene II Before Faustus’s house
[Enter Two Scholars]
Scene III. A grove
[Enter FAUSTUS to conjure]
Scene IV A street
[Enter Wagner and Clown]
Scene V Faustus’s study
FAUSTUS discovered
Scene VI. In the house of Faustus
[Exeunt omnes]
[Enter Chorus]
SCENE VII To see the Pope and manner of his court
[Enter FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS]
[MEPHISTOPHILIS and FAUSTUS beat the Friars,
and fling fire-works among them ; and so exeunt]
[Enter Chorus]
Scene VIII Near an inn.
[Enter ROBIN tbe Ostler, with a book in his hand]
Scene IX. The same
[Enter ROBIN and Ralph with a siver goblet]
Scene X. The Emperor’s Court at Innsbruck
[Enter EMPEROR, FAUSTUS, and a Knight, with Attendants, among whom MEPHISTOPHILIS.]
Scene XI. A green; afterwards the house of Faustus.
Scene XII. The court of the Duke of Vanholt.
[Enter the DUKE OF VANHOLT, the DUCHESS, andFAUSTUS]
Scene XIII. A room in the house of Faustus.
[Enter Wagner]
FIRST SCHOL.
Master Doctor Faustus, since our conference
about fair ladies, which was the beaiitifulest in all the world,
we have determined with ourselves that Helen of Greece
was the admirablest lady that ever lived: therefore. Master
Doctor, if you will do us that favour, as to let us see that
peerless dame of Greece, whom all the world admires for
majesty, we should think ourselves much beholding unto
you.
FAUST.
Gentlemen,
For that I know your friendship is unfeign’d,
And Faustus’ custom is not to deny
The just requests of those that wish him well,
You shall behold that peerless dame of Greece,
No otherways for pomp and majesty
Than when Sir Paris cross’d the seas with her,
And brought the spoils to rich Dardania.
Be silent, then, for danger is in words.
[Music sounds, and HELEN passeih over the stage.
SEC. SCHOL.
Too simple is my wit to tell her praise.
Whom all the world admires for majesty.
Third Schol. No marvel though the angry Greeks pursu’d
With ten years’ war the rape of such a queen,
Whose heavenly beauty passeth all compare.
FIRST SCHOL.
Since we have seen the pride of Nature’s
works,
And only paragon of excellence,
Let us depart; and for this glorious deed
Happy and blest be Faustus evermore!
FAUST.
Gentlemen, farewell: the same I wish to you.
[Exeunt Scholars]
[Enter an Old Man]
OLD MAN
Ah, Doctor Faustus, that I might prevail
To guide thy steps unto the way of life.
By which sweet path thou may’st attain the goal
That shall conduct thee to celestial rest!
Break heart, drop blood, and mingle it with tears,
Tears falling from repentant heaviness
Of thy most vile and loathsome filthiness,
The stench whereof corrupts the inward soul
With such flagitious crimes of heinous sin
As no commiseration may expel,
But mercy, Faustus, of thy Saviour sweet.
Whose blood alone must wash away thy guilt.
FAUST.
Where art thou, Faustus ? wretch, what hast
thou done ?
Damn’d art thou, Faustus, damn’d; despair and die!
Hell calls for right, and with a roaring voice
Says, ‘Faustus, come; thine hour is almost come;’
And Faustus now will come to do thee right.
[MEPHISTOPHILIS gives him a dagger.]
OLD MAN
Ah, stay, good Faustus, stay thy desperate
steps! I see an angel hovers o’er thy head.
And, with a vial full of precious grace,
Offers to pour the same into thy soul:
Then call for mercy, and avoid despair.
FAUST.
Ah, my sweet friend, I feel
Thy words to comfort my distressed soul!
Leave me a while to ponder on my sins.
OLD MAN
I go, sweet Faustus; but with heavy cheer.
Fearing the ruin of thy hopeless soul. [Exit.
FAUST.
Accursed Faustus, where is mercy now?
I do repent; and yet I do despair:
Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast:
What shall I do to shun the snares of death?
MEPH.
Thou traitor, Faustus, I arrest thy soul
For disobedience to my sovereign lord:
Revolt, or I’ll in piece-meal tear thy flesh.
FAUST.
Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord
To pardon my unjust presumption,
And with my blood again I will confirm
My former vow I made to Lucifer.
MEPH.
Do it, then, quickly, with unfeigned heart,
Lest greater danger do attend thy drift.
[FAUSTUS stabs his arm, and writes on a paper with his blood]
FAUST.
Torment, sweet friend, that base and crooked
age,
That durst dissuade me from thy Lucifer,
With greatest torments that our hell affords.
MEPH.
His faith is great; I cannot touch his soul;
But what I may afflict his body with
I will attempt, which is but little worth
FAUST.
One thing, good servant, let me crave of thee,
To glut the longing of my heart’s desire,—
That I might have unto my paramour
That heavenly Helen which I saw of late,
Whose sweet embracings may extinguish clean
These thoughts that do dissuade me from my vow,
And keep mine oath I made to Lucifer.
MEPH.
Faustus, this, or what else thou shalt desire,
Shall be perform’d in twinkling of an eye.
FAUST.
Was this the face that launch’d a thousand ships.
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium ?—
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.— [Kisses ber.
Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flees!—
Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again.
Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena.
I will be Paris, and for love of thee.
Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack’d;
And I will combat with weak Menelaus,
And wear thy colours on my plumed crest;
Yes, I will wound Achilles in the heel.
And then return to Helen for a kiss.
O, thou art fairer than the evening air
Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars;
Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter
When he appear’d to hapless Semele;
More lovely than the monarch of the sky In wanton
Arethusa’s azur’d arms;
And none but thou shalt be my paramour! [Exeunt.
OLD MAN
Accursed Faustus, miserable man,
That from thy soul exclud’st the grace of heaven,
And fly’st the throne of his tribunal-scat!
Satan begins to sift me with his pride:
As in this furnace God shall try my faith,
My faith, vile hell, shall triumph over thee.
Ambitious fiends, see how the heavens smile
At your repulse, and laugh your state to scorn !
Hence, hell! for hence I fly unto my God.
[Exeunt, — on one side Devils, on the other Old Man.]
Scene XIV The same.
[Enter FAUSTUS, with Scholars]
[Exeunt Devils with FAUSTUS]
[Enter Chorus]
Source:
Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Ed. Adolphus William Ward. London: Oxford, The Clarendon press, 1878. HathiTrust. Web. 08 Dec. 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b4109083