Act I, Scene 1 — Faustus's Opening Soliloquy
from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
Written by Christopher Marlowe
Doctor Faustus reviews his mastery of various academic disciplines—logic, medicine, law, and divinity—only to find them insufficient. He ultimately rejects traditional scholarship in favor of the dark arts and necromancy to achieve god-like power.
FAUSTUS: Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin
To sound the depth of that thou wilt profess:
Having commenc’d, be a divine in shew,
Yet level at the end of every art,
And live and die in Aristotle’s works.
Sweet Analytics, ’tis thou hast ravish’d me!
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Director's Notes
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