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Part One: Background to the play, the era, and the playwright (8 marks)
1. For people in Renaissance England, the paradigm of virtue was no longer a doctor of
theology such as Faustus, but rather
2. According to Sylvan Barnet in his preface to the Signet edition of the play, the
historical figure upon whom Marlowe based his protagonist
6. Like the Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in this play (it is generally believed) the
Seven Deadly Sins entered and exited the stage
7. During the late Elizabethan period, London authorities often attempted to close the
public playhouses because they considered these buildings
8. The violence of the Elizabethan stage is a reflection of such English social customs as
10. The fourth scene of the first act provides punning on which word?
A. lice.
B. mutton.
C. placket.
D. familiar.
OVER.
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Review Test on Christopher Marlowe’s Tragedy of Doctor Faustus Page Three
Part Two: Dramatic Terminology (continued)
11. The bawdy humour of I, iv, was intended to appeal primarily to those in the
A. pit.
B. orchestra.
C. galleries.
D. Lords’ Room.
A. sarcasm.
B. innuendo.
C. verbal irony.
D. dramatic irony.
15. Marlowe uses all of the following to provide comic relief except
OVER.
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Review Test on Christopher Marlowe’s Tragedy of Doctor Faustus Page Four
A. verbally ironic.
B. situationally ironic.
C. examples of hyperbole.
D. examples of oxymoron.
17. Faustus’s ambitions as expressed in I, iii, 101-113, are ironic in that they are
18. “For such a dreadful night was never seen” (V, iii, 2) contains an example of
A. pun.
B. parallelism.
C. pathetic fallacy.
D. sententious saying.
19. When the Pope in Act Three, Scene Three, swears, “Damned be this soul forever for
this deed” (line 90), Marlowe is employing
A. innuendo.
B. verbal irony.
C. dramatic irony.
D. situational irony.
20. In the scene with Helen of Troy we hear the most poetic speech of the play;
however, Faustus’s passionate language is ironic because
A. I, iii.
B. IV, ii.
C. IV. v
D. V, ii.
A. physical
B. man vs. man
C. man vs. nature
D. man vs. himself
24. The fourth scene between Wagner and the Clown, provides all of these except
A. a chorus.
B. a dialogue.
C. a soliloquy.
D. an extended aside.
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Six
A. soliloquy.
B. apostrophe.
C. dramatic irony.
D. time telescoping.
28. “Who pulls me down?” asks Faustus in line 152; the answer is,
A. “God.”
B. “himself.”
C. “Lucifer.”
D. “Mephostophilis.”
29. In lines 181-6, it is most ironic that the man who has aspired to godhead
A. Time.
B. Place.
C. Action
D. none of these.
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Seven
32. Aristotle might have criticized Marlowe’s choice of a tragic hero, for Faustus
A. gross sensuality.
B. Fortune’s False Wheel.
C. his overactive imagination.
D. his overweening lust for power.
34. The line “A greater subject fitteth Faustus’ wit” suggests that
35. Faustus’ reasoning about the consequences of sin fails to take into account God’s
A. grace.
B. omnipotence.
C. omnipresence.
D. commandments.
OVER.
A. god.
B. devil.
C. emperor.
D. magician.
A. law.
B. theology.
C. the Ten Commandments.
D. the offer of Mephostophilis.
OVER.
43. Although Sir Philip Sydney in his Defense of Poesy (1595) had severely criticized
“mixing clowns and kings” in one play, Marlowe added such characters as Robin and
Dick to do all of the following except
44. Which of the following references does NOT help us to date the play’s action?
47. The Vintner of the subplot, introduced in III, iii, parallels a character in the main plot,
A. Bruno.
B. a friar.
C. a wench.
D. The Pope.
48. Although Dr. Faustus is a product of the Renaissance, it seems Mediaeval in that it
49. Marlowe’s protagonist is the type of magician that the Renaissance termed
A. Hermetic (scientific).
B. a conjuror (diabolic).
C. a magnus (astrologer).
D. a clown (country-dweller).
50. Dr. Faustus dreams at the beginning of the play of obtaining all the following kinds
of power except
A. public.
B. artistic.
C. private.
D. supernatural.
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Review Test on Christopher Marlowe’s Tragedy of Doctor Faustus Page Eleven
A. an atheist.
B. an agnostic.
C. an Epicurean.
D. a Machiavellian.
52. The protagonist of this Renaissance drama differs markedly from that of Mediaeval
play Everyman in that Marlowe’s character is very much
A. a hedonist.
B. a stereotype.
C. an individual.
D. conscience-stricken.
53. Just as Everyman’s friends gradually desert him as he makes his way to the grave, so
in Marlowe’s play
54. The weakest part in the play Doctor Faustus structurally and dramatically is the
A. end.
B. middle.
C. prologue.
D. beginning.
55. Surprisingly, in a play in which there is not one murder there are fifteen references to
that staple of the Elizabethan stage,
A. fire.
B. gold.
C. blood.
D. weapons. OVER.
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Review Test on Christopher Marlowe’s Tragedy of Doctor Faustus Page Twelve
H. communion
I. priesthood
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1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6. 7. 8. Score:. /8
Part Four: General Criticism (26): Knowledge, Application, Higher Mental Processes
1. A 2. A 3. C 4. B
5. C 6. D 7. A 8. A Score:. 8 /8
Part Four: General Criticism (26): Knowledge, Application, Higher Mental Processes
9. Notes on Marlowe and The Tragicall History of Doctor Faustus, inc. 1967 Film
10. Test Matrix and Test for The Tragedy of Dr. Faustus (60 marks, objective)
3. After students have viewed and discussed the film Damn Yankees and the 1967 Richard
Burton version of Doctor Faustus, have two teams of students debate which is the more
effective treatment of the ‘making a pact with the Devil’ motif. Ontario curricular goals
met:
* assess the extent to which their created or adapted works expand understanding of
ideas, themes, and issues in the original literary texts (e.g., use a class-developed
rubric
to assess the effectiveness of the created or adapted works; make an oral presentation
explaining how the work created or adapted underlines the continuing relevance of the
original text).
* explain how representation, form, style, and techniques in media works convey
messages
with social, ideological, and political implications;
* explain the relationship between media works and their audiences (The Ontario
Curriculum Grades 11 and 12, p. 48).
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Faustus Unit: Critical and Creative Responses: Collaborative and Individual Page Two
4. Instead or merely reading the first two acts of the play (or assigning that reading), have
students sign up for reader’s theatre dramatizations of key scenes in those acts.
Each group should have a prologue to introduce the scene and an epilogue that
discusses the scene’s contributions to the play.
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Faustus Unit: Critical and Creative Responses: Collaborative and Individual Page
Three
7. Compare the role of the Chorus in the film adaptation or Dr. Faustus to that of
another video adaptation of an Elizabethan play, such as Branagh’s Henry V or Baz
Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Ontario curriculum goals met: *assess the extent to
which their created or adapted works expand understanding of ideas, themes, and issues
in the original literary texts (e.g., use a class-developed rubric to assess the effectiveness
of the created or adapted works; make an oral presentation explaining how the work
created or adapted underlines the continuing relevance of the original text).
10. Have five groups (one for each of the plays five acts) present tableaux of what
they feel are the most significant moments in each of the five acts. Ontario curriculum
goals met:* design and create, individually or collaboratively, literary or media works in
response
to literary texts (e.g., write a satire exposing the human foibles and social follies of
characters in literary texts; write and perform an original short play extending a theme
in literature).
12. Who am I? Twenty questions for 35 parts. In this guessing game, each student
has drawn a character’s name out of hat. In turn, each one comes forward and the
class has to guess the identity of the student in twenty or fewer questions. Ontario
curriculum goals met:* read and demonstrate an understanding of a range of literary
texts from various periods and countries.
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Faustus Unit: Critical and Creative Responses: Collaborative and Individual Page
Four
13. Reader Response Journals. The issues presented in the play that might serve as
topics for reflection include the following, which might be assigned as is or worked
up into statements or questions to which students would respond:
Temptation
internal conflict
dilemma - choosing between equally attractive or unpleasant choices
wasting one’s talent
practical jokes
nationalism
currying favour with the rich and powerful
satisfying social institutions
is there an afterlife?
repentance
forgiveness
bad bargains
desire for forbidden pleasures
addiction
pride gets in the way
being your own worst enemy.
14. Obituary Posters: Write two obituaries, one for Sir Christopher Marlowe (based
on at least one print and one internet source) and one for Doctor Faustus, with
pictures. The assignment requires some non-fiction study (composing a concise
biographical sketch from a variety of print and on-line resources) and the ability to
synthesize an interpretation of an entire literary work in the study of a single character.
This assignment might be given to pairs of students. The class should brainstorm
points for an appropriate marking rubric.
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Orally-delivered Pop Quiz: Act One Of Dr. Faustus
These questions will be asked orally so students’ answers will necessarily be brief.
N.B. Answers are given in italics.
1. Why does Wagner use the word “sirrah” when addressing Robin in I. iv?
The word is used with social inferiors to put them in their place.
3. Who are Bannio and Belcher? Two devils who serve Wagner.
4. For whom does Mephostophilis work before his pact with Faustus? Lucifer.
6. Name one thing that Faustus says he will do for his native city once he has magic
powers.
Any one of the following is a satisfactory answer:
A. Make the Rhine circle the town.
B. The schools will be provided with silk for student’s clothing.
C. Expel the Spanish invaders from the Low Counties.
D. Wall all Germany with brass.
7. Translate the Italian expression “Che sera,sera.” Whatever will be will be.
9. What Aristotelian term describes Faustus’ “self-conceit” that leads to his damnation?
Tragic flaw or Hamartia.
10. In what German university town is much of the play set? Wittenburg.
11. According to Mephostophilis what is “the shortest act for conjuring” up a devil?
Praying to the Prince of Hell (Satan or Lucifer).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Model Unit Plan for Sir Christopher Marlowe’s
Tragedy of Doctor Faustus
Topic Pages
1. Overall and Specific Expectations for Studies in Literature, Grade 12 (UP).. 1 to 4
13. Orally-delivered Pop Quiz on the first act of The Tragedy of Dr. Faustus.. 51
14. Test Matrix and Test for The Tragedy of Dr. Faustus (60 marks, objective).. 52 to 64
Instructional Rationale.. .. .. .. 8
General Goals.. .. .. .. .. .. 8
Instructional Goals.. .. .. .. .. 9
Marlowe’s Resume.. .. .. .. .. 12
Archetypal Faustus.. .. .. .. .. 15
Medieval Cosmos.. .. .. .. .. 21