Krantz
English 4620
Questions
The Tragedy of Dr. Faustus

1. What similarities exist between Faustus and Everyman
2. Why does Faust sell his soul so easily?
3. For what does Faust sell his soul?
4. What irony inheres in the terms of the sale?
5. Is Marlowe's cosmos Copernican (new astronomy) or Ptolemaic? How do you know this?
6. Where does the text show humanistic principles?
7. How deliberate is Faust's sin in selling his soul?
8. In a medieval world, Faust is damned because he sells his soul; in a Calvinistic world, Faust sells his soul because he is damned. Which seems to be the case here?
9. a) What do you believe are the limits on human power?
b) What limits on power does the play suggest exist?
10. What is the proper use of science (knowledge)?
11. Do people still "sell their souls" for vain pleasure? If so, why and how?
12. Is the play about coming to consciousness? How so?
13. How does the Great Chain of Being illuminate the play?
14. If we consider the parts of Faust's 24 years that we are shown, how much do they seem worth eternal pain and suffering?
15. Is Faust a tragic hero in the Aristotelian sense?

Preparation for More's Utopia
Freewrite some qualities you would want in the ideal "state" (I.e. Country to live in).
What does More make part of the ideal state?
How is More, as he describes his Utopia, a humanist?
Find evidence that More has devotion to Church principles.

Preparation for The Courtier
Why might the editors of the Norton put a piece of work by an early 15th century Italian into selections from the English Renaissance?
What ideas is Castiglione's work reflect English aesthetic principles?
How does the Courtier answer the charge that most beautiful women are untrue?
How does he commend old men see beautiful women?
What is the perfect love for whcih the old courtier should aim?