We stand at the river, on which Faustus will take his final journey.

In the beginning we are presented with clumsy illusion for the appearance of travel, confined to the limitations of a stage. Eventually the limits and boundaries of illusion will be defied.

For the moment, as he travels, the scenery will change by the medium of a moving stagecraft, as in an old-fashioned vaudeville; scenery will glide behind him, as it were the bank of the river, while Faustus remains stationery to the center of the stage.

***

Musical excerpt is

“The Hidden Treasure” by John Taverner, performed by the

Chilingirian Quartet.