Dr Faustus

In Euripides’ Medea and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr.Faustus both authors used the supernatural elements to serve each tragedy. The differences in the two works are the relationships between the supernatural and the main characters work oppositely and are reciprocal correlations of each other, creating different conflicts for the central characters. Medea is tempted to use the supernatural powers she was born with, whereas Dr Faustus lets the idea of possessing supernatural powers tempt him to sell his soul to the devil. Both characters are tempted; both use the supernatural, but only one character is punished. Through examination of both works ideas of why gender and status in society affect the outcomes in Medea and Dr Faustus.
Doctor Faustus’ desire to possess supernatural powers resulted in Doctor Faustus selling his soul to the Devil in return for twenty four years of service from Mephastophilis. In the beginning of the play Faustus had many ambitious ideas as to what he would do with supernatural powers. He envisioned himself becoming wealthy, but he also wanted to discover the world. "How am I glutted with conceit of this! Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please, resolve me of all ambiguities, perform what desperate enterprise I will?"(1.1.77-80).Faustus was excited to have the spirits working in his favour. Faustus believed that the possession of supernatural powers would allow him to enlarge his kingdom of knowledge, however we see that the only kingdom enlarged is the Devil’s kingdom when he takes Faustus’ soul. (2.1.40) The way the stage was set up had a lot to do with the realism of the play. At the end of the play Dr. Faustus was taken away to hell by the supernatural and the audience was able to imagine what happened behind the scenes through Marlowe’s use of imagery-It strikes, it strikes! Now body, turn to air, or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell! O soul, be changed into small water-drops and fall into the ocean, ne’er be