Doctor Faustus and Other Plays [Hardcover]

Christopher Marlowe (Author), David Bevington (Editor), Eric Rasmussen (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Oxford Drama Library | Publication Date: March 30, 1995

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), a man of extreme passions and a playwright of immense talent, is the most important of Shakespeare's contemporaries. This edition offers his five major plays, which show the radicalism and vitality of his writing in the few years before his violent death.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Bevington is Professor of English at the University of Chicago. Eric Rasmussen is Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Tulsa.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198121598
• ISBN-13: 978-0198121596
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,766,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, the English Renaissance CAN be humorous!, August 27, 2000

By 

Bob Lehner (Saginaw, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctor Faustus and Other Plays (Oxford World's Classics) (Parts I and II) (Paperback)

Christopher Marlowe is a genius. This thorough, Oxfordiancompilation of his best known plays contains Tamburlaine the Great parts one and two, the Tragical History of Doctor Faustus in its original A-text and its later B-text, The Jew of Malta, and Edward II. The beauty of these dramas lies in the fact that they're short but powerful reading pieces. In five acts Marlowe was able to generate a story complete with action, classical allusions, and a bawdy humor one might not expect from otherwise generally classified stuffy English Renaissance drama. This book contains an exhaustive introduction that explains many details of the publication dates of the plays and the differences between versions (Faustus). It also contains a thorough section for notes that further explain the texts. Finally, it contains a glossary of the commonly used words from the texts. The bottom line? This book is a great read--it's funny (I can't begin to stress that enough), and you will appreciate Marlowe's wit and talent just as much as William Shakespeare did. Buy it today!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MARLOWE, May 28, 2009

By 

Catherine A. Olteanu "catherine" (usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctor Faustus and Other Plays (Oxford World's Classics) (Parts I and II) (Paperback)

Hi all! This edition contains A & B versions of Faustus, which is VERY important for most scholarship and I found for pleasure as well.
C

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a find, March 31, 2011

By 

JSM - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Doctor Faustus and Other Plays (Oxford World's Classics) (Parts I and II) (Paperback)

I bought this book on a whim. I had always heard good things about Marlowe but had never bothered to read any of his material. I was familiar with Goethe's version of the Faust legend, and though they differ quite a bit, I found Marlowe's take to be equally compelling. This book contains two versions of "Doctor Faustus," and it is interesting to compare the differences. That said, I actually enjoyed the two "Tamburlaine" plays included in this volume much more than the Faustus plays. Personal preferences are just that, of course, but in any case I recommend this book very highly.