(Y13) Faustus: A vs B

Hi folks,

Arthur Darvill as Mephostopheles (Globe Theatre, 2011)

As I'm sure you've already gathered, there are two different versions of Doctor Faustus: the A text of 1604 and the B text of 1616. 

As I said last lesson, I struggle to read the opening lines of the A text, as I still expect to hear the lines that I still remember from when I studied the B text eighteen (argh!) years ago. 

Compare:

A) Not marching now in fields of Thrasimene, 
Where Mars did mate the Carthaginians...

B) Not marching in the fields of Thrasymene,
Where Mars did mate the warlike Carthagens...

So, why are there two texts? And what's the difference?

The A text:

The frontispiece of the 1604 quarto attributes the play to "Ch. Marl.". A second edition (A2 - 1609) is merely a reprint of the 1604 text. The text is short for an English Renaissance play, only 1485 lines long. (For comparison, Macbeth is around 2700 lines; Hamlet is over 4000).

The B text:

The 1616 quarto. This second text was reprinted in 1619, 1620, 1624, 1631, and as late as 1663.
The 1616 version omits 36 lines but adds 676 new lines, making it roughly one third longer than the 1604 version. Among the lines shared by both versions, there are some small but significant changes in wording; for example, "Never too late, if Faustus can repent" in the 1604 text becomes "Never too late, if Faustus will repent" in the 1616 text, a change that offers a very different possibility for Faustus's hope and repentance.


Comparison and theories:

A major change between texts A and B is the name of the devil summoned by Faustus. Text A states the name is generally "Mephastophilis", while the version of text B commonly states "Mephostophilis".The name of the devil is in each case a reference to the character in Faustbuch, the source work, which appeared in English translation in about 1588.

The relationship between the texts is uncertain and many modern editions print both. As an Elizabethan playwright, Marlowe had nothing to do with the publication and had no control over the play in performance, so it was possible for scenes to be dropped or shortened, or for new scenes to be added, so that the resulting publications may be modified versions of the original script.


The 1604 version (A) is believed by most scholars to be closer to the play as originally performed in Marlowe's lifetime, and the 1616 version to be a posthumous adaptation by other hands. However, some disagree, seeing the 1604 version as an abbreviation and the 1616 version as Marlowe's original fuller version. Some scholars believe the longer version, with additional scenes added by Samuel Rowley, would have been performed at the Rose Theatre, with the edited version performed when the play was taken out of London on tour - away from the resources of the Rose.

We're unlikely to ever learn the truth.


See here and here for more on the performance history and textual issues. 

See the A and B texts side-by-side here.

Mr M

Introducing The Road...

Hi,

Here's a powerpoint I put together when my Year 13s (last year's) were doing presentations about texts to do for their comparative piece.

There's a bit of info about Cormac McCarthy and some stuff about how it has been interpreted by critics. Think of this as a 'teaser trailer' for what is to come this term...



Mr M

Y12: Coursework questions to consider

Oh hi Y12,

Firstly, congratulations to our quiz champs (Louis, Charlie, Daniel, Will, Harry and Cameron) - a victory for sheer weight of numbers!

Now, a reminder of your fun holiday homework:

Below is a list of the coursework questions we've put together.

Please follow the instructions above.

At the bottom of the doc, you will find a list of critical opinions about 'The Winter's Tale' from a range of critics. These will give you an insight into some of the debates around the play, and one or two of them might eventually make it into your essay. Here's the doc:



If you find any other useful links, quotes from critics or any other resources, please leave a comment to let me know.

Keep checking back for updates. I'll post any good sites or resources that I find.


Have a good Christmas,


Mr M

About Pandosto

Hi,


Robert Greene, who famously referred to Shakespeare as 'an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers...in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey", wrote the source material for The Winter's Tale.

Here are some links to some info about Pandosto:

The full text - with modern spelling
Pandosto at Wikipedia

It's worth considering the things that Shakespeare changed from the source material. As always, Shakespeare's language transforms the story to create a richness way beyond that of the source. The drama is heightened. It is infused with poetry and comedy.

Often, Shakespeare creates a character who either doesn't exist in the source or is very different - often a show-stealing character. Think Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Or, in The Winter's Tale, both Autolycus and Paulina.

Also, throw in a bear and a statue - and you have an infinitely better (and weirder) piece of work.


Mr M

Y12: Where we are

Hi all,

Tony Bell as Autolycus at the Rose Theatre

With only a week and a bit left until Christmas, we really need to motor through to the end of the text. Our priority will be to focus on the aspects of comedy in The Winter's Tale which might make a good focus for an essay question.

Here's our short-term timeline as it see it at this moment:

1) Finish the play by Monday 15th December at the latest. There'll be another quiz!
2) You'll take away a list of coursework questions to brainstorm.
3) In early January, you'll submit a one-page outline essay plan.
4) We'll have some one-to-one discussions to approve your plan.
5) You will write a first draft (under 1500 words) by the end of January.
6) After getting feedback, you will have until after February half term to submit your final draft.

In lessons, we'll be mainly focusing on our novel, The Road, after Christmas. 

Mr M

Act 4 Scene 4: It's epic!

Hi,

Horticultural 'grafting' - a metaphor...

Next lesson, we'll be:

1) Doing a comedy theory quiz
2) Reading five pages of 4.4
3) Preparing to have a go at a short re-creative task based on the scene.

Today, we read a chunk of Act 4 Scene 4 (which is 40 pages long in my edition). To clarify the events and ideas in this long and complex scene, take a look here for a quick and easy summary. The first 21 bullet points take us up to where we are in the scene. Why not have a go at a quiz or two while you're there?

Click the image above to learn more about 'grafting' - then consider the relevance of this idea to the play.

Here's the scene with some helpful marginal notes.

Oops. I also forgot that we were going to go over Time's chorus at the start of Act 4. Keep hold of your notes - we'll do this next week.

Homework reminder:

1) Hand in essay (staging 4.3) on Thursday
2) Revise your comedy theory stuff.



Mr M

Shakespeare's Verse: An analysis (+ bear pics)

Hi folks,

Here's my effort at the homework.

I have:

1. Recorded how I'd stress the lines to consider how it fits with iambic pentameter (black)
2. Looked out for sound effects like internal rhyme, alliteration and assonance (green)
3. Picked out key images to highlight the tone of the language (orange)
4. Added a few comments about the effect + interpretations (black)

My overall conclusion from doing this? Well, Cleomenes and Dion are excited, enthusiastic and are positively gushing about their experiences in Delphos. Perhaps this explains the lines with extra syllables. They are not calm and controlled, and this is shown through the variations from the patterns of iambic pentameter. At the same time, it's poetic and musical. The rhymes and semi-rhymes, as well as the use of softer sounds (long vowels, fricatives, sibilance and liquid sounds) create a feeling of dream-like awe and wonder. The language of religion and the heavens helps to bear out this feeling of the sublime, the wonderful.

In other words, there's a connection between form, structure  and style - and subject matter/mood.

Now it's your turn. Don't nick my lines!

As a final present, here's a few of my favourite images of the bear on stage.

Enjoy, 

Mr M