Many people say it is not good quality at times, but I think this is largely because people compare it with Shakespeare (Marlowe's contemporary), and of course its not at his level. One of the things I love about it is the themes. I'm a sucker for things that tackles theological worlds and issues from a slightly unusual standpoint. Whilst some have said it is entirely Christian in nature, others say that Marlowe was an atheist who aimed to criticise Christianity but was restricted by censorship. I see that because the play shows a fundamental Christian view of what will happen to you if you turn away from God, it reveals the evils of medieval Christianity. I don't know if this was intentional on Marlowe's part or not.
Faustus is an intellectual genius. He has learnt virtually everything there is to learn. The problem is that he is not content with this. And quite right too! He can't be expected to just sit and appreciate his past achievements. He has an incredible brain but just wants more. the only way for him to gain this knowledge is through necromancy. He sells his soul to the devil because there is no other way for him to learn. God, however, seems to hate intelligence. He punishes Adam for eating from the Tree of Knowledge. He therefore sends Faustus to hell for all eternity, a punishment he does not deserve.
However, the character is more complex than this. He has a fatal flaw like all tragic heroes: pride. This is another cause of his turn to necromancy. there are other desires, such as power, money and lust that drive him. This adds a whole new element to the character and suddenly makes you think he does deserve punishment. There are issues of Calvinism and the nature of hell.
Mephistopheles is also a fantastic character. Our production had him as a young boy filled with immense sadness and mental torture, whereas others show off his power or impish charm and manipulation.
The production I was in was described as the greatest play our school has put on. We did it in the round with minimal set. All three nights were one of my greatest achievements in their own way. First night: no mistakes, really proud of myself. Second night: tripped over my cape and tore a ligament on stage, nearly fainted, 10 minute break in the show, carried on to the end with a slowly swelling hand. Third night: Had to do it with a splint on my hand, made some scenes slightly awkward, but managed to get through fine. Loved every minute of it, and fought through my injury.
I also saw a production at The Globe, with Arthur Darvill as Mephistopheles. Moments of this were fantastic, but other moments were weak. It did everything it could to make the play accessible to many but having cool magic special effects, lavish devil costumes and toilet humour. Personally, I prefer a more philosophical approach.
Dr Faustus quickly became one of my favourite plays. One of the main reasons is because of the themes behind it. I don't believe in Christianity, but I love the story it tells. If the Bible was just a piece of fiction, it would be my favourite novel ever. This is why I love Dr Faustus: because it places a new character into that world and says "What would God say if...?"
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"Che Sera Sera"
"Here Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity."
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