A Strong and Serious Beginning: The beginning of the play is very impressive. In the Prologue and early scenes, we see Faustus as a great scholar. He is intelligent, ambitious, and proud. He studies logic, medicine, law, and theology, but he is not satisfied. He wants unlimited power and knowledge. So, he chooses necromancy and rejects God. He thinks:

“A sound magician is a mighty god.”

Faustus dreams of ruling the world and controlling nature. The appearance of the Good Angel and Evil Angel shows his inner conflict. The Good Angel repeatedly tells Faustus to repent to God.

“Repent, yet God will pity thee.”

The summoning of Mephistophilis and the signing of the bond with Lucifer are very serious moments. These scenes clearly set up the tragic theme of the play. The audience feels that something great and terrible is about to happen.

A Powerful and Tragic Ending: The ending of the play is also very strong. In the final act, Faustus finally understands his mistake. Time is running out. His twenty-four years are ending. He feels fear, guilt, and deep sorrow. He wishes time could stop. He begs the mountains to fall on him and hide him from God’s anger. In fear, he says:

“Mountains and hills, come, come, and fall on me

And hide me from the heavy wrath of God!”

He cries for mercy and wants even one drop of Christ’s blood to save him. These scenes are full of emotion and terror. When the clock strikes midnight, devils appear and drag Faustus to hell. The Chorus then gives a moral warning to the audience. This tragic ending creates pity and fear and leaves a deep impression.

A Weak and Scattered Middle Part: However, the middle part of the play is not very strong. After Faustus sells his soul, the audience expects him to do great and meaningful things with his magical power. But instead, we see many comic and meaningless scenes. Faustus plays tricks on the Pope. He fools a horse-courser. He entertains the Emperor by showing spirits. These actions do not match his earlier grand dreams. He wanted to gain deep knowledge and control the world. But he wastes his power on jokes and cheap entertainment. The seriousness does not move forward properly in the middle.

Comic Scenes Break the Tragic Flow: Another reason the middle feels weak is the frequent comic scenes. Characters like Wagner, the Clown, Robin, and Rafe appear again and again. They misuse magic for silly purposes. These scenes may entertain the audience, but they reduce the tragic seriousness of the play. Instead of deepening Faustus’s inner struggle, the middle becomes full of laughter and delay.

Little Inner Development of Faustus: In the middle of the play, Faustus does not change much. He neither fully enjoys knowledge nor truly repents. He keeps moving between regret and pleasure, but there is no strong development. As a result, the middle feels empty and repetitive.

In conclusion, the statement is largely true. Doctor Faustus has a powerful beginning that presents Faustus’s ambition and sin, and a tragic ending that shows his punishment and regret. But the middle part lacks seriousness, depth, and development. It is filled with comic scenes and weak, repetitive action.