Is Doctor Faustus a tragedy or a morality play?
Doctor Faustus is a tragedy based upon a traditional morality story. The thing that makes Doctor Faustus a tragedy is the ending where Faustus ends up damned. In effect he has learned nothing because he knows the consequences of his actions and all goes as he planned. As Homer Simpson said “There’s no moral to it. It’s just a bunch of stuff that happened.” Faustus makes his bed and lies in it. In effect Faustus is an anti-hero. In the original morality story Faust is saved by the power of love and penitence. The moral is that even a fallen man can be saved by the power of God if he repents and feels love. How nice. Goethe’s version of Faust plays out very much as a morality play because it retains the traditional ending. If you have any real interest in Faust please watch the excellent Jan Švankmajer film “Faust” (1994). It is available on video (maybe even DVD) and is magnificent. Another good version is the 1926 silent “Faust” by F W Murnau (more famous for Nosferatu) which is availa
