Dr Faustus, first performed in 1594, was a theatrical sensation from the outset: one perfomance in its first run was abandoned as the actors became convinced there was 'one devil too many amongst them'. Marlow transformed a moral prose tale (The English Faustbook, translated from German into English in 1592) into a compelling, disturbing drama of a scholar's struggle with his own desires, emphasising Faustus's own responsibility for his damnation.