Doctor Faustus By Christopher Marlowe Summary and Analysis Scene 9



SCENE 9

Enter ROBIN and RALPH with a silver goblet.
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ROBIN.
Come, Ralph: did not I tell thee, we were for ever made
by this Doctor Faustus' book? ecce, signum! here's a simple
purchase for horse-keepers: our horses shall eat no hay as
long as this lasts.

RALPH.
But, Robin, here comes the Vintner.

ROBIN.
Hush! I'll gull him supernaturally.

Enter VINTNER.

Drawer, I hope all is paid; God be with you! — Come, Ralph.

VINTNER.
Soft, sir; a word with you. I must yet have a goblet paid
from you, ere you go.

ROBIN.
I a goblet, Ralph, I a goblet! — I scorn you; and you are
but a, &c. I a goblet! search me.

VINTNER.
I mean so, sir, with your favour.
[Searches ROBIN.]

ROBIN.
How say you now?

VINTNER.
I must say somewhat to your fellow. — You, sir!

RALPH.
Me, sir! me, sir! search your fill. [VINTNER searches him.]
Now, sir, you may be ashamed to burden honest men with a matter
of truth.

VINTNER.
Well, tone of you hath this goblet about you.

ROBIN.
You lie, drawer, 'tis afore me [Aside]. — Sirrah you, I'll
teach you to impeach honest men; — stand by; — I'll scour you for
a goblet; — stand aside you had best, I charge you in the name of
Belzebub. — Look to the goblet, Ralph [Aside to RALPH].

VINTNER.
What mean you, sirrah?

ROBIN.
I'll tell you what I mean. [Reads from a book] Sanctobulorum
Periphrasticon — nay, I'll tickle you, Vintner. — Look to the goblet,
Ralph [Aside to RALPH]. — [Reads] Polypragmos Belseborams framanto
pacostiphos tostu, Mephistophilis, &c.

Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS, sets squibs at their backs, and then
exit. They run about.

VINTNER.
O, nomine Domini! what meanest thou, Robin? thou hast no
goblet.

RALPH.
Peccatum peccatorum! — Here's thy goblet, good Vintner.
[Gives the goblet to VINTNER, who exit.]

ROBIN.
Misericordia pro nobis! what shall I do? Good devil, forgive
me now, and I'll never rob thy library more.

Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS.

MEPHISTOPHILIS.
Monarch of Hell, under whose black survey
Great potentates do kneel with awful fear,
Upon whose altars thousand souls do lie,
How am I vexed with these villains' charms?
From Constantinople am I hither come,
Only for pleasure of these damned slaves.

ROBIN.
How, from Constantinople! you have had a great journey:
will you take sixpence in your purse to pay for your supper, and
be gone?

MEPHISTOPHILIS.
Well, villains, for your presumption, I transform thee
into an ape, and thee into a dog; and so be gone!
[Exit.]

ROBIN.
How, into an ape! that's brave: I'll have fine sport with
the boys; I'll get nuts and apples enow.

RALPH.
And I must be a dog.

ROBIN.
I'faith, thy head will never be out of the pottage-pot.
[Exeunt.]

Summary

Robin and Ralph appear with a silver goblet that Robin has apparently taken from a vintner. Robin is very pleased with this new acquisition, but immediately the vintner appears and demands that the goblet be returned to him. Robin insists that he does not have the goblet and allows himself to be searched. The vintner cannot find the goblet. Meanwhile, Robin begins to read incantations from Faustus' book. These incantations summon Mephistophilis, who appears and puts some firecrackers at their backs and then momentarily disappears. In fright, Robin gives the vintner back his goblet. Mephistophilis reappears and complains that he has had to come all the way from Constantinople because these irresponsible servants used incantations without understanding them. He threatens to change them into an ape and a dog, and then leaves. Robin and Ralph can only think about how much fun and how much food they might have if transformed into these animals.


Analysis

This comic interlude, which actually contributes very little to the development of the play, is the second scene in a row between Ralph and Robin. The two scenes belong together in showing the result of the men's desire to practice conjuring. Some critics believe that these scenes were later inserted by another author, and there is some dispute whether Marlowe is the author of any of the comic scenes. Generally, in the present condition of the text, the safest thing to assume is that these scenes filled in the time element and provided a type of low comedy which appealed to the less intelligent members of the audience.