Doctor Faustus; A Tragic Hero

          Doctor Faustus; A Tragic Hero

Doctor Faustus is a short play written by Christopher Marlowe that follows the character of Faustus and his quest for power and knowledge. Faustus is a scholar who is dissatisfied with the conventional fields of study, such as logic, law, medicine, and religion. He wants to learn more about the secrets of the universe and the nature of reality. He decides that magic and necromancy are the only ways to achieve his goals. He summons Mephistophilis, a demon who serves Lucifer, and makes a deal with him: he will sell his soul to Lucifer in exchange for 24 years of service from Mephistophilis, who will grant him whatever he asks for. However, Faustus does not use his magical power wisely or nobly. He wastes his time on trivial and frivolous pursuits, such as conjuring up illusions of famous historical figures, playing pranks on people, and satisfying his lusts. He ignores the warnings of his conscience, represented by the Good Angel and the Bad Angel, who try to persuade him to repent or persist in his sinful path. He also rejects the opportunities of salvation offered by God and his servants, such as the Old Man who urges him to seek God’s mercy. Faustus’s tragic flaw, or hamartia, is his excessive ambition and greed, which blind him from seeing the consequences of his actions. This flaw leads to his downfall, or peripeteia, at the end of the play, when he faces the horror of eternal damnation. Faustus can be considered a tragic hero because he fits the criteria defined by Aristotle in his Poetics. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be of noble or high status, have a character flaw that causes his downfall, and gain some insight or knowledge as a result of his suffering.

Faustus meets the first criterion of a tragic hero because he is a man of noble or high status. He is a doctor of divinity, which means he has a high level of education and authority in matters of religion. He is also respected and admired by his fellow scholars and students for his learning and achievements. He has mastered various disciplines and sciences, such as logic, law, medicine, and theology. He has a reputation for being a brilliant and influential thinker and teacher.

Faustus meets the second criterion of a tragic hero because he has a character flaw that causes his downfall. His flaw is his excessive ambition and greed for power and knowledge. He is not satisfied with the limits of human reason and understanding. He wants to know more than what is allowed or possible for humans to know. He wants to be like God, who knows everything and can do anything. He says:

"A sound magician is a mighty god:

Here tire my brains to get a deity" (Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 62-63).

He also wants to have worldly pleasures and honours that are beyond his reach. He says:

"O what a world of profit and delight,

Of power, of honour, of omnipotence,

Is promised to the studious artisan!" (Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 52-54).

He is willing to sell his soul to Lucifer in order to achieve his desires. He does not care about the moral or spiritual consequences of his actions. He says:

"Faustus hath incurred eternal death

By desperate thoughts against Jove’s deity.

Say he surrenders up to him his soul,

So he will spare him four-and-twenty years,

Letting him live in all voluptuousness" (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 92-96).

His ambition and greed blind him from seeing the folly and danger of his bargain. He does not realize that he is giving up his eternal salvation for a temporary and illusory satisfaction. He does not heed the warnings of the Good Angel, who tells him:

"O Faustus! lay that damned book aside,

And gaze not on it lest it tempt thy soul,

And heap God’s heavy wrath upon thy head.

Read, read the Scriptures: that is blasphemy" (Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 70-73).

He also does not listen to the advice of Mephistophilis, who tells him:

"O Faustus! leave these frivolous demands,

Which strike a terror to my fainting soul" (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 81-82).

He also rejects the offers of grace from God and his servants, such as the Old Man who tells him:

"Yet if thou wilt repent,

As Abraham did with holy fear receive

The gracious promise of our Saviour Christ;

The only Mediator for our sins,

Mountains and hills come come and fall on me,

And hide me from heavy wrath of God" (Act 5 Scene 1 Lines 66-71).

Faustus meets the third criterion of a tragic hero because he gains some insight or knowledge as a result of his suffering. He realizes his mistake and regrets his decision when he faces the imminent doom of his soul. He says:

"Ah, Faustus!

Now hast thou but one bare hour to live,

And then thou must be damned perpetually.

Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven,

That time may cease, and midnight never come" (Act 5 Scene 2 Lines 1-5).

He also acknowledges his responsibility and guilt for his actions. He says:

"God forbade it indeed, but Faustus hath done it:

For vain pleasure of twenty-four years hath Faustus

Lost eternal joy and felicity" (Act 5 Scene 2 Lines 38-40).

He also expresses his fear and despair for his fate. He says:

"O I’ll leap up to my God! Who pulls me down?

See, see where Christ’s blood streams in the firmament!

One drop would save my soul, half a drop: ah my Christ!

Ah rend not my heart for naming of my Christ!

Yet will I call on him: O spare me Lucifer!

Where is it now? 'tis gone: and see where God

Stretcheth out his arm, and bends his ireful brows!

Mountains and hills come and fall on me,

And hide me from the heavy wrath of God!" (Act 5 Scene 2 Lines 63-71).

He also shows some signs of repentance and humility at the end. He says:

"My God, my God, look not so fierce on me!

Adders and serpents let me breathe a while!

Ugly hell gape not! Come not Lucifer!

I’ll burn my books! Ah, Mephistophilis!" (Act 5 Scene 2 Lines 111-114).

Faustus is a tragic hero because he fits all the criteria defined by Aristotle in his Poetics. He is a man of noble or high status who has a character flaw that causes his downfall. He suffers for his sin and gains some insight or knowledge as a result of his suffering. His tragedy evokes pity and fear in the audience, as they witness his fall from grace and his eternal damnation. His tragedy also conveys a moral message about the dangers of overreaching ambition and greed, and the importance of repentance and grace.