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Excerpt from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe

[Footnote 175: Exeunt DEVILS with FAUSTUS-- In THE HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS,
his "miserable and lamentable end" is described as follows: it
took place, we are informed, at "the village called Rimlich,
halfe a mile from Wittenberg."--"The students and the other that
were there, when they had prayed for him, they wept, and so went
forth; but Faustus tarried in the hall; and when the gentlemen
were laid in bed, none of them could sleepe, for that they att[e--nded
to heare if they might be privy of his end. It happened that
betweene twelve and one a clocke at midnight, there blew a mighty
storme of winde against the house, as though it would have blowne
the foundation thereof out of his place. Hereupon the students
began to feare and goe out of their beds, comforting one another;
but they would not stirre out of the chamber; and the host of
the house ran out of doores, thinking the house would fall. The
students lay neere unto the hall wherein Doctor Faustus lay, and
they heard a mighty noyse and hissing, as if the hall had beene
full of snakes and adders. With that, the hall-doore flew open,
wherein Doctor Faustus was, that he began to cry for helpe,
saying, Murther, murther! but it came forth with halfe a voyce,
hollowly: shortly after, they heard him no more. But when it was
day, the students, that had taken no rest that night, arose and
went into the hall, in the which they left Doctor Faustus; where
notwithstanding they found not Faustus, but all the hall lay
sprinkled with blood, his braines cleaving to the wall, for the
devill had beaten him from one wall against another; in one corner
lay his eyes, in another his teeth; a pittifull and fearefull
sight to behold. Then began the students to waile and weepe for
him, and sought for his body in many places. Lastly, they came
into the yard, where they found his body lying on the horse-dung,
most monstrously torne and fearefull to behold, for his head and
all his joynts were dashed in peeces. The fore-named students and
masters that were at his death, have obtained so much, that they
buried him in the village where he was so grievously tormented.
After the which they returned to Wittenberg; and comming into the
house of Faustus, they found the servant of Faustus very sad,
unto whom they opened all the matter, who tooke it exceeding
heavily. There found they also this history of Doctor Faustus
noted and of him written, as is before declared, all save only
his end, the which was after by the students thereto annexed;
further, what his servant had noted thereof, was made in another
booke. And you have heard that he held by him in his life the
spirit of faire Helena, the which had by him one sonne, the which
he named Justus Faustus: even the same day of his death they
vanished away, both mother and sonne. The house before was so
darke that scarce any body could abide therein. The same night
Doctor Faustus appeared unto his servant lively, and shewed unto
him many secret things, the which he had done and hidden in his
lifetime. Likewise there were certaine which saw Doctor Faustus
looke out of the window by night, as they passed by the house."
Sig. K 3, ed. 1648.]

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Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe ​

This passage describes the gruesome and supernatural final moments of Doctor Faustus, a scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for forbidden knowledge, power, and worldly pleasures. The excerpt is drawn from an early 1648 edition of the play (or possibly a related prose version, The History of Doctor Faustus), and it serves as a moral and theological warning about the dangers of pride, overreaching ambition, and the rejection of divine grace.

While Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus (c. 1592) is the most famous dramatic version of the Faust legend, this particular passage reads like a folkloric or sensationalized account, blending horror, superstition, and moral didacticism. Below is a breakdown of its key elements, focusing on the text itself—its imagery, themes, structure, and literary effects—while also situating it within the broader context of the Faust myth.

1. Context of the Excerpt ​

  • Source & Genre:

    • This passage appears in a prose version of the Faust legend (possibly an expansion of Marlowe’s play or an independent chapbook). The 1648 edition suggests it was part of a popular tradition of Faust stories that circulated in Europe, often as cautionary tales about heresy and damnation.
    • Marlowe’s play itself is based on the German Faustbuch (1587), a moralistic account of a real (or legendary) magician, Johann Faust, who was said to have made a pact with the devil.
    • The excerpt functions as an epilogue, detailing Faustus’s physical and spiritual destruction after his 24-year bargain with Lucifer expires.

  • Theological & Cultural Background:

    • The Reformation and Counter-Reformation (16th century) made the Faust legend particularly resonant. Protestants and Catholics alike used it to warn against heresy, magic, and intellectual pride.
    • The idea of a pact with the devil was a common trope in medieval and early modern demonology, often linked to witchcraft trials.
    • The violent, bodily punishment of Faustus reflects medieval notions of hell—not just spiritual torment but physical dismemberment as divine retribution.

2. Themes in the Excerpt ​

The passage is rich in moral, theological, and psychological themes:

A. The Inevitability of Divine Justice ​

  • Faustus’s end is not just death, but annihilation—his body is torn apart, his brain splattered, his joints crushed. This is not a natural death but a supernatural execution.
  • The storm that precedes his demise symbolizes God’s wrath (a common biblical motif, e.g., the Flood, the plagues of Egypt).
  • The blood-sprinkled hall and scattered body parts suggest sacrilege—Faustus’s body is treated like a defiled temple, mirroring his rejection of God.

B. The Horror of Damnation ​

  • The passage is sensory and visceral, emphasizing sound, touch, and sight to create horror:
    • "Mighty noise and hissing, as if the hall had been full of snakes and adders" → Auditory horror, evoking serpents (symbols of Satan, from Genesis 3).
    • "His brains cleaving to the wall" → Gory, tactile imagery, reinforcing the physicality of damnation.
    • "His head and all his joints were dashed in pieces" → Biblical echo of Psalm 2:9 ("Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel"), suggesting Faustus is crushed by divine judgment.
  • The disappearance of Helena and Justus Faustus (his demonic lover and son) implies that even his illusions of love and legacy are erased—his entire existence is unmade.

C. The Failure of Human Witnesses ​

  • The students and masters who pray for Faustus are powerless to save him—their tears and prayers cannot override his irrevocable choice.
  • Their fear and sleeplessness contrast with Faustus’s isolated suffering, emphasizing that sin is a solitary destruction.
  • The host’s flight ("thinking the house would fall") suggests cowardice in the face of evil, while the students’ refusal to leave shows morbid curiosity—they want to witness damnation, even if they cannot prevent it.

D. The Supernatural Lingering of Evil ​

  • Faustus’s postmortem appearances (to his servant, at the window) suggest that his soul is not at rest—he is trapped in a liminal state, neither fully dead nor alive.
  • The darkness of the house ("so dark that scarce any body could abide therein") implies a lingering malevolent presence, reinforcing the idea that Faustus’s sin has corrupted his physical space.

3. Literary Devices & Stylistic Features ​

Marlowe (or the prose adapter) uses Gothic horror techniques to maximize the passage’s impact:

A. Sensory Overload (Imagery & Sound) ​

  • Auditory Horror:
    • "Mighty storme of winde" → Cosmic, apocalyptic sound.
    • "Mighty noise and hissing" → Snakes (Satan) filling the hall.
    • "Cry for help… with halfe a voyce, hollowly" → Faustus’s voice is already being consumed by hell.
  • Visual Horror:
    • "All the hall lay sprinkled with blood" → Sacrificial imagery.
    • "His eyes… his teeth" → Body horror, fragmentation.
    • "Most monstrously torne" → Grotesque, inhuman destruction.

B. Structural Tension (Suspense & Release) ​

  • The passage builds dread gradually:
    1. Anticipation (students waiting, storm approaching).
    2. Climax (Faustus’s screams, the door flying open).
    3. Aftermath (the gruesome discovery at dawn).
  • The delayed revelation of Faustus’s body (first missing, then found in pieces) creates narrative suspense.

C. Biblical & Mythological Allusions ​

  • "Murther, murther!" → Echoes Cain’s cry after killing Abel (Genesis 4:10), linking Faustus to the first murderer.
  • "Beaten from one wall against another" → Evokes Job’s suffering, but without redemption.
  • "Darkness… scarce any body could abide" → Re calls the plague of darkness in Exodus (10:21-23), a sign of God’s judgment.

D. Irony & Paradox ​

  • Faustus sought infinite knowledge, but his end is senseless violence.
  • He wanted to transcend human limits, but his body is reduced to scattered fragments.
  • The students who admired him now flee from his remains, showing how glory turns to revulsion.

4. Significance of the Passage ​

A. As a Moral Warning ​

  • The passage explicitly frames Faustus’s fate as a lesson:
    • Intellectual pride leads to spiritual ruin.
    • Rejecting repentance means eternal torment.
    • Worldly pleasures (Helena, magic) are fleeting and illusory.
  • It reflects Renaissance anxieties about humanism vs. faith—Faustus’s overreach is punished to reinforce divine order.

B. As a Gothic Horror Protoype ​

  • This passage prefigures later Gothic literature (e.g., Frankenstein, Dracula) in its:
    • Supernatural violence.
    • Body horror.
    • Haunting after death.
  • The physicality of damnation (blood, brains, dismemberment) makes evil tangible and terrifying.

C. As a Theological Statement ​

  • The absence of Faustus’s soul in the aftermath suggests total annihilation—unlike Dante’s Inferno, where sinners are preserved in hell, Faustus is erased.
  • The students’ inability to help reinforces Calvinist predestination—once damned, no human intervention can save him.

5. Connection to Marlowe’s Play ​

While this excerpt is from a prose version, it aligns with key moments in Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus:

  • Faustus’s Final Hour: In the play, Faustus begs for mercy but is dragged to hell by devils, screaming.
  • The Blood & Horror: Marlowe’s stage directions (if followed) would have included thunder, lightning, and possibly fake blood—this prose version amplifies the gore.
  • The Vanishing of Helena: In the play, Faustus kisses Helen of Troy, symbolizing his lust and delusion—her disappearance here shows all his desires were illusions.

6. Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters ​

This excerpt is more than just a gruesome ending—it is a theological and literary masterstroke that:

  1. Terrifies the audience into moral compliance.
  2. Blurs the line between reality and superstition (was Faustus real? Is this a true warning?).
  3. Uses horror to explore deep philosophical questions about free will, sin, and redemption.

Its vivid, nightmarish imagery ensures that Faustus’s fate lingers in the reader’s mind, making it one of the most haunting depictions of damnation in English literature. Whether as morality play, Gothic horror, or psychological study, this passage embodies the terror of a soul lost to pride and despair.

Final Thought: ​

Faustus’s end is not just death—it is uncreation. The devils do not merely take his soul; they erase every trace of him, leaving only blood, fragments, and fear. In this way, the passage denies him even the dignity of a grave, reinforcing that to reject God is to be erased from existence itself.