Doctor Faust

Doctor Faustus, a respected German scholar, is bored with the traditional types of knowledge available to him. He wants
more than logic, medicine, law, and religion. He wants magic. His friends, Valdes and Cornelius, begin to teach him magic, which he
uses to summon a devil named Mephistophilis. Faustus tells Mephistophilis to return to his master, Lucifer, with an offer of his soul in
exchange for twenty-four years of having Mephistophilis, and all his knowledge of magic, at his beck and call.
Mephistophilis returns to Faustus with a contract for his soul, which Faustus signs in his own blood. As soon as he signs the
contract, words appear on his arm, which give him doubts about what he has just done. Mephistophilis calms Faustus' doubts by
giving him valuable gifts and a book of spells to learn.
Later, Mephistophilis answers all Faustus' questions about the nature of the world, and refuses to answer only when Faustus
wants to know who created the universe. This sets off yet another series of doubts in Faustus, but Mephistophilis and Lucifer quiet
those doubts by bringing in the seven deadly sins in human form to dance for Faustus.
Mephistopheles then takes Faustus on a wild chariot ride through the heavens, landing in Rome, where Faustus torments
Pope Adrian for his passing judgment on a rival pope by making himself invisible and stealing Pope Adrian's food and smacking his
ears. He becomes famous for this and is invited to visit the German Emperor, Charles V, who is the enemy of Pope Adrian. Faustus
impresses the emperor by conjuring up an image of Alexander the Great. One of the emperors' knights sneers at Faustus' magical
powers and Faustus punishes him by making antlers sprout from his head.
Meanwhile, Robin, the clown of Faustus' servant, Wagner, has picked up some magic on his own and, with a stable hand
named Rafe, uses his new magical skills to get free booze, and even summons Mephistopheles, who threatens to turn them both into
animals. Their misadventures adds the comic relief to the play.
Faustus travels to England, where he sells an enchanted horse to a horse dealer. When the man rides his new horse over
water, it turns into a bale of straw. The Duke of Vanholt hears about this and invites Faustus to visit him and his wife, the duchess.
The horse dealer shows up, along with Robin and Rafe, vowing to get even. Faustus casts a spell of silence on them so that they
cannot speak of his wrongs, and sends them on their way, which amuses the Duke and Duchess of Vanholt.
As the end of his contract approaches, Faustus begins to dread his impending doom, and has Mephistophilis call up Helen of
Troy so that he might impress a group of his colleagues. An old man urges Faustus to repent and turn back to God, but he sends
Mephistophilis to torment the old man, and drive him away. Faustus then summons up Helen again so that he might immerse himself
in her ancient beauty. But time grows short. Faustus, filled with dread, confesses his misdeeds to a group of his colleagues, who vow
to pray for him.
On the final night of his life, Faustus is overcome by fear and remorse. He begs for mercy, but it is too late. The clock strikes
midnight and a group of devils enter Faustus' study to claim his soul. The next morning, his colleagues find his body torn limb from
limb, and decide to give him a proper burial.