Hamlet; Dr. Faustus Most Human

Hamlet; Dr. Faustus

Most human beings consider themselves as moral according the norms and values of the societies and communities within which they live. Being moral, these human beings also generally operate according to these sets of principles, because it is the "right thing to do." The "right thing" is however not always easy to do or indeed to identify in the first place. In the case of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, for example, Hamlet struggles to identify the right thing to do because of the many uncertainty factors. He is uncertain whether the specter he saw was in fact his father's ghost, and if so whether the ghost is confused regarding his own death. The title character in Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlow struggles with making the right decision as a result of the intoxication of power. Throughout the play, he intends to accept salvation and denounce Lucifer, but in the end the deal that he signed in blood proves too strong. Both main characters meet their respective ends at the end of the plays. Both Dr. Faustus and Hamlet to a large extent meet their deaths as a result of their inability to act in a decisive and speedy fashion.

Indecision, Lethargy, and the right thing

Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, addresses the moral issue from the viewpoint of a Prince not only in grief, but also in confusion. Hamlet is confused about the nature of the ghost and its intentions. It could be a specter that wants to sow confusion and death in the world of the living, or it could be truly his father who is simply confused. Thirdly, the specter could in fact be telling the truth. This is what Hamlet agonizes over for most of the rest of the play. This uncertainty causes his indecision and initial inability to act in a decisive manner. Later in the play, what Hamlet believes is the truth makes him act in a rash manner, and making fatal mistakes as a result. These are punctuated by periods of debilitating melancholy and a periodically grim focus on the nature of death and physical decay. These are the issues he faces in his quest to uncover the truth behind his father's death, and to eventually avenge his father before dying himself.

Dr. Faustus in Marlowe's play is also lethargic and indecisive. The moral thing to do in the context of this play is the Christian action of repentance. Faustus struggles to reach this decision, as he is intoxicated by the power he received from Lucifer in return for his soul. Ironically, however, this "power" falls far short of what has been promised. Faustus receives power, but loses his motivation to use it in anything approaching a world-changing fashion. While Hamlet is debilitated by uncertainty, Faustus is debilitated by the evil to which he has sold his soul. Like Hamlet, Faustus dies at the end of the play, but not in a glorious manner. His death is tragic because it has no redeeming quality.

Comparative Themes

The theme of death is prominently addressed by both plays. In Hamlet, this theme addresses the physical aspect of death. Several important figures die during the course of the play. Notably, the respective deaths of Ophelia and Polonius are directly or indirectly connected to Hamlet's actions of negligence or rashness. Both these people were important to Hamlet, as his grieving speeches demonstrate. In adding these deaths to that of his father, Hamlet becomes obsessive and often grim in his considerations of physical death and decay. In the play, the theme of death is centralized in Hamlet's famous soliloquy, "To be or not to be," in which he considers both physical decay and the possibilities of life after death.

In Dr. Faustus, the theme of death is entirely focused upon what happens after physical death. Physical decay is not so much the issue as spiritual decay. As Faustus progresses through the play, his reluctance to make the decision towards the moral right progressively decays his resolve towards this possibility. In the end, he is unable to break the bondage of his immorality, and dies permanently as a result. Death is therefore viewed in terms of the Christian duality of redemption and eternal damnation. The symbol of blood is prominently connected to this duality. Faustus uses his blood as a seal for his deal with the devil, and the blood of Jesus exemplifies the redemption that is available to him throughout the play.

The possibility of life after death is a theme that Hamlet only touches upon in his considerations. He addresses this theme as the possibility of dreaming: "To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; / for in that sleep of death what dreams may come" (Act III: sc.i). These are however only speculations and differ widely from the certainty of Marlowe's world. For Shakespeare, morality is grounded in the physical reality, whereas Marlowe's morality lies in the world of the spiritual.

The supernatural is another prominent theme in both plays. For Hamlet, the supernatural is focused upon the image of the ghost and its impact upon his life throughout the play. Although the ghost only appears at the beginning, it impacts all of Hamlet's actions. His indecision, his apparent madness, and finally his movement towards revenge are all the result of the apparition. The apparition is therefore symbolic of the moral theme: Hamlet is to avenge his father's death in order to prevent the killer and his conspirators from profit.

In Dr. Faustus, the theme of the supernatural is more concrete. The play is filled with elements such as magical spells, dragons, demons, and angels. Although these are spectacular, and Faustus goes as far as exploring the universe on the back of a dragon, they leave something to be desired in terms of substance. Faustus is unable to accomplish anything significant with his magic, and does not progress much beyond common trickery, despite the fact that the beginning of the play shows him busily at work in his study to find ways of becoming a more powerful magician:

sound magician is a mighty god: Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity."

Ironically, what Faustus does gain is a debilitating demon that disables him even from making a simple decision towards his own redemption.

As a moral point, this illustrates the illusive and deceptive nature of the devil's promises. Furthermore, Faustus is not only unable to mobilize himself to do something world-changing with his powers despite having the ability to do so; he is particularly unable to make the right decision towards his own redemption. Knowing that his soul is bound for eternal damnation does not motivate him beyond his lethargy. Indeed, it appears that Faustus's lethargy progresses with the progression of time. Eventually his lethargy proves fatal.