Are the supernatural elements in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus supposed to be frightening or ridiculous?

The supernatural elements in Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus are both genuinely frightening and faintly ridiculous. The conjuring of devils in Act One for instance, in which Faustus’ evocations of “surgat Mephistopheles” are designed to chill a 16th century audience, is juxtaposed with scenes of supernatural comedy and bathos, such as when Wagner and Robin raise devils themselves. At first glance, the effect of this is to suspend the audiences disbelief, unnerving them and encouraging controversial sympathies, for instance with a humorous devil. This being said however, the ridiculousness of the supernatural elements within the play is generally superficial, and largely intended to undermine Faustus’ sense of intellectual prowess, and demonstrate his debasement over time. As such, while Marlowe does portray a significant amount of the magic within Doctor Faustus as ridiculous, this is only to highlight the pathos and wretchedness of the protagonist’s fate. It is also worth mentioning that a modern audience may perceive scenes of fright and ridiculousness differently to a 16th century one - and so the balance of the two may depend on who is watching.