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
More on the imagery of time passing
More on the imagery of time passing: Marlowe uses the image of ‘time … shortening my days and thread of vital life'. Cutting the thread is reminiscent of the Sword of Damocles. Damocles was a sycophantic follower of Dionysos II of Syracuse, who said he envied Dionysos' comfortable existence. So the ruler gave Damocles a great banquet. At the end, Damocles realised a sword was hanging over his head by a single horse hair. Dionysos thus showed Damocles how precarious leadership was.
The phrase Sword of Damocles is used as an allusion in a situation of impending doom.
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