Summary
Analysis
The Chorus enters and delivers the Prologue. He begins by assuring the audience that the play will deal with neither epic, nor heroic, nor courtly matters, but merely with “the form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad” (Prologue, 8).
The chorus's modest claims contrast with Faustus's soaring ambition. The tragedy will focus upon the fortune of a single individual.
The Chorus summarizes Faustus's biography, including his humble origins, precociousness as a student, interest in necromancy, and eventual fall from grace, comparing him to Icarus, whose “waxen wings” (Prologue, 20) melted when he flew too close to the sun.