The Staging of Doctor Faustus

I will be discussing how, if I were director of Doctor Faustus, I would stage the first part of the play. During the time that Christopher Marlowe was writing the stage wouldn’t have been as elaborate as the ones around nowadays. Theatre stages were only just starting to be built in the late 16^th century, 1576 to be exact. The stage was based on the design of an inn yard so normally took the form of a square or rectangle as well as this the stage was often exposed to the temperamental English weather. However this normally only affected the poorer customers at the ground level and not the richer clientele who sat above in the raised seating.

As for the scenery and the props, the comparison between the 16^th century theatre and modern theatre is vast. If the play dictated a certain setting or country then it was written down on a card and shown to the audience beforehand to make sure that the scene was set. Many of the props were brought onto the stage but they weren’t elaborate so simple pieces of decoration such as daggers or skulls were used (as in Hamlet). When Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus these were the limitations that he would have known about so there aren’t many stage directions given unlike modern writers such as Tennessee Williams who relied on stage directions to dictate how they wanted the actors to play the characters. The only stage direction that could be given was “Above” or “Enter *Certain Character*”. The only detailing on the stage was a balcony which allowed there to be a difference in height.

In terms of the scenery I would keep it uncomplicated as the story is what captivates the audience and not the setting. The setting is important, just as it is in any literature, but because it is only mentioned in brief by the author I wouldn’t put too much detailing into it. On the subject of props I wouldn’t give Faustus any props when he is conjuring the devil as I feel that it would add to the accidental feel of the scene and also give the idea that the devil is anywhere and can be conjured at any time.

As well as Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles there are two angels a “Good Angel” and an “Evil Angel”. Christopher Marlowe does not mention how he would like the two angels to be placed on stage. Some people interpret the angels as being Faustus’ conscience so they would place the angels off stage. The audience would only be able to hear their voices and not see them in human form. However when Faustus accepts the Angels advice it would make him appear more mentally unstable. In Faustus’s opening speech he does talk to himself and refer to himself in the third person “Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin”. Another interpretation is that Faustus is tempted by the devil so they would only place the Evil Angel on stage. This would give the effect of Evilness tempting Faustus because Faustus’ decision seems to be much more influenced by the Evil Angel. Neither of these are interpretations I agree with because if you make Faustus seem mentally unstable or tempted it takes away his autonomy to make his own decisions therefore implies that he doesn’t deserve the consequences of his actions. I interpret Faustus as a clever yet arrogant man when he discards Philosophy as “odious and obscure” with both Law and Physics being for “petty wits”. To show this to the audience I would have him on stage with both of the angels and he would acknowledge both of them. This way he seems to make more of an informed decision. By giving the angels a human form it shows that these spirits exist and can help or hinder you in your life.

Despite Doctor Faustus conjuring up Mephistopheles by reciting Latin incorrectly Marlowe only dictates that “Enter a Devil”. There is no special magic or jumping out from around corners. The only clue the audience gets that the Devil is scary is that Faustus demands that Mephistopheles

“to return and change thy shape.

Thou art too ugly”.

Ugly can take many different shapes depending on interpretations and a modern spectator would expect the writer to dictate exactly what his vision is. I would interpret Marlowe’s words as a purely physical imperfection instead of anything else. Also if he had superficial imperfections then when Mephistopheles goes and changes to a “holy shape” which “becomes a devil best” I would have him change into a normal human form because it makes the devil seem more universal and hidden. By having the devil being represented in human form not only would it add a sense of fear that the devil can reside in everyone but it also shows  that everyone has a devilish streak in them. It is the choices that you make which dictate the path you take.