The Chorus and their attitude to Dr Faustus gives the reader a rather opinionated veiw of our main character. The Chorus, most likely one person enters and tells the audience that this is not a play about love nor war, but instead will trace the “form of Faustus’ fortunes”. The Chorus chronicles how Faustus was born to lowly parents to earning the title of doctor of divinity at university.
However in this brief description we are explicitly told that his swelling pride-'swoll'n with cunning'- will lead to his downfall similarly compared to the Greek myth of Icarus as told by the line that Faustus will “mount above his reach” and suffer the consequences. Within this prologue, the Chorus has painted a man of great ego, pride and greed; already one delved into sins both from the seven deadly sins and by falling into practice of black magic.
In addition we also learn that the Prologue locates its drama squarely in the Renaissance world, where humanistic values hold sway. Most medieval or classical literature focussed on “courts of kings” which this one is not, thus showing that a man of lower birth and no great battle to tell has just as every right to have his story to be told.
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