The tragical history of Doctor Faustus

1897·3.5 MB·English

by  Marlowe, Christopher, 1564-1593

PR
2664
.A3
G6
SMC

DTHEOTRAGCICALTHISOTORYROF
FAU STUS
A
Play written by
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE
Edited with a Preface, Notes
and
Glossary by
ISRAEL GOLLANCZ, M.A.
M. DENT AND CO.
J.
ALDINE HOUSE LONDON
:
1897
Faustusisthereforeaparableoftheimpotent
yearningsofthe Middle Ages itspassionate
aspiration, its conscience-stricken desire, its
fetteredcuriosityamidthecrampinglimitsof
imperfect knowledge, and irrationaldogma-
tism. TheindestructiblebeautyofGreekart,
whereofHelenwastheemblem,became,through
the discoveryofclassic poetry and sculpture,
thepossession ofthe modern world. Medie-
valism took this Helen to wife, and their
offspring, the Euphorion of Goethe's drama,
isthespiritofthemodernworld.'
J.A.SYMONDS,
RenaissanceinItaly,ii.p.54.
PREFACE
Early Editions. Theearliest extant edition of Marlowe's
DTroacgtiocrallFaHuissttuosry boefarDs. Ftahuestufso.lloAwisngit htiattleh-bpeangee:Act'eTdheby|
|
the Right Hono-rable the Earle of Nottingham his seruants.
Writtenby| Ch. Marl. London. PrintedbyV. S. forThomas
| |
Bushell. 1604.'
Theonlyknowncopyof this edition is to be found among
Malone'sbooksinthe Bodleian Library.
Similarly, the Hamburg Public Library possesses the only
extantcopyof thesecond edition, a reprint of the first,issued
in 1609, 'imprintedat LondonbyG. E. for John Wright, and
aretobesoldat Christ-church Gate.'
Athirdeditionwas in all probability publishedin 1611, but
no copy has hitherto been discovered, although it is known
that Heberpossessedacopyofthisissue.1 Itwouldseem that
theediiionwasareprintoftheearlierquartoof 1609.
Thefourthedition,publishedin 1616,differsinmanyimport-
ant respectsfrom theformer quartos: it contains entirelynew
scenes and episodes, as well as different recensions of scenes
and passages. Its title-page is as follows : ' The Tragi-
call History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.
| | |
WrittenbyCh. Marl. |(Vignette.)|London, | Printed for John
1 Cp. Breymann,p.xi.
V
PREFACE The Tragical History
Wright, andaretobesold at his shop with-out Newgate, at
A | |
thesigneofthe Bible, 1616.' copy of this quarto is to be
foundinthe Bri|tish Museum. Quartos agreeing substantially
with the text of this edition appeared in 1619, 1620, 1624,
and 1631.
In 1663 aworthlessedition wasissued, 'withnewadditions,
asit isnowacted; withseveral new Scenes.'
The various quartos here enumerated may be divided into
two main classes: (i)the editionsof 1604, 1609(represented
byA); (ii) theeditionsof 1616, 1619, etc. (represented byB);
the editioprincepsof each class is primarilyreferredtointhe
Notesand Glossarytopresentedition.
The Present Text. The playof Doctor Fausfus, ashere
,
setforth, representsanattempttoblendthetwoversionsofthe
quartosof1604and 1616; it follows neither the one text nor
the other, butresultsfroma 'contamination'of both. Bythe
use of italic type for the passages borrowed from the 1616
edition, theeditor has been able to differentiatethesourcesof
the text. It cannot be hoped that the experiment has been
whollysuccessful, but the present issue is perhaps more satis-
factory than a mere reprint of any one of the quartos, with
bulkyappendicesof theomittedoradditional passages. Very
little, if anything, of value has been lost in the present pro-
cess; theone or two passagesof worth belonging to the first
edition, here replaced bythe later text, will be found in the
Notes at the endof the volume. The textual work has been
greatlyfacilitatedby Dr. Breymann'sexcellent parallel edition
of the two versions (cp. Vollmoller's Englische Sprach- und
Litteratur-Denkmak) No. 5).
vi