Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

GCSE Reading Comprehension

Doctor Faustus, a well-respected German scholar, was growing dissatisfied

with the limits of traditional forms of knowledge—logic, medicine, law, and
religion—and decided that he wanted to learn how to practice magic! His
friends Valdes and Cornelius instructed him in the black arts, and he began
his new career as a magician by summoning up Mephastophilis, a devil.
Despite Mephastophilis’s warnings about the horrors of hell, Faustus told
the devil to return to his master, Lucifer, with an offer: Faustus’s soul in
exchange for twenty-four years of service from Mephastophilis.
Meanwhile, Wagner, Faustus’s servant, who had picked up some magical
ability, used it to press a clown named Robin into his service.

Mephastophilis returned to Faustus with word that Lucifer had accepted Faustus’s offer. In the meantime, Faustus
experienced some misgivings and wondered if he should repent and save his soul; in the end, though, he agreed to the
deal, signing it with his blood. As soon as he did so, the words “Homo fuge,” Latin for “O man, fly,” appeared branded on
his arm. Once again Faustus had second thoughts, but Mephastophilis bestowed rich gifts on him and gave him a book of
spells to learn. Later, Mephastophilis answered all of his questions about the nature of the world, refusing to answer only
when Faustus asked him who made the universe. This refusal prompted yet another bout of misgivings in Faustus, but
Mephastophilis and Lucifer brought in personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins to prance about in front of Faustus, and
he was impressed enough to quiet his doubts.

Armed with his new powers and attended by Mephastophilis, Faustus then began to travel. He went to the pope’s court
in Rome, made himself invisible, and played a series of tricks. He disrupted the pope’s banquet by stealing food and boxing
the pope’s ears. Following this incident, he travelled through the courts of Europe, with his fame spreading with every
new land he visited. Eventually, he was invited to the court of the German emperor, Charles V (the enemy of the pope),
who asked Faustus to allow him to see Alexander the Great, the famed fourth-century b.c. Macedonian king and
conqueror. Faustus conjured up an image of Alexander, and Charles was suitably impressed. At the court, a knight scoffed
at Faustus’s powers, and Faustus chastised him by making antlers sprout from his head. Furious, the knight vowed
revenge!

Meanwhile, Robin, Wagner’s clown, had picked up some magic of his own, and with his fellow stablehand, Rafe, he
underwent a number of comic misadventures. At one point, he managed to summon Mephastophilis, who threatened to
turn Robin and Rafe into animals to punish them for their foolishness.

In the meantime, Faustus went on with his travels, playing a trick on a horse-courser along the way. Faustus sold him a
horse that would turn into a heap of straw when ridden into a river. Eventually, Faustus was invited to the court of the
Duke of Vanholt, where he performed various feats. The horse-courser showed up there, along with Robin, Rafe, and
various others who have fallen victim to Faustus’s trickery. But Faustus casted spells on them and sent them on their way,
to the amusement of the duke and duchess.

As the twenty-four years of his deal with Lucifer came to a close, Faustus began to dread his impending death. He had
Mephastophilis call up Helen of Troy, the famous beauty from the ancient world, and used her presence to impress a
group of scholars. An old man urged Faustus to repent, but Faustus drove him away. Faustus summoned Helen again and
exclaimed rapturously about her beauty. But his time was growing short. Faustus told the scholars about his pact, and
they were horror-stricken and resolved to pray for him. On the final night before the expiration of the twenty-four years,
Faustus was overcome by fear and remorse. He begged for mercy, but it was too late. At midnight, a host of devils
appeared and carries his soul off to hell. In the morning, the scholars found Faustus’s limbs and decide to hold a funeral
for him.

Exercise1: Mark the following statements as True or False according to the text: True False
 1. Doctor Faustus was a well-respected German scholar.
2. Faustus listened to Mephastophilis’s warnings about the horrors of hell.
3. Faustus offered his soul in exchange for twenty-four years of service from Mephastophilis.
4. Wagner, used magic to press a clown named Robin into his service.
5. As soon as Faustus signed the deal, the words “Homo fuge,” appeared branded on his arm.
6. Mephastophilis bestowed rich gifts on Faustus and gave him immortality.
7. Mephastophilis and Lucifer brought the Seven Deadly Sins to prance in front of Faustus,
8. Faustus disrupted the pope’s banquet by cutting off the pope’s ears.
9. Charles V asked Faustus to allow him to see the beautiful Helen of Troy.
10. Faustus chastised a knight by making antlers sprout from his head.
11. Faustus tricked a horse-courser by selling him a fake unicorn.
12. In the end the devils came for Faustus’ soul as it was too late to repent.

Exercise 2: Read the text again and answer the questions below:
1. Why did Doctor Faustus decide to study magic?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What kind of deal did Faustus make with Lucifer?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What happened right after Faustus signed the deal with Lucifer?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Which question did Mephastophilis refuse to answer Faustus?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What did Faustus do at the pope’s court?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Who was Alexander the Great?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
7. What did Mephastophilis threaten to do to Robin and Rafe?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What trick did Faustus play on the horse-courser?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
9. What did Faustus do as the twenty-four years of his deal with Lucifer came to a close?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
10. What did Faustus do on the final night before the expiration of the twenty-four years?
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 3: Match the characters to their descriptions:

o Faustus 1. A clown who becomes Wagner’s servant.
o Mephastophilis 2. A devil whom Faustus summons with his initial magical experiments.
o Old Man 3. A friend of Robin.
o Lucifer
4. A German nobleman who is ridiculed after Faustus makes antlers sprout from his head.
o Wagner
5. A horse-trader who buys a horse from Faustus, which vanishes after the horse-courser

o Robin
rides it into a river.
6. An enigmatic figure who appears in the final scene. He urges Faustus to repent.
o Rafe 7. Faustus’s colleagues at the University. Loyal to Faustus, they marvel at his
o Valdes and Cornelius achievements, and are terrified to hear about his pact with Lucifer.
o Horse-courser 8. Faustus’s servant. He also learns how to summon devils and work magic.
o The Scholars 9. The head of the Roman Catholic Church and a powerful political figure.
o The pope 10. The prince of devils, the ruler of hell, and Mephastophilis’s master.
o Knight 11. The protagonist, a brilliant scholar from Germany
12. Two friends of Faustus, both magicians, who teach him the art of black magic.
Exercise 4: Complete the crossword using words from the text:
 :
Doctor Faustus

1 2

6 7 8 9

10 11

12 13

14 15

16

17

18 19

20

Down Across
2. On the final night before the expiration of the twenty- 1. Charles V asked Faustus to allow him to see Alexander
four years, Faustus was overcome by fear and ________. the_________.
3. Mephastophilis and Lucifer brought in personifications 4. Faustus summoned up Mephastophilis, a devil and
of the Seven Deadly Sins to _______ in front of Faustus. asked him to return to his_________, Lucifer, with an
6. Faustus had Mephastophilis call up Helen of _______ offer.
to impress a group of scholars. 5. Faustus’ fame spread with every new _______ he
7. Faustus grew dissatisfied with the limits of traditional visited.
forms of______________. 8. After signing the deal. Mephastophilis bestowed rich
9. Faustus sold the horse-courser a horse that would turn gifts on Faustus and gave him a book of ______ to learn.
into a heap of _________ when ridden into a river. 10. Mephastophilis refused to answer only when Faustus
11. Doctor Faustus was a well-respected German asked him who made the____________.
___________. 12. Faustus agreed to a deal with Lucifer and signed with
13. As the twenty-four years of his deal with Lucifer came his_________.
to a close, Faustus began to dread his impending 14. Robin, Wagner’s clown, picked up some magic of his
________. own and underwent a number of ______ misadventures.
15. Wagner, Faustus’s servant, magically forced a 16. Faustus chastised a knight by making __________
__________named Robin into his service. sprout from his head. Furious, the knight vowed revenge!
18. Faustus decided that he wanted to learn how to 17. Mephastophilis answered all of Faustus’ questions
practice_________! about the nature of the________.
19. Faustus performed various feats at the court of the
Duke of Vanholt.
20. Faustus disrupted the pope’s __________ by stealing
food and boxing the pope’s ears.