Summaries and critical commentary

Abstract

The Chorus introduces the chief character of the play, Doctor John Faustus who, although born of peasant stock, has achieved eminence as a brilliant academic in the University of Wittenburg. The speaker gives a brief summary of the main theme, telling how Faustus dabbles in black magic which results in his final damnation. The Chorus concludes with a lament for Faustus’s preference for these ‘devilish exercises’.