Brilliant subject matter, classic literature
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After reading this I can well understand the Shakespeare related theories. Each play is well and timelessly executed.
My particular favourite is Tamburlaine, which (strangely enough) encouraged me to look into the history of the man behind the myth.The one down side is his treatment of the Faust myth. It seemed clumsy, preachy, without the versatility offered by a more morally ambiguous treatment of other versions. Perhaps I have been spoiled by Goethe.
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Good value for money
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This is a good value for money book, especially for English literature students, comprising as it does a collection of Marlowe's best known works, some of which are pieces of classic literature and should be more widely read! It handily contains both A and B texts for Dr Faustus, always useful for comparison. Recommended for literature students or anyone with an interest in great literature.
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Stories which have entered our mythology
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The story of Dr F. is no longer an original one, but in Marlowe's time the play pointed up man's increasing attempts to devolve power to himself from God. The rise of science = the fall of man, it seems, and Faustus pays the ultimate price for knowledge.
Reworkings of the Faustian myth are two a-penny today, but Marlowe's original still has a power which few versions since have attained. If you can get through the language, and understand the references to arcane historical figures and events, then you have here a powerful and demanding text. And, whatever the cover price, it has to be worth it for Marlowe's cautionary advice.
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