Doctor Faustus Book Analysis

The many variations of Doctor Faustus title pages reveals the ways in which printers can enhance or weaken the appearance of one's work. Title pages serve as a preliminary in order to catch the eye of the readers as well as a mode of representation for the audience to interact with a piece of literature. Moreover, it serves the purpose of advertising and acts as an identifier for the author. However, over time, title pages that were once minimalistic can now be overpowering and question the author's credibility.
The print of each title page for Marlowe's “Doctor Faustus” has changed dramatically over the course of years. The first print of the play has an reverse effect in which it does not entice its audiences but steers them away. Because of the different font size and the use of capitals letters between the words “THE TRAGICALL” and “History of Doctor Faustus”, it decreases awareness of who the play is about. The words that …show more content…
Although the proportions of the title within the third print is a little off, it does serves the purpose of informing the audience and is very eye catching. There are no “aggrandizing statements about the content of the work, no elaborate borders and illustrations. Just a straightforward statement of what the work is, and who is responsible for it” (Bess Brander). This page presents itself in a simple manner but with all the information one will need to know. For example, what genre this play will be, who this play is about, as well as, get an overarching idea of this doctor based on the image provided. Although, the fourth print has all the correct words capitalized in order to have the play advertise and sell well, it is very overpowering and will cause many distractions. Having so much content on a page, with information that could better fit onto the second page of publication, it causes its readers to become confused and don’t know where to look or read