A história trágica do doutor Fausto

De Christopher Marlowe

Esta peça de Marlowe, um dos mais importantes dramaturgos conterrâneos e contemporâneos a Shakespeare, foi escrita em 1588 ou 1592, parte em verso parte em prosa. É provável que tenha sido baseada em História do Doutor Fausto, recolha anônima alemã de contos sobre praticantes de ciências ocultas. Trata-se da história de um homem que faz um pacto com o diabo.

A peça foi publicada pela primeira vez só em 1604, oito anos após a morte do autor. Há, porém, duas versões do texto, a primeira de 1604 e outra, de 1616, em que são omitidos 36 versos e adicionados outros 676.

A tradução desta presente edição teve como o texto de 1604. Dentre as opções do tradutor, procurou seguir "um metro correspondente ao inglês", traduzir "quase linha a linha" e "em linguagem falada".

• Idioma: Português
• Editora: Hedra
• Data de lançamento: 11 de set. de 2017
• ISBN: 9788577155569

Pré-visualização do livro

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1ª edição, 2006

1ª edição e-book, 2017

autor Christopher Marlowe

título A História Trágica do Doutor Fausto

copyright Hedra

edição brasileira© Hedra 2006

tradução© A. de Oliveira Cabral

edição Jorge Sallum

coedição  Bruno Costa e Iuri Pereira

revisão Bruno Oliveira e Iuri Pereira

assistência editorial    Bruno Oliveira e Pedro Augusto

capa e projeto gráfico Júilo Dui e Renan Costa Lima

imagem de capa  Iluminura, Manuscrito Cutbercht Gospels (Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Cod. 1224)

ISBN e-book 97-885-7715-556-9

edição e-book Luiza Brandino

corpo editorial Adriano Scatolin, Alexandre B. de Souza, Bruno Costa, Caio Gagliardi, Fábio Mantegari, Iuri Pereira, Jorge Sallum, Oliver Tolle, Ricardo Musse, Ricardo Valle

Grafia atualizada segundo o Acordo Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa de 1990, em vigor no Brasil desde 2009.

Editora Hedra Ltda.

R. Fradique Coutinho, 1139

05416-011 - São Paulo SP Brasil

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[e-mail]

www.hedra.com.br

Sumário

Introdução

QVOD ME NVTRIT ME DESTRVIT

A Trágica História de Vida e Morte do Doutor Fausto

A estrutura da peça

A tradução portuguesa

A História Trágica do Doutor Fausto

Personagens

Cena I

Cena II

Cena III

Cena IV

Cena V

Cena VI

Cena VII

Cena VIII

Cena IX

Cena X

Cena XI

Cena XII

Cena XIII

Cena XIV

Introdução

Dirceu Villa

QVOD ME NVTRIT ME DESTRVIT

Descobriu-se no Corpus Christi College, não faz muito tempo, um retrato a óleo que provavelmente estamparia o busto de Christopher Marlowe, datado de 1585, com a idade do retratado assinalada, 21 anos; ele tem um rosto ovalado, olhos melancólicos, ostenta vasta cabeleira castanha e finos bigodes, está de braços cruzados, vestindo camisa de seda branca com um gibão escuro por cima, com detalhes em vermelho, botões dourados no peito e nas mangas, e nos observa de uma posição de três quartos de perfil sob um ligeiro sorriso; na parte superior esquerda, encontramos o motto em latim que serve de título a esta primeira parte da introdução, e significa: o que me alimenta, me destrói. Não por acaso, como veremos, se diz que foram palavras proféticas. É muito difícil a situação de qualquer grande autor, como Christopher Marlowe o foi, que tenha de dividir sua época com alguém tão extraordinário quanto William Shakespeare. O ajuste de perspectiva acaba sendo muito difícil. Marlowe e Shakespeare nasceram no mesmo ano (1564), o pai do primeiro era um sapateiro, o do segundo, um luveiro; mas Marlowe alcançou muito antes o sucesso com suas peças, e diz-se que Shakespeare teria visto uma encenação de Tamburlaine em seus primeiros dias em Londres, decidindo os passos futuros de sua carreira. Anthony Burgess, em seu English Literature, chega mesmo a dizer, com o exagero que certas vezes nos dita o amor: Ele [Marlowe] é um grande poeta e dramaturgo que, não tivesse sido morto precocemente numa taverna em Londres, poderia bem ter se tornado maior até do que Shakespeare.¹

Evidentemente, quando escrevemos Shakespeare hoje, esse nome tem um peso que não tinha em sua própria época: era um dos principais dramaturgos de uma Inglaterra repleta deles — Thomas Kyd, John Lyly, Thomas Nashe, e depois viriam ainda Ben Jonson, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher etc. —, quando provavelmente o distintivo para um grande artista da palavra não se encontrava no teatro, mas na poesia, em que havia, entre muitos outros, Philip Sydney (cujos sonetos e a obra em prosa Arcadia teriam servido de modelos para Shakespeare: um técnico, outro, temático) e Spenser, do longo poema The Fairie Queene, para a rainha Elizabeth i.

Mas o teatro inglês, no século xvi, e sob os auspícios da rainha virgem, estava se tornando uma arte tão popular quanto escrita por autores cultivados, que agradava imensamente aos cortesãos, também cultivados. O próprio Marlowe havia concluído seu curso no Corpus Christi College, em Cambridge, quando chega com o rascunho de uma de suas peças iniciais para mostrar ao veterano Robert Greene: devemos nos lembrar também de que era teatro parcialmente em verso e que, embora isso hoje pareça algo absolutamente inimaginável, teve uma longa história dos gregos até William Butler Yeats e T. S. Eliot.

No século xvi, o desenvolvimento do verso branco dramático florescia graças, em boa parte, ao talento de Marlowe. Na verdade, o verso branco dramático utilizado depois pelo poeta de Stratford-upon-Avon deve bastante ao de Marlowe, que a partir de experiências prévias o transformou na chamada mighty line — a linha poderosa, na expressão de Ben Jonson² —, aquela à qual Shakespeare mais tarde acrescentaria os desenvolvimentos de seu verso flexível, musical: foram dois imensos passos em relação a antecessores imediatos, como, por exemplo, o próprio Robert Greene.³

E Marlowe não foi apenas um dramaturgo incrivelmente talentoso, mas também bom poeta (leiam-se poemas como The Passionate Sheepheard to his Love ou Hero and Leander) e um dos melhores tradutores para a língua inglesa, até os dias de hoje, de Ovídio — de quem transpôs as elegias dos Amores.⁴ São qualificações notáveis para um autor que morreu muito jovem (1593), assassinado no que parece ter sido uma estúpida briga de rua,⁵ tendo deixado portanto uma obra teatral relativamente pequena (Dido, the Queen of Carthage; Tamburlaine the Great; Doctor Faustus; The Jew of Malta; Edward the Second; The Massacre at Paris).⁶ Mas foi o suficiente para insuflar nova vida ao teatro elisabetano e posterior, cujo desenvolvimento ficaria a cargo de Shakespeare, Jonson, Beaumont, Fletcher e outros. Marlowe foi (e isso está muito longe de ser pouco) um desses acontecimentos necessários para desencadear um período de grandes

Avaliações de A história trágica do doutor Fausto

[velmeran · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

And interesting take on the Medieval morality play.

[leslie398 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Glad I read this but think that Elizabethan English will continue to be a trouble for me. Maybe I should look for a modern-language version...

[br13wivan · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Doctor Faustus is a stunning literary jewel by Christopher Marlowe. It is a fascinating and moving religious work. It is hilariously funny at points and brutally serious at others. This story of Victorian jihad (the struggle is lost in this case) couldn’t have been clearer in its message, touching in its story, or crafted better than Marlowe had from his block of marble, the Historia von D. Iohan Fausten, which provided the bones of this spectacular theatrical work.It tells the tale of a Doctor in Wittenburg, Germany. While experimenting in the dark and unholy art of magic, he summons a demon named Mephostophilis. Through the cajoling of the demon and an evil angel, and regardless of God’s offers of forgiveness and callings, the Doctor, John Faustus, sells his soul to Lucifer in exchange for twenty-four years of absolute power given to him by Mephostophilis, who will stay with him until that time and grant whatever Faustus desires. He goes from swindling money from unsuspecting people to even haunting the Pope. And through it all he denies God, trading eternal life in Heaven for a mortal life full of all the knowledge and power that he could ever want. In the end, one hour before his demise and descent into Hell, he is shown of the tortures that await him. And he prays to God for forgiveness, declaring his repentance and begging for mercy. Sadly, Faustus does not receive it, and is torn asunder by demons who proceed to drag his soul away.There wasn’t really anything wrong with the writing at all. It was beautiful and got its point across quite easily. One might even wish for it to be longer! A definite five stars.

[rinnreads · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

I found this a little dull to start with, due to the way it's written (why does that make me feel bad?). But it picked up when Faustus finally signed the contract. It was actually pretty funny!

Here are just some of Faustus' hijinks...

- Faustus often talks about himself in third person, so I was just imagining him as some sort of crazy doctor
- he doesn't seem to completely realise what he's getting himself into when he signs the contract
- one of the first things he does is ask Mephistophilis for a wife. He is presented with a demon in a dress
- he sees an opportunity to punch the Pope in the face, and takes it. He's going to Hell anyway, so why not?
- he also steals food and wine from the Pope's plate
- he insults a knight by suggesting his wife is committing adultery (makes him wear horns upon his head -> cuckolding)

[soplada · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Doctor Faustus won't make you close your head as soon as you close the book, No it will ignite it to question every thought which you encounter in your life with the relation to your major standards in your life wither it is your religion or just thought about life and why we are here

when the story is embodied by a protagonist it will be much closer to you; you will feel the sufferance of the loss and the deviation the shattering that is caused because of confusion, hesitance, indecision and in the end despair.
Maybe some people will think of Faustus as a sinner and that no matter what we do we would not be like him he is damned and he is the one who chose it, so we won't choose it and end up like him, of course! but his humanist side (even if it's sometime more apparent in the play) is within us too. we could encounter a situation when choosing the truth is so much harder than staying on the easy and appealed side, right ?
we may be put in a situation like this, like what happened to Faustus, but I'm not sure if we really could be patient on the verge of choosing the damnation , life is deceiving .. but being fortified by truthful rules will do the trick :)
and in conclusion this is of course a tragic End and tragic play too.

[becky221_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Interesting play, rather short. I enjoyed reading the original English translation (from the German) more.

[mstrust · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Doctor Faustus doesn't believe in hell, and so has no fear of conjuring a demon. Faustus wants to sell his soul, which he does, in return for fame, status and knowledge. He quickly begins moving in circles with the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, able to conjure Alexander the Great and Helen of Troy and make himself invisible so he can punch people. His plan is to spend his allotted time being rich, famous and devious, then repent in order to save his soul from Lucifer.For the Elizabethan audience, this play must have been like nothing else. There are devils, the Pope and his Cardinals, Alexander killing his foe Darius, and whores. The theatergoer must have left feeling they had gotten their money's worth. Marlowe was the bad boy of playwrights and this play shows why he had that reputation.The big surprise for me was the amount of Latin spoken, which is a lot. I don't know how much Latin the average person would have understood, especially since illiteracy was the norm, but Marlowe certainly flaunts his fluency in it.

[pgchuis · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This edition comes with an almost oppressive number of notes and commentaries and background pieces and questions to think about. A good read, but I imagine a stage production would be disturbing.

[m.akter.tonima · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

its the first of its kind, so there is no comparison. The only problem in this play is that it has no perfect structure, its a comedy and at the same time its a tragedy, the comical stature dominates entirely in the play leaving the reader completely diminished and disappointed by the unfair tragic ending.If God forgives all,shouldn't the realization be all that needed,why MUST it be ASKED?!

[wellreadcatlady · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

It's one of those plays you need to read through and reread to get the whole idea of what's going on. My first opinion of it was that it didn't make sense and was poorly put together, but once I read it again and allowed myself to get sucked in and think "ok lets say this is possible" I felt like I had a better understanding and can actually say I kinda like the play now. The characters are similar for a reason, and I know this, but it bothers me.

[therebelprince · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

"Faustus", like all Marlowe's plays, is a fascinating exercise but far from a satisfying one. This seems like a cheap and somewhat naive review to give to one of the most well-known works of the Western canon, but there you go.

After the uneven poems-cum-plays of "Dido" and "Tamburlaine", Marlowe achieved comedic success with "The Jew of Malta", even though it too runs on far too long. "Faustus", which followed, certainly doesn't have THAT problem, and it continues Marlowe's streak of dominating, fascinating leading men. Faustus is one of those roles which is a delight for an actor, as he quite literally sees all of human history, and what lies beyond, but the play is a challenging work. First of all, Marlowe was a pioneer, working in a medium that was far from fully-formed. "Faustus" is a significant step away from his early plays, which are glorified poems at times, and it's only in Faustus' (justified) opening and closing monologues that we get something too lengthy for the stage.

The story itself - the learned man giving up his future life for present glory - would be replayed again and again in both Western and Eastern dramas, and it's not hard to see why. Faustus' most beautiful moments include, of course, his "Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?" speech, and his final realisations that he is truly damned. The rest of the play is never quite certain what it wants to be. The comic interludes are (pardon the pun) damn funny, even if they sometimes feel like they wandered in from another play. The Representational elements in Faustus' good and evil angels are - understandably - removed from some modern productions. The play, intriguingly, chooses to portray very little of Faustus' 24-year orgy, instead showing us only the beginning and ending of his deal with Lucifer. It's an enjoyable production, but an uneven one. While Marlowe had managed to tame his language for the stage, he created something lacking in subtlety and still a long way from the bravura productions that Shakespeare was about to start writing for the London stage.

This review - in retrospect - is less than coherent, and I apologise. I don't want to seem like a complete dolt for so blithely dismissing "Faustus". It is a fascinating play done well, and has at its core a character whose desires and fate will probably remain relevant and terrifying as long as we live. As in all of Marlowe's work, moments of pure beauty rise to the surface and the comedy was archetypal for what was to follow with other authors. Yet to me, it still feels slight. It has neither "The Jew of Malta"'s dramatic unity nor "Edward II"'s sheer breadth of character. Instead, it is Marlowe's most crowd-pleasing mature play. A pioneer for its time, and still of merit to the Western canon (whatever you believe that to be) but - sad to say - since eclipsed.

[cleverusername2 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I love Shakespeare too, but his verbiage is much harder to follow than Marlowe. This story, what can I say. It's about hubris, forbidden lore, attaining ultimate power and ultimate corruption. It's epic and just as relevant all these years later.

[kaelirenee · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

The steps we take to gain knowledge and save our souls... It's a classic for a reason.

[tikitu1reviews · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

The introductory essay reads almost like a parody of scholarship, and the notes are almost totally useless for appreciating the play. The play itself is great though, particularly the (surprisingly sympathetic) character Mephistophilis. Faustus himself comes across as foolish rather than tragic, and his reaction once his damnation arrives doesn't make him look any better. The demon gets most of the really emotionally affecting lines.I was surprised how much I recognised -- it seems that the play has had just as much influence as any single work of Shakespeare's. Pop quiz: what's the deal with "Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it"? Answer: it's Mephistophilis's answer to the question "How comes it then that thou art out of hell?":"Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of GodAnd tasted the eternal joys of heaven,Am not tormented with ten thousand hellsIn being depriv'd of everlasting bliss?"Heavy stuff, to which Faustus proudly replies"What, is great Mephistophilis so passionateFor being deprived of the joys of heaven?Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitudeAnd scorn those joys thou never shalt possess."If you wanted to make Faustus a Tragic Hero, his fatal flaw would be simple: he never listens to sensible advice and warnings.I recommend the play, but the particular edition I've got is not worth searching out. Depending on your flexibility with spelling, it might be worth getting a modern-language edition like this one though.

[dcarchitect_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Shakespeare's contemporary Christopher Marlowe gives us his version of the Faustian Legend.

[antiquary_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

The great scenes meeing the devil, Helen, the final damnation) are truly great, but some of the comedy is very feeble.

[deptstoremook · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This short but important work seems to pre-figure the more nuanced and complex ethical questions that Shakespeare starts addressing a few years down the line from when this piece was written and performed.The length of the piece makes it easy to analyze, but also leads to a shallowness of meaning. Doctor Faustus, having explored and mastered all the fields of study he knows of, turns to the occult to relieve his boredom. Though constantly advised against it, he summons the demon Mephistopholes and sells his soul to Lucifer in exchange for "four and twenty" years of power.These years are squandered--naturally, perhaps; what is the point of doing anything when you needn't expend any effort doing it? Faustus refuses to repent to God for his sins, and is dragged down to Hell/consumed by demons. End of story. If you don't repent, you're damned, but if you do repent, you're saved. Not quite the multi-layered ethics Hamlet.While the piece might lack in symbolic depth, the language is (in my opinion) very well-crafted, not to mention quotable:Was this the face that launch'd a thousand shipsAnd burnt the topless towers of Ilium?Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.(I remember one of my high school English teachers reflecting that Faustus must certainly have been lonely to summon an apparition of Helen to accompany him. I must admit, though, that I too would like to see just what was so great about this girl!)Overall, one of the 'classic' Elizabethan plays, it lives up to its reputation and is only rated so because it is overshadowed by other formidable works of the time period.

[smiler69 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This short play is based on a classic German legend about Faust, a scholar who makes a deal with the devil where he proposes to sell give his soul in exchange for unlimited knowledge and pleasure. In Marlowe's interpretation, Doctor Faustus asks the Devil for twenty-four years of life during which time the demon Mephistopheles will do his bidding, in exchange for his soul which will spend eternity in the fires of hell, and he signs his pact with Lucifer in his own blood to finalize the deal. Throughout the play, we see Doctor Faustus being pulled between his craving for unlimited power and his yearning for salvation, with the Good Angel urging him to repent and the Bad Angel encouraging him to fulfill his promise. Faustus chooses to keep to the path of sin for the privileges that power affords him, such as the ability to perform magic, and is taken to hell by Mephistopheles when his time on earth is expired. Of course, there is much more that can be said about this play, but I am not a scholar and have found that Wikipedia gives a very interesting—and thorough—analysis of it. I did have a little bit of trouble understanding some of the old English and numerous Latin quotes and expression, although these were translated in my annotated version. I was expecting a very serious and dark approach to this story, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was in fact treated with quite a lot of humour. I initially became interested in the legend of Faust when I was reading [The Master and Margarita], which is why I got this book, forgetting all along that Bulgakov had based himself on Goethe's [Faust], written much later, but am glad I did read the Elizabethan classic interpretation first which will give me something to compare Goethe's version to when I get to it.

[unionhawk_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

A tragic tale, yet not so tragic, if you think about it. Faustus isn't exactly a character you can really cheer for, given his devilish tricks and arrogance.I enjoyed reading Doctor Faustus, despite being assigned to read it for English class. It was an interesting story, and I would read it again.

[regularguy5mb · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Dr. Faustus is the classic tale of a man who sells his soul to the devil in return for power and prestige. This is the story that so many similar stories over the years have taken their cues from.This is one of those plays that gets mentioned in pop culture so much that Faust is just an accepted part of the cultural zeitgeist. There was even a short lived television show in which two agents for Good tracked down humans who had made deals with the devil called "Faustians."I feel like everyone should either read or see this play performed at least once in their lives.

[floratina · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

READ IN ENGLISH

It is one of the stories you've read parts of in class or maybe just heard about (it is after all not as well known as Shakespeare; but I personally like this one better).

Dr. Faustus is tempted to sell his soul to the devil in order to make his wishes (ultimate wisdom for example) come true.
The story shows similarities to a well known 16th century Dutch play called 'Marieken van Nieumeghen'; in which Marieken also makes a deal with Mephisto in exchange for wisdom.

It's a short read, just sit down an hour or two and read this book. It's available for free on forgottenbooks.com. I liked the Latin in it as well, but when you can't translate it, it's not a problem to understand the story. Personally I liked the notes which came with the story (as it is a play) and some seemed rather extraordinary but were fun to read and imagine Enjoy the story!

[brent6hall · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

A must read, it's a classic

[eldatari · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Even if you haven't read this play, you're probably familiar with the tale of Dr. Faustus. The fact that this tale has proven so enduring over the centuries is due in good part to the power of this text. Reading this play, it's hard to believe that it was written back in the 1500s. Marlowe is every bit as good as his contemporary, William Shakespeare.

[klai_78 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Perhaps it's because this play only survives in two very different source texts, I couldn't help feeling that it didn't work nearly as smoothly as I had hoped. Mostly enjoyed it, except for the occasional cobbled-togetherness. The story itself is a classic.Could have done with a more erudite edition, too: the annotations etc in this edition are about high school level.

[joririchardson · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I expected Marlowe's writing to be closer to Shakespeare, but instead he reminded me more of Dante or Chaucer.A well written play with religious, philosophical, and allegoric implications. Doctor Faustus is overly attracted to power and wealth, and thus begins to practice necromancy. This leads to him securing a pact with the devil, Lucifer, and selling his soul in return for riches and fame.I loved how this work of theater combined comedy with tragedy, though I would say that I felt more moved by the ironic sadness of the story than the laughable scenes.A very good work of literature.

[heidilove_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

fun, witty, and all that marlowe has to offer.

[alera_6 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

This play reveals the story of a common man who allows his greed for knowledge to overwhelm his common sense and objectivity and lead him down a cursed path from which he cannot recover. It is also a commentary on the plight of the Renaissance man as he attempted to find and define himself without God. Intriguing to look at, and quite revealing to the mindset of both the author and the time.

[the_awesome_opossum · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

The Faustian deal of selling your soul to the devil is so pervasive in our culture now, most people would probably be familiar with the story without having read it - either Marlowe's version or any other. Partly morality play (although more engrossing than most) and partly commentary on pre-destination versus free will, Doctor Faustus is about a young scholar who manages to conjure up a devil and live a short and sweet life of luxury before his eternal damnation. Faustus is never a particularly sympathetic character - he is horrifically short-sighted and solipsistic, right up to his final hour before damnation. But it is entertaining, and would be a fun play to stage. Plus it's interesting to see the origins of what I had thought of as a timeless cultural legend

[maowangvater · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Based on the Faustbuch, an anonymous cautionary tale about the German magician who sold his soul to the devil, this Elizabethan update on the old medieval morality play is enlivened by short comic sketches layered between the miraculous conjuring tricks—complete with fireworks for special effects—and tragedy as Faustus, torn between Good and Evil Angels struggles with thoughts of repentance only to sign a compact with the devil in his own blood in exchange for the spirit of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy, to be his lover. The language is marvelous. Here’s three verses, from Scene 13, of what Ben Johnson characterized as “Marlowe’s mighty line.”Was this the face that launch’d a thousand ships,And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.

[akblanchard_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Elizabethan dramatist Christopher Marlowe wrote the first English-language version of the classic German tale of a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for knowledge and worldly pleasures. There are different, varying texts; I read the 1604 edition as provided by Project Gutenberg, which "is believed by most scholars to be closer to the play as originally performed in Marlowe's lifetime" (according to Wikipedia). I was pleasantly surprised at how readable and easy to follow this play was. Faustus is not a sympathetic character (one sign of his narcissism is that he always refers to himself in the third person) but it is hard not to feel sorry for him when the end of his twenty-four years of earthly pleasure come to an end, and the Devil takes is due.My 2008 Kobo e-reader (which came with the text pre-loaded) did not allow me to easily access the footnotes at the end of the text, which was just as well. The footnotes tend to be a distraction, and most of them compared varying editions of the play, which may be useful for scholars, but not for general readers.