Source identified1
Image design Lavender
Read & copy
“Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?”
Meaning & context
Faustus responds to the conjured Helen of Troy by measuring her legendary beauty through the destruction associated with the Trojan War, blending desire, myth and impending tragedy.
Source details
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, represented by Project Gutenberg #779. Faustus speaks to a supernatural apparition of Helen late in the tragedy; the line is fictional dramatic speech in a scene of temptation and damnation, not Marlowe’s autobiographical judgment.