Doctor Faustus Contents
- The Faust figure in European culture
- Social / political context
- Religious / philosophical context
- The theatrical context
- The texts of Doctor Faustus
- Prologue: Chorus one
- Scene one
- Scene two
- Scene three
- Scene four
- Scene five
- Chorus two
- Scene six
- Scene six, version B
- Scene seven
- Scene seven, version B
- Scene eight
- Scene eight, version B
- Chorus three
- Scene nine
- Scene nine, version B
- Scene ten
- Scene eleven
- Chorus four
- Scene twelve
- Scene thirteen
- Epilogue
Doctor Faustus Timeline
| Year | Historical | Literary | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1509 |
Henry VIII ascends English throne. |
Desiderius Erasmus In Praise of Folly | |
| 1513 | Portuguese explorers begin contact with China | Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince | |
| 1516 |
Erasmus's Latin translation of the New Testament published in Basle Sir Thomas More writes Utopia (in Latin) |
||
| 1517 | Luther's Wittenberg Theses | ||
| 1518 | Cardinal Wolsey appointed Papal Legate | ||
| 1519 |
Invasion of Mexico by Cortes and defeat of Aztec Empire (-1521) Magellan begins his voyage around the world (-1522) Charles V becomes Holy Roman Emperor |
||
| 1521 | Luther excommunicated | ||
| 1524 | The Peasants' Revolt (-1525) | ||
| 1525 | Tyndale's New Testament | ||
| 1527 | Sack of Rome | ||
| 1529 | Thomas More becomes Chancellor | ||
| 1532 |
Henry VIII divorces Katherine of Aragon Pizarro conquers the Inca Empire (-1536) |
Thynne's edition The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Newly printed | |
| 1533 |
The English Church separates from Rome and Henry VIII is excommunicated Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn |
||
| 1534 |
Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church of England. Ignatius Loyola founds the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) |
Rabelais Gargantua | |
| 1535 | The first entire translation of the Bible in English published by Miles Coverdale, building on earlier work of William Tyndale | ||
| 1536 |
The dissolution of the monasteries begins Pilgrimage of Grace, Northern rebellions (-1537) Union of England and Wales |
Calvin's The Institutes of the Christian Religion (trans. into English 1561) | |
| 1539 | The Great Bible | ||
| 1541 | Henry VIII now named King of Ireland and Head of the Church in Ireland | ||
| 1542 |
Death of James V of Scotland and birth of daughter Mary, the next Scottish monarch Inquisition established in Rome |
||
| 1543 | Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres | ||
| 1547 |
Death of Henry VIII. Edward VI ascends throne Execution of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey England declared a Protestant Country |
||
| 1548 | Council of Trent | ||
| 1549 | First version of Book of Common Prayer, revised 1552 and 1559 | ||
| 1552 | Birth of Edmund Spenser | ||
| 1553 |
Edward VI dies. Mary Tudor ascends throne England officially reverts to Catholicism |
||
| 1554 |
Marriage of Mary I and Philip of Spain in Winchester English Church returns to Rome with Mary retaining title of Supreme Head |
||
| 1555 | Burning of Latimer and Ridley | ||
| 1556 | Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake | ||
| 1558 |
Death of Mary. Elizabeth I ascends throne. England officially reverts to Protestantism Calais surrendered to French |
||
| 1559 |
Acts of Uniformity Wars which had been going on in Italy for over a hundred years came to an end. Large parts of Italy now dominated by Spain go into decline |
First edition in Latin of Foxe, Acts and Monuments of the Christian Church | |
| 1561 | Birth of Francis Bacon | ||
| 1562 | Slaving operations to Africa begun by John Hawkins | ||
| 1563 | Thirty-Nine Articles of Anglican Church | First edition in English of Foxe, Acts and Monuments | |
| 1564 |
Italian scientist Galileo born. Death of Calvin and Michelangelo |
Playwright Christopher Marlowe born 26 February in Canterbury, Kent | |
| 1565 | Golding's translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses I-IV | ||
| 1568 | Flight of the Scottish queen Mary into England | ||
| 1570 | Excommunication of Elizabeth I | ||
| 1572 | St Bartholomew's Day massacre of Huguenots in France | ||
| 1576 | The Theatre - first purpose-built playhouse in London | James Burbage builds first permanent English playhouse, The Theatre in London. | |
| 1577 | Sir Francis Drake sails around the world. | Holinshed publishes his Chronicles, the main source of Shakespeare's historical material. | |
| 1579 |
North's translation of Plutarch's Lives Spenser's The Shepherd's Calendar |
Marlowe attends King's School, Canterbury | |
| 1580 | Enters Corpus Christi College, Cambridge | ||
| 1581 | Begins to engage in secret service for government | ||
| 1583 | Queen's Men acting company formed | ||
| 1584 | First English colony in America established by Sir Walter Raleigh at Roanoke Island, Virginia | ||
| 1585 | Awarded BA degree | ||
| 1586 | (Catholic) Mary Queen of Scots tried for treason against (Protestant) Queen Elizabeth of England. | Sir Philip Sidney dies | Writes Dido, Queen of Carthage, possibly with Thomas Nashe |
| 1587 |
Mary Queen of Scots executed in England. Pope proclaims crusade against England |
Performances of Kyd's The Spanish Tradgedy Rose Theatre built in London |
Marlowe writes Tamburlaine Awarded MA degree Writes both parts of Tamburlaine, which are probably first performed this year |
| 1588 | Spanish Armada sent in retaliation of Mary Queen of Scots, defeated in battle. | Lyly's Endymion | Marlowe writes Dr Faustus |
| 1589 | Hakluyt's Voyages published |
Performance of Marlowe's The Jew of Malta Briefly imprisoned for taking part in street fight in which a man dies |
|
| 1590 |
Spenser's Faerie Queene (I-III) published Sidney's Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia |
Tamburlaine published | |
| 1591 | Increasing persecution of Catholics |
Kyd writes The Spanish Tragedy, thought to have a strong influence on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Sidney's Astrophil and Stella |
|
| 1592 |
Performances of Marlowe's Dr Faustus Arrested in Netherlands for counterfeiting money |
||
| 1593 | Theatres closed because of plague |
Death of Marlowe in a tavern brawl in Deptford, London, aged 29 'Dutch libel' uncovered. Interrogated by Privy Council Baines letter attacking Marlowe for blasphemy delivered Writes Hero and Leander |
|
| 1594 |
Acting group The Lord Chamberlain's Men re-established, of which Shakespeare is a leading member. They use the Theatre as their playhouse. Sir Philip Sidney's Apology for Poetry published Hooker's Of the Laws of the Ecclesiastical Polity I-IV Nashe's The Unfortunate Traveller |
The Massacre at Paris, Edward II and Dido, Queen of Carthage published | |
| 1595 |
Sidney's An Apology for Poetry (or The Defence of Poesy) Spenser's Amoretti |
||
| 1596 | Essex attacks Cadiz |
Spenser's Faerie Queene (IV-VI) published Second Blackfriars Theatre opened by Burbage |
|
| 1597 | New Poor Law |
Bacon's Essays published The lease on The Theatre expires. James and Richard Burbage dismantle the building and move the materials to another site in order to rebuild it. |
|
| 1598 | Death of Philip II | Hero and Leander published | |
| 1599 |
Earl of Essex, former favourite of Queen Elizabeth, arrested for failure to carry out her policies in Ireland Oliver Cromwell born |
The Globe Theatre built on south bank of the Thames Edmund Spenser dies |
|
| 1600 | East India Company founded | Shakespeare's first tragedies performed | Translation of Lucan published |
| 1601 | Following an attempted uprising, Earl of Essex beheaded for treason | 'War of the Theatres' - Jonson, Thomas Dekker, John Marston | |
| 1603 |
Elizabeth dies; succeeded by James VI of Scotland, who becomes James I of England Plague in London and theatres are closed again |
Lord Chamberlain's Men become The King's Men, and frequently perform at court | |
| 1604 | Hampton Court conference | Doctor Faustus (A-text) published | |
| 1605 | Gunpowder plot. Arrest and execution of Guy Fawkes |
Cervantes' Don Quixote pt 1 Shakespeare's King Lear |
|
| 1606 |
Cyril Tourneur The Revenger's Tragedy |
||
| 1607 |
Appearance of Halley's comet Founding of Jamestown, Virginia |
Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy published Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's The Knight of the Burning Pestle |
|
| 1610 |
Galileo reports on his findings with the telescope Galileo The Starry Messenger |
Beaumont's and Fletcher's The Maid's Tragedy | |
| 1611 |
Authorised (or King James') Version of the Bible Chapman, translation of Homer's lliad |
||
| 1612 |
Death of Henry, Prince of Wales. Prince Charles becomes heir to the throne |
||
| 1613 | Globe theatre fire |
The Globe Theatre burns down after catching fire during a performance of Henry VIII. The fire was started by a spark from a cannon which was used for sound effects. |
|
| 1614 | Globe theatre rebuilt after fire in previous year | Chapman, translation of Homer's Odyssey (-1615) | |
| 1615 | Cervantes's Don Quixote pt 2 | ||
| 1616 | Lectures on the circulation of the blood by William Harvey in London |
Jonson's Works Death of Cervantes |
Doctor Faustus (B-text) published |
| 1618 |
Sir Walter Raleigh executed Beginning of the Thirty Years' War (to 1648) |
||
| 1620 | Pilgrim Fathers to Massachussetts in the Mayflower | ||
| 1621 |
Bacon dismissed from office Performances of Philip Massinger's A New Way to Pay Old Debts Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women |
||
| 1622 | Performance of Middleton's The Changeling | ||
| 1625 | James I dies. Charles I becomes king. Charles marries Henrietta Maria of France | ||
| 1626 | War with France | Bacon dies | |
| 1628 |
John Bunyan born Laud appointed Bishop of London Buckingham assassinated |
||
| 1629 | Charles I suspends Parliament and has Sir John Eliot among other leaders imprisoned | ||
| 1630 | Future Charles II is born | ||
| 1631 | Bishop Laud enforces uniformity to the Church of England | John Dryden born | |
| 1633 | Laud becomes Archbishop of Canterbury | Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore | The Jew of Malta published |
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