A comparitive essay on Christopher Marlowe’s play Dr. Faustus and the silent movie The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
This paper compares two Faustian influenced works, Dr. Faustus and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. The paper examines the way in which the two modes of media demonstrate the story of Dr. Faustus and how they compare with the different time periods. Each literary work is described in relation to the other.
The historical German story of Doctor Faustus has been used as inspiration in all forms of media, and across many cultures. The most noted English literary adaptation is the play by Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, written in 1592. In the medium of film, the story of Faustus can be made into a highly visual experience, different than that found in Marlowe’s outlet of the Elizabethan stage, and so can give a alternative insight into these well known Faustian traditions. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, is a silent German art film, produced in 1919 by Robert Wiene, and written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz. It deals creatively with the Faustian themes, including the concept of the divided self, temptation of power, and the search for superior knowledge. In addition, Caligari serves as a response to post-WWI Germany. Through the use of expressionism and the questioning of the senses of reality, Faustus also coinciding with changes in popular perceptions.