About the work
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, probably written between 1588 and 1592 after the German Faustbuch published in 1587. No exact premiere date survives, but performances by the Admiral's Men at the Rose Theatre in London from 1594 show the play was already an established part of the repertoire by then. It was first printed posthumously in 1604 in a shorter version, followed by a substantially expanded text in 1616.
Plot
The scholar Faustus, dissatisfied with the limits of human knowledge, strikes a pact with the devil: the demon Mephistophilis serves him for twenty-four years in exchange for his soul. Instead of using his new powers for higher ends, Faustus squanders them on pranks and entertainments, and despite repeated warning signs he misses every chance to repent before devils drag him to hell when his time is up.
Cultural significance
As the first major stage version of the Faust legend, Marlowe's blank-verse tragedy decisively shaped English drama before Shakespeare and, centuries later, became a reference point for the story's history, including for Goethe's Faust.