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Kourtni Pimental
Script Analysis
October 17, 2017
Word Count: 363
Theatrical Purpose of Robin in Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus revolves around the trials and tribulations of the man of the same name,

but what is the significance of Robin and Rafe, two men who experience a more seemingly

comedic approach to the dark magic that the entire story is based on? Robin makes an

appearance every so often, having acquired the conjuring books that Faustus had been gifted

from Mephistopheles, but fails to make use of said magic as he is but a low life commoner in

comparison to the Doctor Faustus. There is a reason why there is this stark contrast between the

two, primarily to keep the audience yearning for the solution of Faustus’ journey.

As stated in Backwards & Forwards, “things theatrical are all things that elicit strong

audience response,” (David Ball 35) to which Christopher Marlowe gets away with writing such

controversial text involving dark magic because it is supposed to play to the morals of the

audience. In the case of Robin and Rafe, they are there solely to keep the audience or readers

wanting to know more about the story of Faustus. Right when Faustus gets his hands on the

conjuring books that allow him to do whatsoever he pleases (Marlowe 692), naturally, the

audience wonders what he has in mind as far as using the books to his benefit. Before this

question can even be answered, Robin enters within the next couple of lines with the same book

in hand. How did Robin acquire it? When did he do so? This following scene with Robin and

Rafe isn’t very long at all, but it’s just enough to advert the audience’s attention for just a

moment before jumping right back in to the main plot. David Ball states that the most important

moments of the play are in its theatrical moments, providing change from a mysterious to
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comedic atmosphere for even a scene will make the moments with the important material that

much more prominent (36). Thus, Marlowe uses the contrasting scenes of Robin and Rafe to

draw attention to Faustus and the dire circumstances that he had put himself into, through the

very much unsuccessful attempts of dark magic by the common man.

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Work Cited

Ball, David. Backwards & Forwards. Ed. Curtis L. Clark. Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois

University, 1983.

Marlowe, Christopher. “Doctor Faustus.” Norton Anthology of Drama. 2nd ed. Trans. Brian

Johnston and Rick Davis. Vol. 1. Eds. J. Ellen Gainor, Stanton B. Garner, Jr., and Martin

Puchner. New York: Norton, 2014. Print.