Doctor Faustus as a Psychological Tragedy

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DOCTOR FAUSTUS AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAGEDY
A tragedy is considered to be one of the highest aspects that might be attained with the
help of the dramatic art. The tragedy aims to stir the human emotions in a manner that is more
profound than that is done by the comedies. Doctor Faustus is one of the most highlighted
tragedies that have been composed in the sixteenth century and deals with the spiritual combat
that has been taking place within the human soul (Marlowe and Hanabusa). The playwright had
introduced the protagonist as a one of the most learned men of the era and not some royal
character unlike the other Aristotelian tragedies. The following essay discusses the psychological
aspects of Doctor Faustus, one of the most celebrated tragedies of Christopher Marlowe.
The tragedy as defined by Aristotle should be centered around a heroic character. The
tragic hero as discussed by Aristotle is known to have a single tragic flaw that in turn leads to the
deterioration of the tragic hero. The renowned Greek thinker Aristotle had stated that the major
tragic flaw or the hamartia of the tragic hero should be responsible for the downfall of the
concerned character. The character of Doctor Faustus as has been portrayed by Christopher
Marlowe is observed to have been filled with the pride regarding the wisdom that he has
acquired through the years (Zhatkin and Ryabova). The character as sketched by Marlowe is
observed to have been knowledgeable in almost all the spheres that might be known by an
individual. However, his thirst for gaining knowledge is not yet satiated and he is observed to

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have been demonstrating the Renaissance Man who has an enormous quest for acquiring
knowledge. Thus, he is observed to take resort to the practices of necromancy. The character is
observed to be stating that
A sound magician is a mighty god:
Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity.
(Marlowe)
The character is observed to have surrendered his soul to the Devil despite being highly
educated. The scholar has been described to have sold his soul to Satan for a time span of almost
twenty-four years. However, the end of the scholarly person is not as was expected by him
(Logan). He was doomed for eternity and had to endure the curse as opposed to the dream of
commandeering as well as gaining a mastery on the various subjects that he intended to acquire.
Christopher Marlowe is celebrated for his multi-fold contribution to the field of English
literature. The playwright is known to have introduced the concept of the internal conflict in the
minds of the protagonists that the playwright had been portraying in his famous plays. In Doctor
Faustus, the internal conflict is observed to be raging among the soul and the heart of the
protagonist. The major highlight of the play is observed within the spiritual conflict that is found
to be going on around in the psyche of the person concerned. The protagonist of the play, Doctor
Faustus, is presented with two sets of alternatives. The alternatives stated that the protagonist
could either follow the path of God and remain righteous in his deeds or else he could sell his
soul to Satan and gain knowledge on the practices of necromancy (Martin). The play proceeds to
reveal the fact that the given protagonist of the play resorts to the practices of necromancy and
denounces all the various practices and norms that have been related to the religious matters that

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are presented within the then society. The protagonist of the play has been known to be
psychologically and emotionally extremely attached to the religious norms that he had
denounced from the intellectual viewpoints. The protagonist of the play, Doctor Faustus, is
known to have been a true Christian within the internal operations of his psyche though he
portrays himself to be an atheist (Ladegaard). The playwright has portrayed the internal conflict
within the psyche of Doctor Faustus in a very beautiful manner with the help of the bad and the
good angels.
The internal conflict that is highlighted within the given play is put forth in three different
stages. The first stage discusses the ways in which the ambition and the pride of Faustus leads
him to bargain his soul to the Devil in exchange for the scope to gain knowledge on necromancy.
The protagonist demonstrates high amount of faith in the activities and power of Mephistopheles
when he states
“Had I as many souls as there are stars,
I would give them all for Mephistopheles,
By him I will great emperor of the world”
(Marlowe)
According to the comments by Nicholas Brooke, the protagonist of the play, Doctor
Faustus, had aimed to attain the stature of the deity (Jump). This could be achieved only when
the person would be defying the Almighty as was done by Lucifer. However, Faustus was very
closely attached to the religious matters and thus is continuously pricked by his own conscience.
This in turn leads to the constant conflict between the bad and the good angel who have been
representing his will and his conscience respectively (Vinter). The second stage demonstrates