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The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is one of the earliest and most compelling presentations of the story of a man who sold his soul to the Devil. It is based on the popular history of Johann Georg Faust (1466-1541) a German chemist and magician, allegedly perished in an explosion during an alchemical experiment. In the theologically charged world of early reformation Germany, a report spread that his violent death was a demonstration that the devil had come to collect his soul. The legend spread quickly and has formed the basis of many later literary and dramatic works. Marlowe's play is essentially a morality play. However, unlike medieval morality plays, in this version, Faust is portrayed as a tragic hero rather than as a hapless sinner. Marlowe's play was published posthumously in two separate folios, the first in 1604 and a more extended version in 1616. The earlier version was divided into sixteen scenes and the latter into twenty. This performance is based on a special conflation of material from both folios.

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Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) was a playwright, poet, and, famously, a contemporary of and influence on the great bard Shakespeare. Though he died before his thirtieth birthday and his career lasted only six years, he nonetheless made a lasting impression on literary history with his works such as The Tragicall History of Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great, and The Jew of Malta. Denis Daly is an audiobook narrator and codirector of Voices of Today, an Australian spoken word production house.

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