Doctor Faustus: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1604, 12,468 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1604, 12,468 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
12,468 words. Modern plays often runs 15,000 to 30,000 words, so this is short for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 12,468 words across 5 sections (2 dramatic, 3 editorial), the play is very short by modern standards. It is a one-act or two-act work, far briefer than contemporary full-length plays. The brevity intensifies its tragic impact.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1604, 12,468 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
Section 1 ends with Faustus enjoying earthly power and acclaim, a false peak before the fall. Section 2 ends with Faustus dragged to hell, a definitive cliffhanger resolved into damnation. Sections 3, 4, 5 are editorial apparatus with no narrative breaks.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (ambition and damnation), 'Faust' by Goethe (the pact narrative), 'Bedazzled' (comic devil pacts). The play's influence on Faustian narratives is foundational. Modern retellings often soften its tragic inevitability.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Shelved for: Renaissance drama readers, students of tragedy and moral philosophy, audiences interested in the Faustian myth, scholars of early modern theatre. Also appeals to readers of dark fantasy and supernatural fiction with philosophical depth.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: depictions of damnation and hell, religious imagery and mockery of Catholic ritual, violence (transformation of characters into animals), sexual temptation (Helen), despair and suicide ideation in the final monologue.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
Pitch: A brilliant scholar makes a pact with the devil for infinite knowledge and power, only to discover that earthly gain cannot purchase salvation. As his twenty-four years expire and midnight approaches, Faustus faces a choice between repentance and damnation.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is simple and direct, naming the protagonist without flourish. This style is typical of early modern drama, which often used character names as titles. It reflects the play's focus on one man's tragedy rather than plot complexity.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
Ask Doctor Faustus a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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