The Company of Wolves

The Company of Wolves

Page 1 - "howls in the woods by night" - This is typical of both the Gothic and the fairytale genre, as the woods is usually portrayed as being a forbidden and dangerous place in Fairytales as well as the Gothic.

Page 1 - "The wolf is carnivore incarnate, and he's as cunning as he is ferocious" - Reference to Lycanthropy from the off. Interesting that the wolf is referred to using the pronoun "he", she has specified the gender to be male. This shows the male as predatory as he is "carnivore incarnate", but also sneaky and conniving.

Page 1 - "catch the light from your lantern to flash it back at you" - The wolves take something you see as safe and helpful (the light), and give it back to you in a more sinister and deadly way.

Page 1 - "terrible sequins stitched suddenly on the black thickets" - shows the stealth and speed of the wolf, emphasises how dangerous it is as it can appear extremely fast. Use of the colour black as well, referencing the fact that typically wolves come out at night as well as being a typical colour related to the Gothic.

Page 1 - "but those eyes are all you will be able to glimpse" - Again the darkness typical of the Gothic, but also she addresses the reader directly as "you", engaging the reader and making you feel more empathy for the characters and become more involved in the feelings that the characters feel.

Page 1 - "the wolfsong is the sound of the rending you will suffer, in itself a murdering" - places emphasis upon the dread the wolves can instill, and acts as a foreshadowing for what will happen to most people who encounter a wolf; the howl will be a sign of the horror that is to come.

Page 1 - "the rime of saliva on the grizzled chops" - foreshadows the saliva that catches itself on the young mans teeth when he laughs, a signifier for what's to come.

Page 2 - "ghosts, hobgoblins, ogres that grill babies upon gridirons, witches that fatten their captives in cages for cannibal tables, the wolf is the worst for he cannot listen to reason.

Page 2 - "shaggy branches tangle about you, trapping the unwary traveller" - personification of the tree, and it's like nature is ganging up on the humans, as the wolves, the environment and the weather are all trying to work together to wipe out the humans in the area it seems. Nature is on the side of the Wolves.

Page 2 - "acrid milk and rank, maggoty cheese" - shows that there is poverty and famine amongst even the humans, the entire area is sparse of food and has harsh conditions for all. Like a dog eat dog idea. Also is very Gothic with the rotting and decay idea in mind.

Page 2 - "Fear and flee the wolf; for, worst of all, the wolf may be more than he seems" - Extremely Gothic idea of things not being as they appear, as there being something hidden and mysterious.

Page 2 - "he weighed as much as a grown man" - foreshadowing of the event just further on, the wolf actually is a man.

Page 3 - "a witch from up the valley" - again more typical Gothic and fairytale characters appearing

Page 3 - "And she waited and she waited and then she waited again" - reminiscent of fairytale stories again, rule of three. Like The Three Little Pigs.

Page 3 - "the long-drawn, wavering howl has, for all its fearful resonance, some inherent sadness in it, as if the beasts would love to be less beastly if only they knew how any never cease to mourn their own condition" -  suggests that even men who choose to become werewolves may regret it because of the misery it causes them. Ultimately, it is the child's pity for the werewolf and his "company of wolves" that moves her to join them.

Page 3 - "so the sensible girl dried her eyes and found herself another husband not too shy to piss into a pot" - Oh Angela. Does however show the harsh nature of the environment, no time to mourn, life must continue.

Page 4 - "but if you burn his human clothing, you condemn him to wolfishness for the rest of his life" - burning the clothes is symbolic, severing all ties that connect you to the civilised world; become a beast and animalistic entirely.

Page 4 - "the eyes alone unchanged by the metamorphosis" - eyes are the gateway to the soul; maybe the soul is still there and the same, only the physical shape changes, shows the primal instinct within all of us still.

Page 5 - "she has been too much loved ever to feel scared." - this child is not hardened like her counterparts because she is...

Page 5 - "so pretty and the youngest of her family" -  her family has coddled her and protected her from life's harsh realities. In doing so, they have 'civilized' her, made her into the gender ideal of a sheltered, sweet and trusting girl. Not one of the children who are described as "not staying young for long in this savage country.

Page 5 - "red shawl...blood on snow" -  an advertisement of her sexual readiness. Its red colour symbolises both her new menstrual blood and the blood she will presumably shed when she loses her virginity.

Page 5 - "She stands and moves within the invisible pentacle of her own virginity. She is an unbroken egg; she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane; she is a closed system." -  sexuality protects her from harm, Her cape and her hymen which the cape could possibly represent, protect her from knowing or experiencing too much and from being harmed by the wolves. Her innocence and naiivity will supposedly save her.

Page 5 - "her father might forbid her, if he were home, but he is away in the forest, gathering wood, and her mother cannot deny her." - Stereotypical gender roles, male is the strong and fearless provider and the mother is the push over. Shows the child's self sufficiency.


Page 5 - "There is always something to look at...of last years bracken" - typical heightened and overaggerated language, helps create a tense atmosphere and an almost makes the forest function in parallel to reality; like a subversive world.

Page 6 - "but he laughed with a flash of white teeth" - gives us a hint as to his real nature. although he is described as "handsome", there is something mysterious and threatening about him.

Page 6/7 - "Shall we make a game of it? What will you give me if I get to your Grandmother's house before you?...A kiss."

Page 6 - "he laughed at her again; gleaming trails of spittle clung to his teeth" - this motif occurred earlier when describing the werewolf, gives us a clue as to his true identity.
Page 6 - "As the day darkened, it began to snow again" - A reminder of her purity, could be like a warning of her impending defilement.

Page 7 - "but she forgot to be afraid of the beasts" - against her better judgement, this boy has distracted her from the dangers that could easily befall her; shows her naivety
Page 7 - "There is a faint trace of blood on his chin; he has been snacking on his catch." - Animalistic nature. Could be the animals he caught in the woods earlier or a human he found.

Page "Aged and frail, granny is three-quarters succumbed to the mortality" - Granny is the wise older woman figure. Typical of fairytale.

"he rapped upon the panels with his hairy knuckles" - hairy, like a wolf, is beginning to fall into place. This entire passage is all reminiscent of the original red riding hood

"now call on Christ and his mother and all the angels in heaven to protect you but it won't do you any good" - Could this reflect Carter's view on God? No one is there to save you, no matter how pious you are. The beast always wins.

"...and quickly dressed himself again" - disguise and deceit

Page 9 - "What big eyes you have." "All the better to see you with."  - clear textual allusion to Little Red Riding Hood.

Page 9 - "Those are the voices of my brothers darling; I love the company of wolves" - the true nature of the boy is revealed, he too is a wolf.
Page 9 - "It is very cold, poor things, she said; no wonder they howl so" - The heroine knows she is in danger of death, but she still feels sympathetic to the wolves. Embraces the company of the wolves.

Page 10 - "the colour of poppies, the colour of sacrifices" -  Sacrificing usually is giving something up for the better of others, this certainly can be applied here. Giving up her human qualities for sexual desire to the wolf man.

Page 10 - "She bundled up her shawl and threw it on the blaze" - she rejects purity in favour of sexual enlightenment. She also renounces her townsperson identity of categorical superiority to beasts. The townspeople burn werewolves' clothes in order to "condemn them to wolfishness," and so the heroine burns her own clothes in order to become one with the werewolf and his kind.

Page 10 - "The girl burst out laughing; she knew she was nobody's meat" -  Bacchilega interprets this phrase to mean that, "by acting out her [sexual] desires, the girl offers herself as flesh, not meat." Usually a sacrificial victim's body is not seen as being his or her own; it belongs to the deity or other being in whose honour the ceremony is given. So too is it with Carter's women, who 'give' themselves to men even though, because they are objects, men already own them. Since the heroine claims her sexual desire and her flesh as her own, she can give her "immaculate flesh" wilfully to the werewolf and also take of him. She is empowered by her sexuality." -

Page 10 - "the old bones under the bed set up a terrible clattering but she did not pay them any heed" - ignores the wisdom of her Grandmother in favour of this sexual desire and pleasure.

Page 11 - "It is Christmas day, the werewolves birthday" -  comparison of a werewolf's transformation to the birth of Christ. Although the townspeople are convinced that werewolves make a pact with the Devil, Carter suggests that they are really connected to God in this way.

Page 11 - "See! Sweet and sound she sleeps in granny's bed, between the paws of the tender wolf" - Only sex can tame the beast.

In a way, Carter tells us through this story that we are all part "beast," and are only authentically ourselves or close to Christ-Christianity's ideal being-when we claim our "bestial" desires.

Quote Bank

Prologue, Chorus

• "Intends our muse to daunt his heavenly verse" - Marlowe writing about himself as the chorus though
• "Swoll'n with cunning of a self-conceit"
• "His waxen wings did mount above his reach"
• "Nothing so sweet as magic is to him"

Act 1, Scene 1

• "Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man,"
• "When all is done, divinity is best"
• "These metaphysics of magicians And necromantic books are heavenly"
• "A sound magician is a mighty God"
• "Here, Faustus, try thy brains to gain a deity"
• "O Faustus, lay that damned book aside"
• "'Tis magic, magic that hath ravished me"
• "This night I'll conjure, though I die therefore"

Act 1, Scene 2

• "O, but I fear me nothing can reclaim him"

Act 1, Scene 3

• "Faustus sprinkles holy water and makes a sign of the cross"
• "I charge thee to return and change thy shape. Thou art too ugly to attend on me"
• "How pliant is this Mephistopheles"
• "I am a servant to great Lucifer"
• "Per accidens."
• "We fly in hope to geth his glorious soul"
• "Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it"
• "Had I as many souls as there be stars, I'd give them all for Mephistopheles"

Act 1, Scene 4

• "My soul to the devil for a shoulder of mutton...I had need to have it well roasted, and good sauce to it, if I pay so dear"

Act 2, Scene 1

• "The God thou servest is thine own appetite"
• "Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris" - Misery loves company
• "And I will be thy slave, and wait on thee, And give thee more than thou hast wit to ask"
• "Is not thy soul thine own?"
• "If unto God, he'll throw thee down to hell"
• "for where we are is hell"
• "And, to conclude, when all the world dissolves, And every creature shall be purified. ANd places shall be hell that is not heaven"
• "Come, I think hell's a fable"
• "Ay, and body too. But what of that?"
• "I am wanton and lascivious and cannot live without a wife"
• "...or as beautiful As was bright Lucifer before his fall"
• "O, thou art decieved"

Act 2, Scene 2

• "...kitchen maid, then turn her and wind her to thy own use as often as thou wilt, and at midnight."

Act 2, Scene 3

• "Well, I am answered. Tell me who made the world." "I will not."
• "And Faustus vows never to look to heaven"
• "O, this feeds my soul!"
• "O, might I see hell and return again"

Act 3, Scene 1

•  "Hadst thou, as erst I did command"
• "Now, by the kingdoms of the infernal rule"

Act 4, Chorus

• "Faustus is feasted 'mongst his noblemen"

Act 4, Scene 1

• "thou hast a familiar spirit" - Charles V (Emperor) said to Faustus
• "thou shalt be no ways prejudiced or endamaged" - Charles V said to Faustus
• "he looks much like a conjurer" - Knight said to Faustus
• "I must confess myself far inferior to the report men have published" - Faustus
• "I am content to do whatsoever your Majesty shall command me" - Faustus to Charles V
• "Canst raise this man from hollow vaults below" - Charles V talking to Faustus
• "I'faith, that's nothing at all" - Knight said aside about Faustus' ability
• "when you will confess the truth" - Knight said to Faustus
• "Mephistopheles, begone!" - Faustus said to Mephistopheles. Knight mistakenly thinks it's about him.
• "a wart or mole in her neck" - Charles V
• "at my entreaty release him" - Charles V to Faustus.
• "Mephistopheles, transform him straight"
• "Short'ning my days and thread of vital life, Calls for the payment of my latest years" - Faustus
• "Nay, till I am past this fair and pleasant green, I'll walk on foot"
• "God save you, Master Doctor" - Horse courser to Faustus
• "ride him not into the water."
• "They fatal time doth draw to final end. Despair doth drive distrust unto my thought"

Act 5, Scene 1

• "Be silent then, for danger is in words"
• "Where art thou Faustus?"
• "Despair and die!"
• "Then call for mercy and avoid despair"
• "I do repent, and yet I do despair"
• "Torment, sweet friend, that base and crooked age"
• "make me immortal with a kiss"
• "Her lips sucks forth my soul...Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again"
• "My faith, vile hell, shall triumph over thee" - Old man said to the devils

Act 5, Scene 2

• "but now I die eternally"
• "A surfeit of deadly sin that hath damned both body and soul"
• "Rememeber God's mercies are infinite" - Second scholar to Faustus
• "O, would I had never seen Wittenberg, never read book!"
• "heaven, the seat of God, the throne of the blessed, the kingdom of joy"
• "I gave them my soul for my cunning"
• "God forbid" - All scholars said to Faustus
• "God forbade it indeed, but Faustus hath done it."
• "And then thou must be damned perpetually. Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven"
• "Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years, A hundred thousand, and at last be saved"
• "Curst be the parents that engendered me! No, Faustus, curse thyself"
• "My God, my God, look not so fierce on me!"

Epilogue, Chorus

• "To practise more than heavenly power pemits"

Task 5

What aspects of the play do you consider to be relevant to the study of The Gothic?
What dramatic impact would these features impart in performance?

The idea of Heaven and Hell - A religious aspect
One of the most obviously Gothic features that is present throughout is the idea of Heaven and Hell, usually presented in binary opposition to each other, and some kind of afterlife and divine being. This is shown through the character of Mephistopheles, as he himself says "Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it" implying that he himself embodies hell, and that it's not simply a place, but an idea and a state of psychological being. Throughout the entire play there is a recurring lexical field of divinity and belief, with words like "God", "Heavenly" and "Church" as well as numerous others being evidenced. Not only this, but the religious message of repenting and redemption is also evidenced several times throughout the play, as shown by Faustus' deliberation to do just this on occasions.

The Supernatural
Examples of this during the play is the constant conjuring of objects out of thin air by Mephistopheles, the idea of raising the dead, and most prominently the summoning of the spectre of Helen of Troy. These all add to the drama of the play, and make the events seem more shocking when put alongside the chiastic structure of the play.

Lack of boundaries or blurring of lines
One of the most interesting and debating factors of this play is the strange relationship between Mephistopheles and Faustus. There have been some accusations of a homo-erotic edge to the way they interact, and this could be an interesting factor in the blurring of boundaries, which is a common factor of the Gothic genre. There is also the blurring of the boundary between life and death, this life and the next and the two worlds, the world as we know it and Hell. We could say that Faustus blurs the line between ignorance and intelligence, as in some areas he is extremely knowledgable, but does this knowledge actually make him ignorant? Does he know almost too much?

An over-reaching protagonist
Faustus undoubtedly fits this ideal of an over-reaching protagonist. The evidence for this is overwhelming and some of it has been addressed in task 4. The very fact he is scompared to Icarus from the off is a clear signifier of this, and continually throughout we see him over-reaching to attain a God like status that, as the chorus says at the end "To practise more than heavenly power permits".

Gore and blood
Although most of the gore and blood in this particular play is done in a comedic way (as we see in the scene where Faustus loses his leg), there are some parts that are very real indeed, even if not described in a graphic way. The scene where the Old man who represents wisdom is torn apart is extremely Gothic and unsettling.

A psychological aspect
Marlowe was extremely ahead of his time and a very forward thinking man. He raises some very complex and philisophical ideas that even now we cannot fully answer. He was probably one of the first people of this time to even question that Hell ans Heaven may not be a physical place, but may be a psychological state. Not only this, but he questioned society and the way it works, and several other controversial ideas at the time.

How does Marlowe explore the Gothic themes of over-reaching ambition, sin and evil in the first Act of Dr Faustus?

There are several key features that are typical of a Gothic text. Arguably, one of the most vital and interesting components to play on is the hero or anti-hero to be an “over reacher”, in the sense that they try to obtain things that are out of reach, usually for a reason.

   The first example of this comes in the form of the prologue, in which a chorus would usually arrive on the stage to set the scene of the play and introduce key characters. Marlowe has chosen to compare Faustus to “Icarus”, who was a character in a Greek myth in which his father made him a set of wings from wax and feathers, with the warning not to venture too closely to the sun. Alas, Icarus flew too near to the sun thus overreaching, and the wax melted and the fell to his death. An interesting comparison to draw as Faustus too meets an untimely end.

   Act one scene one also sees Faustus overreaching. In speech such as “Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man. Wouldst thou make man to live eternally?” which clearly suggests that Faustus longs to be more than a man and live for eternity which is a prime example of him overreaching far beyond what is humanly possible and natural. This is also later evidenced when he says “Here, Faustus, try thy brains to gain a deity” meaning he wishes to become a God, which is overreaching in its most extreme form.

   Not only is there overreaching evident of Faustus in the prologue alone, several sins are named that Faustus possesses, including “Self-conceit” otherwise known as pride which is a dramatical device in the Greek tragedy play’s where this quality in the protagonist is known as Hubris. Faustus is also described as being “glutted”, which is another of the seven deadly sins, showing that although this is our main protagonist, he will be an anti-hero as he is a sinful man. We are also faced with the sin of lust when Valdes says he wants Faustus to conjure up woman for him once he has the power of black magic.

   Later in Act one scene one, we get a very carefully thought out and well planned piece of blaspheming. Faustus says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there’s no truth in us” which is practically admitting that he is a sinful man, which makes sense as we are all born from sin, as after all, sex is sinful. He goes on to say “Why then belike we must sin, and so consequently die.  Ay, we must die an everlasting death. What doctrine call you this, che sera, sera, what will be, shall be? Divinity, adieu!” This is an interesting viewpoint to take as Marlowe himself was a student of Divinity, so we have to ask ourselves is this piece of essentially blasphemy, Faustus’ views alone, or Marlowe’s expressed through Faustus? This would’ve been shocking to hear for the 16^th century audience of the time as blasphemy was a punishable crime at the time, so this was a risky line to include. Blasphemy also occurs later; “Divinity is basest of the three, Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile”.

   As for evil in Dr. Faustus, it is most prominent when Mephistopheles arrives, as he describes his aim as to “fly in hope to get his glorious soul”, so he admits that his aim of his travels is to attempt to steal the soul of whoever was blaspheming, which is an evil act in itself with evil intentions.

Mephistopheles

    Both images pictured, on the left and right, depict Mephistopheles as a sly and cunning character. This is clearly shown through his expression largely by his eyebrows but also within his eyes. His colourings are also very dark, with black hair, eyebrows and facial hair in the case on the left.

   An interesting point about the picture on the left, which is of James Reynard in 1999 who is an actor, is that he was later to play Iago from Othello, a character who also decieves and is an evil yet cunning character. This is also interesting because as we know, Shakespeare was very fond of Marlowe's work so perhaps, could've drawn elements of Iago's character from Mephistopheles? Just a suggestion...

 

 In this picture on the left, Mephistopheles once again looks conniving and mischeivous and likely to try and sway someone to the path of evil. This is obviously accurate as he acts as a gopher between Faustus and Lucifer when Faustus summons him.

   The picture on the right is an older depiction of Mephistopheles as we can tell by his clothing (which is red, no coincidence with it's connotations of the devil and hell). This could be related to the part of the play when Mephistopheles even goes as far as to say that he is hell embodied, as shown from the quote "Why, this is Hell, nor am I out of it" when Faustus asks of him how he and other devils can part from the underworld or hell. 

Faustus Prologue Comments

The aim of the prologue is to set the scene and give a slight back story that will lead into the main body of the play. In the prologue, we get introduced to the title character of the play, Dr Faustus. The information that Marlowe has chosen to provide us with, paints Faustus as a fairly disagreeable man, with words such as “cunning of a self-conceit” and “glutted” (interesting as gluttony or greed is one of the seven deadly sins) being readily associated with him. From the prologue alone we can almost sense that there will not be a pleasant end for Dr Faustus, as he “surfeits upon cursed necromancy” and Marlowe also uses the tale of Icarus to show that eventually Faustus will shoot out of his range and pay the consequence for it, much like Icarus did with the wings made of wax and feathers. The entire prologue hints at Faustus’ downfall and it almost invites the reader to feel superior to him leading into the main body of the play. His background is also hinted at being of low class, so it is however a feat that he has become a doctor and so quickly, and that he obviously has a high intelligence because of this and as he has conquered all classical forms of knowledge.

Marlowe

One of the most interesting parts about Christopher Marlowe was the finding of a portrait of him, years after his death in 1593. Although there is no solid evidence that the anonymous sitter is Marlowe, but  clues do suggest the almost certainty that it is Marlowe. An example of this evidence is that Marlowe was 21 years old in 1585, when the painting was made. Also, he was the only 21-year old student at Corpus Christi, where the painting was later found and where he himself recieved his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1584.

His works were heavily influenced by William Shakespeare despite the fact that he is believed to be roughly two months older than him (his exact date of birth is unknown, although there is records of his Baptism on the 26th February 1564).

Marlowe also helped several actors by writing parts especially for them. An Elizabethan actor named Edward Alleyn, supposedly had several roles written for him, largely due to the fact that he was tall for the time, so roles such as Dr Faustus became him.

Shortly after receiving his master's degree, Marlowe went to London. He became known for his wild ways and unorthodox thinking. In 1589, for example, he was imprisoned for a time in connection with the death of a certain William Bradley, who had been killed in a violent quarrel in which Marlowe was suspected to have played an important part. He was several times accused of being an "atheist" and a "blasphemer," most notably by one of his fellow playwrights Thomas Kyd. These charges led to Marlowe's arrest in 1593, but he died before his case was decided.