Dr. Faustus as a Tragic Hero

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Doctor Faustus is a short play written by Christopher Marlowe that follows the character of Faustus and his thirst for power and knowledge. In the beginning, Faustus is consumed with the question of what is the profession that will gain the most knowledge. After analyzing logic, law, medicine, and religion he decides that none of these are capable enough of granting the enlightenment that he longs for. Therefore, he turns to magic and decides that this is the only profession that will answer his inquires. After he makes this vital decision, he agrees to sell his soul to Lucifer for twenty-four years of service from his demon Mephastophilis. Yet, even with all of this power at his finger tips, Dr. Faustus never once uses the powers given to him to gain the knowledge he earned for in the beginning. Instead, he uses the powers for petty reasons and allows his ambitions to take over his ability to make rational decisions. Dr. Faustus could be considered a tragic hero because he allows his lust for power and greed to prevent himself from seeing the destructiveness of his actions. This tragic flaw, or hamartia, is what eventually leads to his downfall, peripeteia, at the end of the show when his soul is carried off to hell with nothing gained in Faustus’ favor. Before a person can express Faustus as a tragic hero, it must be clear what defines this in a character. Historians look to Aristotle when it concerns the subject of tragedy and tragic heroes. In his book, The Poetics, he states the characteristics that make up a tragic hero. According to Aristotle a tragic hero must be of a higher status, he must have a character flaw, this flaw is what eventually leads to their own downfall, and this downfall leads to some kind of knowledge gained by the hero. With that being said, let’s examine each of these characteristics and how they apply to the character of Dr.
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