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Allegory
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Prologue
Explanation and Analysis—Whither Should I Fly?:
As the Chorus delivers the Prologue to Doctor Faustus, he concludes with an allusion to the mythological failed flight of Icarus:
Till, swoll’n with cunning of a self-conceit,
His waxen wings did mount above his reach,
And melting heavens conspired his overthrow.
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Scene 5
Explanation and Analysis—Whither Should I Fly?:
As the Chorus delivers the Prologue to Doctor Faustus, he concludes with an allusion to the mythological failed flight of Icarus:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Till, swoll’n with cunning of a self-conceit,
His waxen wings did mount above his reach,
And melting heavens conspired his overthrow.
Related Themes:
Scene 12
Explanation and Analysis—Helen of Troy:
From the start, Faustus’s desire for magic and power is charged with a hungry, lustful quality, which only grows stronger as the play goes on. For example, in his first soliloquy he claims that “’tis magic, magic that hath ravished me,” introducing an expressly sexual element to his interest in the practice of necromancy. This lascivious language appears again when Faustus makes his initial offer to sell his soul in return for the chance to “live in all voluptuousness”— and the very moment the bargain is struck, Faustus abandons all thoughts of lofty ambitions in favor of requesting a wife to satisfy his “wanton” nature. Thus, Doctor Faustus seems to suggest that magic and lust go hand in hand, and are perhaps equally capable of corrupting the soul.
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