Course: Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
Online course from the Open University.
Description: "What does Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tell us about the author and the time at which the play was written? This unit will help you to discover the intricacies of the play and recognise how a knowledge of the historical and political background of the time can lead to a very different understanding of the author's intended meaning."
This unit is on Christopher Marlowe's famous play Doctor Faustus. It considers the play in relation to Marlowe's own reputation as a rule-breaker and outsider and asks whether the play criticises or seeks to arouse audience sympathy for its protagonist, who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for 24 years of power and pleasure. Is this pioneering drama a medieval morality play or a tragedy?
This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course The Arts Past and Present (AA100).
Date Published:
4 April 2012
Writer:
Source:
In Collection(s):
Christopher Marlowe, Economic and Social Literary Criticism
Cite:
Course: Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe at https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-writing/literature/christopher-marlowe-doctor-faustus/content-section-0 via https://dev.writersinspire.it.ox.ac.uk/content/course-christopher-marlowe-doctor-faustus. Published on 04 April 2012. Accessed on 10 May 2026.
If reusing this resource please attribute as follows: Course: Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus (https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-writing/literature/christopher-marlowe-doctor-faustus/content-section-0) by Christopher Marlowe, licensed as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA (2.0 UK).
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