OVERVIEW

Doctor Faustus: Christopher Marlowe

Faustus - The protagonist. Faustus is a brilliant sixteenth-century scholar from Wittenberg,
Germany, whose ambition for knowledge, wealth, and worldly might makes him willing to pay the
ultimate price—his soul—to Lucifer in exchange for supernatural powers.

Mephastophilis - A devil whom Faustus summons with his initial magical experiments.

Lucifer - The prince of devils, the ruler of hell, and Mephastophilis’s master.

Wagner - Faustus’s servant He uses his master’s books to learn how to summon devils & do
magic

Faustus makes a pact with Lucifer, if he gets service from Mephastophilis for 24 years and he
himself has powers then he will give his sole to Lucifer. The pact is agreed upon and Faustus
originally intended to gain all the knowledge possible in the world and gather riches from each
corner of the world but once he actually has the power he just does small little trickeries and
goes to see Nobles and tries to impress them.

Faustus: once he can do everything, he no longer wants to do anything. Instead, he traipses

around Europe, playing tricks on yokels and performing conjuring acts to impress various heads
of state. He uses his incredible gifts for what is essentially trifling entertainment. The fields of
possibility narrow gradually, as he visits ever more minor nobles and performs ever more
unimportant magic tricks, until the Faustus of the first few scenes is entirely swallowed up in
mediocrity.

Faustus’s tragic flaw is Hubris, excessive pride. Two angels, good and bad, appear to Faustus
giving him the chance to repent and revoke his oath to Lucifer. This is one of the largest faults of
Faustus throughout the play: he is blind to his own salvation.

Macbeth: William Shakespeare

Macbeth - Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts
by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made
thane of Cawdor comes true.

Lady Macbeth - Macbeth’s wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position.

The Three Witches - Three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using
charms, spells, and prophecies.

Banquo - The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches’ prophecy, will
inherit the Scottish throne. He represents the path Macbeth could have taken but does not.

King Duncan - The good king of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders.

Macduff - A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually
becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth.
Malcolm - The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland’s return to order
following Macbeth’s reign of terror.

The play begins with the brief appearance of a trio of witches and then moves to a military camp,
where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have
defeated two separate invading armies. Macbeth and Banquo encounter thrre witches as they
cross a moor. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane of Cawdor and eventually
king of Scotland. They also prophesy that Banquo will beget a line of Scottish kings, although
Banquo will never be king himself. Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies skeptically until
some of King Duncan’s men come and to tell Macbeth that he has been named thane of Cawdor.

Lady Macbeth desires the kingship for him and wants him to murder Duncan in order to obtain it.
When She persuades him to kill the king that very night. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get
Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out and they can blame the muder on them.
Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group
of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance but Fleance survives. He goes to see the witches
who tell him he must beware of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeth’s accession
to the throne; he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman; and he will be safe
until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth is relieved and feels secure, because he
knows that all men are born of women and that forests cannot move.

Macduff’s family is murdered by Macbeth’s people when he flees to England and he vows
revenge. Lady Macbeth kills herself after she goes half insance, Macduff heads an army to defeat
Macbeth and his army cut limbs from Birnam Wood to protect themselves so the Birnam Wood is
advancing on Macbeth’s castle. Also Macbeth finds out Macduff was born through cesarean
therefore he was not born of a woman therefore he is able to kill Macbeth.

The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition: the destruction wrought when ambition goes
unchecked by moral constraints finds its most powerful expression in the play’s two main
characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil
deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better
judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play he descends into
a kind of frantic, boastful madness. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with
greater determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immoral
acts.

The Weather: As in other Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth’s grotesque murder spree is

accompanied by a number of unnatural occurrences in the natural realm. From the thunder and
lightning that accompany the witches’ appearances to the terrible storms that rage on the night
of Duncan’s murder, these violations of the natural order reflect corruption in the moral and
political orders.

Hamlet: William Shakespeare

Hamlet: The prince of Denmark, and a student at the University of Wittenberg. At the beginning
of the play, Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, has recently died, and his mother, Queen Gertrude,
has married the new king, Hamlet's uncle Claudius.
Claudius: The king of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating,
ambitious politician, adept at manipulating others for his own ends and willing to execute,
assassinate, or murder to stay in power.

Gertrude: The queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother, recently married to Claudius.

Polonius: The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia.

Horatio: Hamlet's close friend, who is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After
Hamlet's death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's story.

Ophelia: Polonius's daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. A
sweet and innocent young girl, Ophelia dutifully strives to obey her father and her brother. When
her father dies, her sanity unravels, and in her madness she paints a scathing picture of men.

The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who
has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Hamlet's
mother.

The Jew of Malta: Christopher Marlowe

The Jewish merchant in question, Barabas, is introduced as a man owning more wealth than all of
Malta. When Turkish ships arrive to demand tribute, however, Barabas's wealth is seized and he
is left penniless. Incensed, he begins a campaign to engineer the downfall of the Maltese
governor who robbed him. With the aid of his daughter, Abigail, he recovers some of his former
assets and buys a Turkish slave, Ithamore, who appears to hate Christians as much as Barabas.
Barabas then, in revenge for the robbery, uses his daughter's beauty to embitter the governor's
son and his friend against each other, leading to a duel in which they both die. When Abigail
learns of Barabas's role in the plot, she consigns herself to a nunnery, only to be poisoned (along
with all of the nuns) by Barabas and Ithamore for becoming a Christian. The two go on to kill a
couple of friars who threaten to divulge their previous crimes. Ithamore himself, however, is
lured into disclosing his secrets and blackmailing Barabas by a beautiful prostitute and her
criminal friend. Barabas poisons all of them in revenge, but not before the governor is apprised
of his deeds. Barabas escapes execution by feigning death, and then helps an advancing Turkish
army to sack Malta, for which he is awarded governorship of the city. He then turns on the Turks,
allowing the Knights of Malta to kill the Turkish army. The Maltese, however, turn on Barabas and
kill him as they regain control of Malta.

5.5.47: Here Barabas actually addresses the audience, use of stage….

The Merchant of Venice:William Shakespeare

Volpone Ben Jonson—a comedy

Volpone - The protagonist of the play. Volpone's name means "The Fox" in Italian. He is lustful,
lecherous, and greedy for pleasure.
Mosca - Mosca is Volpone's parasite, a combination of his slave, his servant, his lackey, and his
surrogate child

Voltore - He is a lawyer by profession, and he is adept in the use of words and, by implication,
adept in deceit, something he proves during the course of the play.

Corvino - An extremely vicious and dishonorable character, Corvino is Celia's jealous husband.

Corbaccio - The third "carrion-bird" circling Volpone, Corbaccio is actually extremely old and ill
himself and is much more likely to die before Volpone.

Celia - The voice of goodness and religiosity in the play, Celia is the wife of Corvino, who is
extremely beautiful. She has a faith in God and sense of honor.

Bonario - Son of Corbaccio. He is an upright youth loyal to his father even when his father
perjures against him in court. He heroically rescues Celia from Volpone and represents bravery
honor

Takes place in Venice, Volpone is a Venetian nobleman and he has amassed his fortune through
dishonest means: he is a con artist. Soon, we see Volpone's latest con in action. For the last
three years, he has been attracting the interest of three legacy hunters: Voltore, a lawyer;
Corbaccio, an old gentleman; and Corvino, a merchant—individuals interested in inheriting his
estate after he dies. Volpone is actually in excellent health and merely faking illness for the
purpose of collecting all those impressive "get-well" gifts. Mosca tells Corvino that Volpone
requires sex with a young woman to help revive him, and will be very grateful to whoever
provides the lady. Corvino offers Celia. Just before Corvino and Celia are due to arrive for this
tryst to take place, Corbaccio's son Bonario arrives to catch his father in the act of disinheriting
him. Mosca ushers him into a sideroom. Volpone is left alone with Celia, and after failing to
seduce her with promises of luxurious items and role-playing fantasies, attempts to rape her.
Bonario sees this, comes out of hiding and rescues Celia. However, in the ensuing courtroom
sequence, the truth is well-buried by the collusion of Mosca, Volpone and all three of the dupes.
Volpone disguises himself as an officer and announces that he has died and left all his wealth to
Mosca. This enrages Voltore, Corbaccio and Corvino, and everyone returns to court. Despite
Volpone's pleas, Mosca refuses to give up his wealthy new role, and Volpone is forced to reveal
all in order to save himself. He, Mosca, Voltore, Corbaccio and Corvino are punished.

A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream William Shakespeare---Romantic Comedy

Puck - Also known as Robin Goodfellow, Puck is Oberon’s jester, a mischievous fairy who delights
in playing pranks on mortals.

Oberon - The king of the fairies, Oberon is initially at odds with his wife, Titania, because she
refuses to relinquish control of a young Indian prince whom he wants for a knight. Oberon’s
desire for revenge on Titania leads him to send Puck to obtain the love-potion flower that creates
so much of the play’s confusion and farce.

Titania - The beautiful queen of the fairies, Titania resists the attempts of her husband, Oberon,
to make a knight of the young Indian prince that she has been given.

Lysander - A young man of Athens, in love with Hermia.

Demetrius - A young man of Athens, initially in love with Hermia and ultimately in love with
Helena.
Hermia - Egeus’s daughter, a young woman of Athens. Hermia is in love with Lysander and is a
childhood friend of Helena

Helena - A young woman of Athens, in love with Demetrius. Demetrius and Helena were once
betrothed, but when Demetrius met Helena’s friend Hermia, he fell in love with her and
abandoned Helena.

Egeus - Hermia’s father, who brings a complaint against his daughter to Theseus.

Theseus - The heroic duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta. Theseus represents power and order
throughout the play.

Hippolyta - The legendary queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus. Like Theseus, she
symbolizes order.

Nick Bottom - The overconfident weaver chosen to play Pyramus in the craftsmen’s play for
Theseus’s marriage celebration. Bottom is full of advice and self-confidence but frequently
makes silly mistakes and misuses language. His simultaneous nonchalance about the beautiful
Titania’s sudden love for him and unawareness of the fact that Puck has transformed his head
into that of an ass mark the pinnacle of his foolish arrogance.

Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius but she loves Lysander so he takes her to go see
Thesus to tell him to put the full power of the law to tell Hermia she must listen to her father.
Hermia and Lysander plan to run away so they can be together, Helena tells Demetrius about it
because she loves him and he runs after them and she runs after him. Meanwhile, Oberon, king
of the fairies, and his queen, Titania, arrive in the forest outside Athens. Titania tells Oberon she
plans to stay there until after attending Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding. Oberon and Titania
are estranged because Titania refuses to give her Indian changeling to Oberon for use as his
"knight" or "henchman," since the child's mother was one of Titania's worshippers. Oberon seeks
to punish Titania's disobedience and recruits the mischievous Puck to help him apply a magical
juice from a flower called "love-in-idleness," which makes the victim fall in love with the first
living thing the person sees when they awaken. Having seen Demetrius act cruelly toward
Helena, Oberon orders Puck to spread some of the elixir on the eyelids of the young Athenian
man. Instead, Puck accidentally puts the juice on the eyes of Lysander, who then falls in love
with Helena.Then he puts it on Demetrius and then they both fall in love with Helena…

Henry IV Part 1 Willian Shakespeare

King Henry IV - The ruling king of England. He came to the throne through a civil war that
deposed the former king, Richard II.

Prince Harry - King Henry IV’s son, who will eventually become King Henry V. Though Harry
spends all his time hanging around highwaymen, robbers, and whores, he has secret plans to
transform himself into a noble prince, and his regal qualities emerge as the play unfolds.

Hotspur - The son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland and the nephew of the Earl of
Worcester. Hotspur’s real name is Henry Percy and he is a member of the powerful Percy family
of the North, which helped bring King Henry IV.

Sir John Falstaff - A fat old man between the ages of about fifty and sixty-five who hangs around
in taverns on the wrong side of London and makes his living as a thief, highwayman, and mooch.
Falstaff is Prince Harry’s closest friend and seems to act as a sort of mentor to him.
King Henry IV is having an unquiet reign. His personal disquiet at the means whereby he gained
the crown – by deposing Richard II –so he wants to go on crusades but can’t because he finds out
there is problems with Scotland and Wales. The Percy family helped Henry get into power and
they are now mad because they felt neglected by him since he came into power. Henry’s son
Harry does not behave like a royal should he hangs out with vagabonds… Hotspur is the main
person from the Percy family and he leads a team to try to dispose of Henry. Harry grows up and
leads an army against Hotspur. At the end Henry’s side wins. Hotspur is killed by Harry.

Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare

Beatrice - Leonato’s niece and Hero’s cousin. Beatrice is “a pleasant-spirited lady” with a very
sharp tongue.

Benedick - An aristocratic soldier who has recently been fighting under Don Pedro, and a friend
of Don Pedro and Claudio. He loves Beatrice.

Claudio - A young soldier who has won great acclaim fighting under Don Pedro during the recent
wars. Claudio falls in love with Hero upon his return to Messina.

Hero - The beautiful young daughter of Leonato and the cousin of Beatrice. Hero is lovely,
gentle, and kind. She falls in love with Claudio when he falls for her

Don Pedro - An important nobleman from Aragon, sometimes referred to as “Prince.” Don Pedro
is a longtime friend of Leonato, Hero’s father.

Leonato - A respected, well-to-do, elderly noble at whose home, in Messina.

Don John - The illegitimate brother of Don Pedro; sometimes called “the Bastard.” Don John is
melancholy and sullen by nature, and he creates a dark scheme to ruin the happiness of others.

Leonato, a kindly, respectable nobleman, lives in Messina. Leonato shares his house with his
lovely young daughter, Hero, his playful, clever niece, Beatrice, and his elderly brother, Antonio.
Some of Leonato’s friends: Don Pedro, a prince, two fellow soldiers: Claudio, a well-respected
young nobleman, and Benedick, a clever man who constantly makes witty jokes, often at the
expense of his friends. Don John, Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother, is part of the crowd as well.
Don John is sullen and bitter, and makes trouble for the others. They all come to stay at his
place. Claudio falls in love with Hero and she with him. Don John being jealous of their happiness
makes a plan to make Claudio believe Hero betrayed him thus ruin their happiness. Claudio falls
for it and he rejects Hero at the alter. Meanwhile Beatrice and Benedick always make fun of each
other but they actually love each other and eventually they amdit it. Eventually the truth of
Hero’s innocence comes out and they all marry.

Troilus and Cressida Willian Shakespeare----Tragedy

Trojans

Troilus - A prince of Troy. The younger brother of Hector and Paris, he is a valiant warrior and an
honorable man. He is also desperately in love with Cressida.
Hector - A prince of Troy. The greatest warrior on the Trojan side--and matched in might only by
Achilles himself--he is a hero to his entire city and is respected even by his enemies.

Cressida- Calchas' daughter, she becomes Troilus's lover.

Pandarus - Cressida's uncle. He serves as a go-between for Troilus and Cressida, acting as a kind
of cheerful, bawdy pimp for his niece.

Aeneas- a commander

Andromache- Hector's wife

Antenor - A Trojan commander, he is exchanged for Cressida after his capture by the Greeks.
Calchas, a Trojan priest who is taking part with the Greeks

Alexander - servant to Cressida

Priam - King of Troy

Greeks

Agamemnon - The Greek general, and the elder brother of Menelaus.

Diomedes - A Greek commander who seduces Cressida.Achilles - The greatest of the Greek
warriors, he is also an arrogant, vicious thug, who refuses to fight in the war whenever his pride
is injured.

Ajax - A Greek warrior, he is as proud as Achilles, but less intelligent and less skilled in battle.

Thersites - A deformed slave serving Ajax who has a vicious, abusive tongue.

Nestor - The oldest of the Greek commanders, wise and talkative prince

Ulysses - One of the Greek commanders. A highly intelligent, even philosophical man, he is
renowned for his cunning.Menelaus, King of Sparta, brother to Agamemnon

Helen- wife to Menelaus, living with Paris

Patroclus - A Greek warrior. Achilles's best friend--and, it is suggested, his lover.

In the seventh year of the Trojan War, a Trojan prince named Troilus falls in love with Cressida,
the daughter of a Trojan priest who has defected to the Greek side. Troilus is assisted in his
pursuit of her by Pandarus, Cressida's uncle. In Troy, the sons of King Priam debate whether it is
worthwhile to continue the war--or whether they should return Helen to the Greeks and end the
struggle. Hector argues for peace, but he is won over by the impassioned Troilus, who wants to
continue the struggle. Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, who refuses to fight until Patroclus
dies in battle.

The Winter’s Tale: William Shakespeare

The White Devil

Othello: William Shakespeare

Measure for Measure: William Shakespeare

King Lear: William Shakespeare

The Alchemist Ben Jonson

CONNECTIONS

THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING

Among the most important of the continuities with the Classical period was the concept of the
Great Chain of Being. Its major premise was that every existing thing in the universe had its
"place" in a divinely planned hierarchical order, which was pictured as a chain vertically
extended. An object's "place" depended on the relative proportion of "spirit" and "matter" it
contained--the less "spirit" and the more "matter," the lower down it stood. At the bottom, for
example, stood various types of inanimate objects, such as metals, stones, and the four elements
(earth, water, air, fire). Higher up were various members of the vegetative class, like trees and
flowers. Then came animals, then humans and then angels. At the very top was God. Besides
universal orderliness, there was universal interdependence. This was implicit in the doctrine of
"correspondences," which held that different segments of the chain reflected other segments.
Thus if one bond was broken it would reverberate throughout. When things were properly
ordered, reason ruled the emotions, just as a king ruled his subjects, the parent ruled the child,
and the sun governed the planets. But when disorder was present in one realm, it was
correspondingly reflected in other realms. For example, in Shakespeare's King Lear, the
simultaneous disorder in family relationships and in the state (child ruling parent, subject ruling
king) is reflected in the disorder of Lear's mind (the loss of reason) as well as in the disorder of
nature (the raging storm). Lear even equates his loss of reason to "a tempest in my mind." Some
Renaissance writers were fascinated by the thought of going beyond boundaries set by the chain
of being. A major example was the title character of Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus.
Simultaneously displaying the grand spirit of human aspiration and the more questionable hunger
for superhuman powers, Faustus seems in the play to be both exalted and punished. Marlowe's
drama, in fact, has often been seen as the embodiment of Renaissance ambiguity in this regard,
suggesting both its fear of and its fascination with pushing beyond human limitations. In
Macbeth we see something similar too where thunder and lightning accompany the witches’
appearances to the terrible storms that rage on the night of Duncan’s murder, these violations of
the natural order reflect corruption in the moral and political orders.

TRAGIC HERO
In The Poetics Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a character who occupies a high status or

position and embodies nobility and virtue as part of his innate character. While great, the

tragic hero is not perfect and is therefore able to appear sympathetic to mortal audiences. Due

to this imperfection or flaw (hamartia), which is often pride or arrogance (hubris), the hero’s

downfall is somewhat his own fault, the result of free will rather than fate. However, the hero’s

fall is not completely fair because the punishment exceeds the crime. Prior to his end, the

tragic hero experiences a sense of self discovery and sorrow for his flaw and for the outcomes

it has produced.

RICHES AND THE ACQUISITION OF RICHES------GREED

The Jew of Malta

The Merchant of Venice

Volpone

REBIRTH
A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream

Henry 4, Part 1

Much Ado About Nothing

DISGUST

Troilus and Cressida

The Winter’s Tale

The White Devil

MACHIAVALIAN VILLAINS
Barabas from The Jew of Malta

Edmund from King Lear

Macbeth from Macbeth

Iago from Othelo

Hamlet

Othello

Measure for Measure

The Alchemist

Compare and contrast the ways in which — and the ends to which — the
medium of tragic farce is put in, Volpone, Troilus and Cressida, Hamlet,
or The White Devil.