Dual/Duel reviews are an online smackdown between two books, movies, games, podcasts, etc. etc. that I think are interesting to compare, contrast, and comment on. For a list of other dual/duel reviews, go here.
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe edited with a newly revised Introduction by Sylvan Barnet
Faustus left a small German town and quickly became a great scholar in Wittenberg. Being very smart and very proud, he grows weary of the limits of human scholarship. He makes a pact with the Devil, who lends him the demon Mephistopheles to do anything and everything for Faustus. The payment is twenty-four years later, when Faustus will go to Hell. After doing a bit of cosmic exploring and a review of the seven deadly sins, Faustus returns to Earth and tours around, riding a dragon (summoned by Mephistopheles) to view the countryside. They wind up in Rome where Faustus plays some tricks on the pope, who is dealing with an anti-pope proclaimed by German Emperor Charles V. Faustus gets the anti-pope condemned to death but also frees him from prison so he can return to the emperor. Faustus goes to the emperor's court where he does more shenanigans for his own delight, including summoning historic figures like Helena of Troy, of whom Faustus says, " Was this the face that launched a thousand ships/And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?" [Act 5, Scene 1]. At the end, he realizes how miserable he is about to be but does not turn from Lucifer to God. A devil gives him visions of the torments to come and Faustus despairs, even when some fellow scholars try to comfort and convert him at the last minute. But a deal's a deal and Faustus is condemned.
This play is a faithful telling of the Faust story, which existed before Marlowe wrote, but this is the first literary classic. The narrative combines an Elizabethan drama, a morality tale, and a vision of the shifting European culture. It follows the classic five act structure and uses some standard bits like a Chorus who provides what nowadays would be a "voiceover" and a comic duo who come on after heavier dramatic scenes. The temptation to sell his soul is too powerful for Faustus, whose ego outstrips his forethought. Even so, at several points a Good Angel and a Bad Angel show up to draw him respectively toward Heaven or toward Hell. Faustus always makes the wrong choice. Worse, he adopts the wrong attitude that he cannot repent because he is trapped in his bargain. His desire for scientific knowledge and raw power is reflected in the negative fruits of the Protestant Reformation--theology is sidelined when everyone can interpret the Bible for themselves and physical sciences move in as the "objective truth" that everyone wants. A lot of rulers were happy to adopt Protestant religions, enabling a power grab that included seizing church assets and freeing them from any higher power curbing their own power. Marlowe's work is a good cautionary tale about taking on power you really shouldn't have.
Goethe's Faust translated with an introduction by Walter Kaufmann
After a prologue in Heaven where God gives Mephistopheles leave to try and tempt Faust (echoing the first chapter of the Book of Job), Faust complains of how unsatisfactory his academic life has been. For all the knowledge he has gained (and he has gained a lot), he still thinks he doesn't know everything. His despair is interrupted by his student Wagner, who tries to cheer him up. Out in the city, people love Faust, especially since he worked with his father healing people during a wide-spread illness. Faust is unimpressed and continues to walk with Wagner. They discover a black dog following them. The dog eventually turns into Mephistopheles, who makes the offer to be Faust's servant at the cost of his soul, promising Faust to always provide satisfaction in this life. Faust takes the bargain and they start to stir up trouble, first at his school, then at a pub in Leipzig. They continue their journey to a witch's den where she provides an elixir for Faust, a sort of love potion.
The next scene, Faust runs into Margaret, a humble young woman whom he thinks the most beautiful in the world. She's just come from confession and rebukes his spontaneous advance, though she comes around soon enough. She is suspicious of his friend Mephistopheles (who pretends to be human), and not just because he is putting the moves on her neighbor, a recent widow (at least, Mephistopheles tells the neighbor that her absent husband has died in Italy). Mephistopheles helps Faust to bed Margaret by offering a potion to help her mom sleep so he can sneak into their house. The situation turns out poorly as her mom dies and Margaret gets pregnant. Her brother Valentine, a soldier, challenges Faust to a duel. Faust wins thanks to Mephistopheles's intervention, though Faust has to flee from the local authorities. After some diverting times during Walpurgus Night, Faust insists on going back to Margaret, who is now in jail awaiting execution for killing her mom and her newborn infant. Faust tries to persuade her to leave but she has broken down mentally and refuses to seek safety, even with the man she truly loves. Faust gets dragged off by Mephistopheles.
The next act shows a much older Faust who is reclaiming land from the sea by dubious methods. He wants an old couple's house and has demons evict them. The personification of Care comes to Faust who rebuffs her. Faust is then blinded by her. Faust goes on to have a long speech complaining about the misery of life and falls back into a grave dug by minions. Mephistopheles tries to claim Faust's soul but is in conflict with heavenly hosts, including a redeemed Margaret, who take his soul to Heaven. So the ending is very different from Marlowe's.
Which One is Better?
Faust's deals with the Devil are different. In Marlowe's version, it's a straight up 24-year contract with no wiggle room at the end. In Goethe's, the Devil promises Faust satisfaction with his life, providing a loophole for the intended victim to escape his doom. On the one hand, it is morally edifying to see Faustus punished for his embrace of evil and power. On the other, as a Christian I want everyone to be redeemed and go to Heaven if they can. While Goethe's Faust is clearly unsatisfied with his life, he doesn't show the conversion you would think is necessary for redemption. And yet, his soul is clearly taken up to Heaven at the end. The execution of the Faustian bargain is different and I am not sure which one I like better.
As plays, Goethe has a lot of long monologues for his characters that seem like they would be less appealing sitting in an audience. His play is much longer but has a lot more depth, so the length works in his favor. His characters are a bit better drawn and the allusions to Job and Hamlet (the girlfriend who goes crazy and has a mercenary brother can't be a coincidence, can it?) are satisfying. Also, Goethe is much more poetic. Marlowe has some great comedy and political satire, but that is not enough to overcome the strengths of Goethe.
My final consideration is which book I want to keep on my shelf. The whole point of keeping a book is to read it again at some point or to loan it out to someone else (people who have shelves of books just to impress others are shallow (even if they don't think they're shallow)). I am hanging on to Goethe and donating Faust, so I guess Goethe is the winner.
Sinners (2025) written and directed by Ryan Coogler
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