Doctor John Faustus of Wittenburg trades his soul to Lucifer for years of learning without limits and power without parallel. In this completely new edition of the play, Paul Menzer demonstrates how you can engage with this challenging, colourful tragedy for yourself.

This fully re-edited, modernised play text is accompanied by commentary notes and an introduction written by Paul Menzer, guiding you through the fume of fact and legend that have accompanied the play across the centuries. As well as the complete text of the play, this re-edited New Mermaids edition includes: · A detailed plot summary and annotations throughout the text · An annotated bibliography and suggestions for further reading · A comprehensive introduction exploring the historical and literary context, and performance history, including Orson Welles’s 1937 role as Doctor Faustus as well as recent productions at The Globe and the RSC One of the most spectacular and popular plays of the Elizabethan stage, Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, with its fantastical mix of high-minded theology and low-brow slapstick, has allured generations of readers and playgoers in the ensuing centuries.