The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

From Turtledove

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the Faust story, in which a man sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge. Doctor Faustus was first published in 1604, eleven years after Marlowe's death and at least twelve years after the first performance of the play.

[edit] The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus in "We Haven't Got There Yet"

William Shakespeare was reminded of the late Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus as he watched a production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Shakespeare realized that the eponymous leads of the latter play didn't even have the definitive ending of Marlowe's Faustus, who at least ended the play knowing he was in Hell.

[edit] The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus in Ruled Britannia

When Christopher Marlowe fled London after the Spaniards attempted to arrest him for sodomy, he had a boatman take him to Deptford. The boatman asked him where he wanted to be rowed, Marlowe answered he could row him to hell and then added "Why this is hell, nor am I out of it", a line from his play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.