Overview
In this week’s response, you will engage in the close reading of scene 1 to analyze the passage. Close reading is a study of the detail in a short section of a text and an explanation of how that detail and that section are related to the entire text. In this exercise, you’ll select the first scene to:
identify the stage directions , the characters on stage, and the set
identify the action in the scene
read/listen to the text to determine the conflict
Select a line from the text to cite and explain
Suggestion: In order to better follow along, have a copy of the play with you while you watch the video along with the scene glossary Scenes 1, 3, & 5 Glossary
In your own words, first describe the setting and the stage directions
Then, in your handout Link analyze the argument of the scene by answering the following questions:
What does Faustus want? What is it he wants to achieve with this power? What is his motivation?
In scene 1, line 106 Faustus echoes the language of the Prologue. What does he identify his godlike power longing with?
How does line 112 repeat that craving metaphor? How do you relate that metaphor to the characteristics of the Renaissance man?
How many times does Faustus repeat the phrase “I’ll have”? What does this repetition indicate about his personality?
What does line 114 show about his intellectual motivation?
Based on what you learned about Queen Elizabeth 1, how does the historical reference to the Prince of Parma suggest support for Faustus?
Finally, select a quote to set off with a signal phrase, cite, and explain as in the example below:
In the Prologue, the Chorus introduces the main character, Faustus, as someone whose, “waxen wings did mount above his reach, and melting heavens conspired his overthrow”( Prologue l. 21-22) using the image of the fall of Icarus to illustrate the character’s inflated appetite for pushing the boundaries by any means including the use of dark magic which will bring him into conflict with the Christian God.
Link: access email **********************.edu
https://fod-infobase-com.mvc.idm.oclc.org/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=51480&tScript=0
