Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus: a Nietzschean Übermensch

The notion of the Renaissance Man of the sixteenth century inextricably interwoven with its emphasis on man’s individuality and human’s potentials is an issue that is closely related to the core of the Elizabethan Renaissance tragedies and more importantly to Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1604). Similarly, the hero’s, Dr. Faustus, self-selective, passionate quest for gaining absolute power through knowledge is reminiscent of the Nietzschean tragic hero, i. e. the Übermensch. Hence, the main objective of this research paper is to render a Nietzschean examination of the aforementioned play in order to reach the conclusion that Dr. Faustus’s actions and his ultimate downfall in the end can be taken into account as a Dionysian rebirth achieved through an effort of will. In the same manner, it can be concluded that Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus is a Nietzschean Übermensch on the account of the fact that he is presented as a conscious individual in search of unconditional superiority.

Keywords:

Omnipotence , Übermensch , Will , Individuality , Nietzsche , Dr. Faustus.