Doctor Faustus Scenes Grid

Act/Scene / Location / Characters / Action / Speeches
Prologue / Chorus / Critique of Faustus’s attitude – a great scholar ruined by dabbling with black arts / 1-28 Chorus intro
1/1 / F’s study, Wittenburg / Faustus, Wagner,
Good Angel & Bad Angel, Valdes & Cornelius / F is frustrated by academic limitations of traditional disciplines so declares he is turning to magic
W asked by servant F to fetch fellow scholars V & C
GA and BA present F with alternatives – conscience v temptation – F daydreams of potential powers
V & C seduce him into world of black arts / 1-65 F soliloquy
80-101 F’s dreams of power
121-150 V & C tempt F
1/2 / 1st & 2nd Scholar,Wagner / W tells scholars what F is doing with V & C, to their great concern
1/3 / Faustus, Mephistopheles / F summons up M who represents Lucifer (as a friar) – F agrees to sell his soul for 24 years of power / 1-35 F’s incantations
78-88 M tempts F
85-116 F sells his soul
1/4 / Wagner, Robin / W uses black magic to recruit R as his servant / Comic relief scene
2/1 / F’s study / Faustus,
Good & Bad Angels, Mephistopheles / F has doubts during debates with angels, but puts them aside and signs away his soul to M in blood; F asks for a wife, but M gives him magic books instead / 1-14 F soliloquy
95-115 F reads out pact
2/2 / Robin, Rafe / Robin impresses stableman Rafe with magic book / Comic relief
2/3 / F’s study (time passed) / Faustus, Good & Bad Angels, Mephistopheles, Lucifer, 7 Sins, Beelzebub / F curses M for depriving him of heaven; Angels debate whether he should repent; F questions M on making of universe, till M and L return with B to exert control over F, through pageant of Seven Deadly Sins and Hell / 19-38 F tells M he won’t repent
3/Chorus / Wagner / W updates audience on F’s travels – now Rome
3/1 / Rome / Faustus, Pope, Mephistopheles, Cardinal, Friars / F discusses sights seen with M; now in Vatican, where disrupts banquet by being invisible, leading to friars attempting exorcism / 1-22 F tells of sights seen
Act/Scene / Location / Characters / Action / Speeches
3/2 / Robin, Rafe, Vintner, Mephistopheles / Robin, with Rafe, steals cup and outwits vintner with magic; then unwittingly raises M and gets turned into ape / Comic relief
4/Chorus / Chorus / Reports on F’s return to Germany as hero, invited to Emperor’s court / 1-17 Chorus report
4/1 / Emperor’s Court / Emperor, Faustus, Mephistopheles, Knight, Attendants, Horse-courser, Wagner / E asks F to conjure up image of Alexander; skeptical knight interrupts, till punished by F with horns; Emperor promises F a reward
Horse-courser (dealer) pesters F till F sells him horse – but warns him not to ride in water
F expresses despair
H-c returns, having lost horse in water; pulls off F’s leg and has to pay him
4/2 / Court of Duke of Anholt / Faustus, Mephistopheles, Duke & Duchess of Anholt / F gets M to provide grapes for pregnant Duchess
5/1 / Wagner , Faustus, Mephistopheles, 3 scholars, old man / W says F is soon to die and has left goods to him; scholars ask to see Helen of Troy
Old man begs F to repent – stops him killing himself with M’s dagger
F considers repentance but M makes him re-affirm pact with Lucifer; conjures up Helen to be F’s lover / 91-110 F’s Helen of Troy speech
5/2 / Faustus,
3 scholars
Lucifer, Mephistopheles / Scholars show concern for F, who tells them of pact – they offer to pray for him; F faces his fate, as M and L arrive to take him to hell / 66-124 F’s final soliloquy
Epilogue / Chorus / Lament for F’s wasted potential and warning