-The Chorus begins by telling the audience what the play is not going to be about, Marlowe explaining that it's not going to be about 'the dalliance of love' or of 'proud audacious deeds'. This therefore is telling you what you should expect, almost bringing the audience down from any romanticised ideas about romance or war.
-It then goes on to introduce Faustus' character, which quite early on explains his parents were 'base of stock', this is important because in the 17th Century there was little social mobility. It's therefore obvious from the outset that he is not 'everyman' and sets him apart and perhaps above the rest.
-Faustus' academia is introduced, however this is shortly followed by the tale of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and fell because he became overambitious, it is possible that Marlowe is foreshadowing events that happen in Faustus' tale.
-Finally his interest in 'curséd necromancy' is introduced, this is dark magic which implies that this may be the catalyst to his downfall.
Act 1, Scene 1
-The scene begins with Faustus in his study, he mentions lots of philosophers names and reads in Latin passages from books. This all implies how academic he is, however he refers to himself in second person- 'Settle thy studies, Faustus'- which shows that he is distancing himself, as if Faustus is another person making the decisions.
-The theme of religion is introduced when he speaks of the Church and 'Jerome's Bible', however he seems to move on quickly when he picks up a 'necromantic book'. This finally seems to captivate his attention and he goes into great detail. The mention of magicians introduces a supernatural element to the play, which in turn is an element of the Gothic genre. This is reinforced when the Good Angel and the Evil Angel are used to symbolise Faustus' conscience, this is an important element of the play because it allows us as the audience to see Faustus' decision making, showing that he is seriously weighing up whether to study magic.
-Faustus asks his friends to visit him, seemingly to persuade him to take up dark magic, however it seems that Faustus has already made his mind up- 'your words have won me at the last'. However his decision seems to be quite spontaneous because although the Good Angel gave him advice, he seems to only be able to think of the things that he 'most desires', therefore only really taking notice of what the Evil Angel said.
Act 1, Scene 2
-This scene shows an outsiders perspective of necromancy, both the First Scholar and the Second Scholar worry that Faustus has been taken in by magic and his friends. It is the first time that we hear the negative sides of what he is doing as we have only heard the positive, this gives a more balanced view.
Act 1, Scene 3
-Scene three opens with Faustus attempting to conjure up Mephistopheles, showing him actually practising dark magic rather than just talking about it. The pace seems to speed up through the use of exclamation marks, showing that he is excited by what he has done. When Mephistopheles appears, Faustus explains that he will 'dedicate himself' to Lucifer which seems like a big promise to make when it feels like he hasn't really put that much thought into it. This would also be very shocking for the audience because when the play was written, the world was deeply religious, making it shocking when anyone deviated from this path.
-Faustus is given 24 years to live in luxury with Mephistopheles catering to his every need until he finally has to give his soul up to the devil and live forever in hell. However, when Faustus asks how Mephistopheles is out of hell, he answers that 'this is hell', perhaps helping Faustus' decision because he may feel that earth isn't bad at all.
Act 1, Scene 4
-This comic scene seems to almost mirror the scene before it but showing it from a lower class perspective. This is interesting because Faustus is seen to be upper class, while his servant lower class but we know from the prologue that Faustus himself is from a lower class background, this therefore emphasises and highlights the differences between the classes. This is highlighted through their use of crude language- 'If you turn me into anything, let it be in the likeness of a little, pretty, frisking flea, that I may be here and there and everywhere. O, I'll tickle the pretty wenches' plackets!'
-The theme of religion is introduced when he speaks of the Church and 'Jerome's Bible', however he seems to move on quickly when he picks up a 'necromantic book'. This finally seems to captivate his attention and he goes into great detail. The mention of magicians introduces a supernatural element to the play, which in turn is an element of the Gothic genre. This is reinforced when the Good Angel and the Evil Angel are used to symbolise Faustus' conscience, this is an important element of the play because it allows us as the audience to see Faustus' decision making, showing that he is seriously weighing up whether to study magic.
-Faustus asks his friends to visit him, seemingly to persuade him to take up dark magic, however it seems that Faustus has already made his mind up- 'your words have won me at the last'. However his decision seems to be quite spontaneous because although the Good Angel gave him advice, he seems to only be able to think of the things that he 'most desires', therefore only really taking notice of what the Evil Angel said.
Act 1, Scene 2
-This scene shows an outsiders perspective of necromancy, both the First Scholar and the Second Scholar worry that Faustus has been taken in by magic and his friends. It is the first time that we hear the negative sides of what he is doing as we have only heard the positive, this gives a more balanced view.
Act 1, Scene 3
-Scene three opens with Faustus attempting to conjure up Mephistopheles, showing him actually practising dark magic rather than just talking about it. The pace seems to speed up through the use of exclamation marks, showing that he is excited by what he has done. When Mephistopheles appears, Faustus explains that he will 'dedicate himself' to Lucifer which seems like a big promise to make when it feels like he hasn't really put that much thought into it. This would also be very shocking for the audience because when the play was written, the world was deeply religious, making it shocking when anyone deviated from this path.
-Faustus is given 24 years to live in luxury with Mephistopheles catering to his every need until he finally has to give his soul up to the devil and live forever in hell. However, when Faustus asks how Mephistopheles is out of hell, he answers that 'this is hell', perhaps helping Faustus' decision because he may feel that earth isn't bad at all.
Act 1, Scene 4
-This comic scene seems to almost mirror the scene before it but showing it from a lower class perspective. This is interesting because Faustus is seen to be upper class, while his servant lower class but we know from the prologue that Faustus himself is from a lower class background, this therefore emphasises and highlights the differences between the classes. This is highlighted through their use of crude language- 'If you turn me into anything, let it be in the likeness of a little, pretty, frisking flea, that I may be here and there and everywhere. O, I'll tickle the pretty wenches' plackets!'
A very good commentary on the act. You've made some perceptive points and show that you have really got very quickly into what the play is going to be exploring.
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