Category Archives: Blackfriars

It seems best to divide the text (I.2.230-34) into convenient pieces, number them for easy reference (and speaking), and interleave text and translation, with all the notes below: 1. Sint míhi déi Acheróntis propítii! May the gods of Acheron be … Continue reading →

I will get to Faustus’ oath soon, but in the mean time here are three bits I missed. At some point, I hope to put these all together on one page, in order, with line references to the various editions, … Continue reading →

Most of the Latin in Doctor Faustus is spoken by Faustus himself, and some he glosses himself: I.1.35: Béne dissérere est fínis lógices. In the next line, Faustus asks “Is to dispute well logic’s chiefest end?” which just rephrases this … Continue reading →

Mephistopheles has three bits of Latin: II.1.429: Solámen míseris sócios habuísse dolóris. Solamen is ‘consolation’ – relative, not interrogative – miseris is ‘to/for the wretched/miserable’, socios (related to ‘social, society, associate’) is ‘companions, associates, allies’ (plural direct object), habuisse is … Continue reading →

Should Faustus’ servant’s name be pronounced like Richard Wagner’s last name (VAHG-ner) or like Honus or Robert or Lindsay Wagner’s (WAG-ner)? I’ve heard it both ways in productions. Would Marlowe have known the basic German pronunciation? Presumably: between his mysterious … Continue reading →

Wagner has has two bits of Latin, but each raises a mildly tricky question of pronunciation: I.4.338: Qui míhi discípulus. Kwee MEE-hee diss-KIP-uh-luss. Qui is ‘who’ – relative, not interrogative – mihi is ‘to/for me’, and discipulus is ‘student, pupil’ … Continue reading →

The 1st Scholar has only one tiny bit of Latin: I.1.186: Sic próbo. SEEK PRO-bo. Sic is ‘thus’ – still used in square brackets to show that something inside quotation marks was misspelled by the author, not the editor. Probo … Continue reading →

When Faustus and Mephistophilis disrupt the Pope’s dinner in Act III, the monks who curse them have two bits of Latin, the first repeated half a dozen times: III.1.831: Màledícat Dóminus. This is basically three and a half trochees: Mah-leh-DEE-caht … Continue reading →

A few months ago, I promised some grad students putting on a production of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus that I would help them with the Latin. Now that I’m back from Germany – more on that later – it’s time I … Continue reading →

Kastril or Kestrel, the ‘angry boy’ of Ben Jonson’s Alchemist, calls his sister his ‘suster’ and says ‘kuss’ for ‘kiss’.1 It is not clear whether this is meant to represent a particular regional dialect, a generalized country accent, or his … Continue reading →

I am experimenting with publishing original scholarly notes on this site. My first attempt, a week ago, was a single page on the structure of Silius Italicus’ Punica. I have just uploaded a PDF file of my second paper, two … Continue reading →

Legal Disclaimer: There is no prize, and if there were, employees and customers of the American Shakespeare Center would not be eligible for it, since anyone who has seen the production already knows the answer. Can you identify the play … Continue reading →

In the last two years, Patrick Earl of the American Shakespeare Center‘s touring troupe has played Giovanni in John Ford’s ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore and Ferdinand in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi. Each one is the brother of … Continue reading →

The following eight foodstuffs represent eight different plays presented at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia in the last three years. Can you identify them all? These are not verbal jokes, and the quantities (such as the three apples in … Continue reading →

Last week I drove down I-97 from Baltimore to Annapolis and found that part of it is named “Senator John A. Cade Memorial Highway” after a long-time state legislator. Having seen and enjoyed Henry VI, Part 2 at the Blackfriars … Continue reading →

Since I wrote about the BBC Shakespeare DVDs two and a half years ago, prices have dropped on both sides of the Atlantic. You can now get the American discs for 99ドル.99 per set, down from 149ドル.99, but that still … Continue reading →

What’s the best thing about the American Shakespeare Center’s production of Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, opening tomorrow night? There’s no way to tell, but the best thing I know before seeing it is that the same actor (John Harrell) is playing … Continue reading →

The American Shakespeare Center is currently doing four plays in rotation at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton: I Henry IV, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, and Titus Andronicus. All are delightful in their different ways. Unfortunately, Titus … Continue reading →

When you have an event scheduled for August 24th, you should probably not have it listed under August 25th on your website: Clicking the date on the calendar takes one to another page that lists the date as August 25th … Continue reading →

Like everything else they’ve done, I’ve immensely enjoyed the American Shakespeare Center‘s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, playing through the end of November, along with Much Ado About Nothing and Titus Andronicus (more about them later). 1 Henry … Continue reading →