Dr Faustus - success or failure?

"2: A number of critics have found Doctor Faustus to be successful in parts but a failure as a whole. How far would you agree with them?"

I'm having trouble thinking of points for this essay. Come up with Marlowe not using characters eg. the old man to their full potential, having a fast/slow/fast/slow moving plot, evil being presented in a positive light and knowing what will happen at the beginning but thats only 4 main paragraphs.. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

Reply 1

FranklyMrShankly

I <3 Faustus. I haven't studied it, but I've read it.

I would say that its main failure is in the fact that it doesn't have a centre: it kinda collapses into itself. Faustus gets all these amazing powers- he messes around with them. The whole affair just seemed so fickle.

Sorry- a really short (and nonsensical) point, but that's what I got from it. :biggrin:

Reply 2

FranklyMrShankly

Exactly.

Hence the central character/the centre of the plot completely lacks centrality thus there is no centre.

Reply 3

happinessxo

lessthanthree

well, he gets all the power in the world, and what does he do?

he tricks a thick horse-courser, gets a dead spirit resurrected, gets grapes for an duchess and boxes the pope's ears. It's very unambitious stuff isn't it?

Yeah but that's the point. He has all this potential, but chooses to waste it on petty stunts. This shows the cheapening of his ambitions, and the developing weakness of his character...I wouldn't call it a flaw in the plot, more a fantastic way to illustrate what is happening to him. What he ends up doing is so far from what he planned to do.