Dr Faustus as a Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a character in a story who starts as a great and noble person. This character has a high status in society. The tragic hero has a flaw in his personality. A flaw is a weakness or a mistake. This flaw leads to the downfall of the hero. Downfall means that the hero loses everything. He faces suffering and destruction. In the end, the tragic hero either dies or faces great misery. This video covers Dr Faustus as a tragic hero in the light of Aristotle’s definition. The concept of a tragic hero comes from ancient Greek drama. A philosopher named Aristotle first explained this idea. Aristotle was a great thinker of ancient Greece. He wrote a book called Poetics. In this book, he explained what makes a hero tragic. He said that a tragic hero must be noble. He must have a flaw and this flaw must lead to his downfall. The downfall must cause pity and fear in the audience. Pity means feeling sad for someone and fear means being afraid that the same thing could happen to us. Dr Faustus is the main character in the play Doctor Faustus. This play was written by Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe was a famous playwright in the 16th century. A playwright is a person who writes plays. Marlowe wrote this play during the Renaissance period. The Renaissance was a time of great learning and discovery in Europe. People in this time period were very interested in knowledge and human potential. Dr Faustus is a highly educated man. He is a scholar. A scholar is a person who studies a lot and knows many subjects. He has studied many fields of knowledge. He knows about medicine, law, and philosophy. However, he is not satisfied. He wants more knowledge and unlimited power. He decides to learn magic. Magic means using supernatural forces to control the world. Faustus wants to be more powerful than any human. He wants to control nature and command spirits. Dr Faustus makes a terrible decision. He makes a deal with the devil. The devil is a powerful evil spirit. In Christian belief, the devil is the ruler of hell. Hell is a place of punishment after death. Faustus makes a contract with the devil. A contract is a written agreement. He promises to give his soul to the devil. In return, the devil gives him magical powers. Faustus gets power for twenty-four years. After that, his soul belongs to the devil. This deal is the turning point of the play. A turning point is a moment that changes everything. Before this, Faustus was a respected scholar. After this, he becomes a man doomed to destruction. Doomed means he cannot escape his fate. This is where his tragic flaw becomes clear. His flaw is his desire for unlimited power. This flaw is called hubris. Hubris means excessive pride. It is a common flaw in tragic heroes. Faustus thinks he is greater than human limits. He believes he can control his own fate. He ignores warnings from others and the consequences of his actions. Throughout the play, Dr Faustus enjoys his magical powers. He performs many tricks and amazes people. He summons spirits. He talks to historical figures. He travels the world. However, he does not use his power for anything great. He wastes his abilities on simple pleasures. He does not achieve anything meaningful. This shows that his desire for power was foolish. Faustus has many chances to repent. He could ask for forgiveness. The good angel appears and tells him to turn back. Scholars warn him about his fate. The old man begs him to seek God’s mercy. However, Faustus refuses. He is too proud to ask for forgiveness. He believes it is too late and he cannot be saved. This is another mistake. Tragic heroes often make mistakes in judgment. This is called hamartia. Hamartia means a tragic mistake. Faustus believes he is beyond saving but in reality, he still has a chance. He does not take the chance to repent. As the end of his twenty-four years comes closer, Faustus becomes afraid. He realizes that he will soon be taken to hell. He is filled with regret. He wishes he had never made the deal. He tries to delay his fate. But it is too late. At midnight, demons come to take him away. He screams in terror. He begs for more time. But he cannot escape his destiny. The play ends with Faustus being dragged to hell. Dr Faustus is a tragic hero because he fits Aristotle’s definition. He starts as a noble scholar. He has great potential. However, he has a flaw. His flaw is his excessive pride and desire for power. This flaw leads him to make a deal with the devil. His downfall is caused by his own choices. The audience feels pity and fear for him. They pity him because he is doomed. They fear that they too could make such a mistake.