Dr. Faustus: A Tragic Hero Essay

Dr. Faustus: A Tragic Hero

Doctor Faustus died a death that few could bear to imagine, much less experience. After knowing for many years when exactly he would die, he reached the stroke of the hour of his destiny in a cowardly, horrid way. Finally, when the devils appeared at the stroke of midnight, tearing at his flesh as they draw him into his eternal torment, he screamed for mercy; not even God Himself, could pity him for what he has done. However, what to consider about Doctor John Faustus from Christopher Marlow's dramatic work of art is a very debatable issue. For example, the audience can see that he threw his life away for the sake of knowledge, becoming obsessed with the knowledge that he could possess. In this case, he is unarguably a medieval tragic hero. However, when considering the fact that he died for the sake of gaining knowledge, pushing the limits of what is possible in spite of obvious limitations and, eventually, paying the ultimate penalty, he could be considered a Renaissance martyr. I take a strong stance to support Doctor Faustus death was not in vain. He held the true essence of the Renaissance; embrace of human possibility thought that was not achievable. Doctor Faustus died as a tragic hero.

Faustus created his destiny after making the pact with Lucifer. Despite his unholy soul, Faustus is often viewed by audiences with pity and compassion. A tragic hero is a character that the audience sympathizes with despite his/her actions that would indicate the contrary. Faustus is not the mere shell of a man in the play, existing only to represent the evil in the world. He is a veritable human being with a range of emotions and thoughts. He displays pride, joy, contrition and self-doubt quite frequently. At many times, Faustus alternately displays his cowardice and foolish strength against the devils. Thus, Faustus's one saving grace with the audience is his identifiable character. Although the Doctor himself does not care for humanity, many find themselves identifying with his all too human dreams of power, knowledge and lechery; he represents the . Unfortunately, Faustus's humanity was not enough in the play to make him repent and save him from the depths of hell.

Faustus vows never to look to heaven! Never to name God or to pray to Him, to burn His Scriptures, slay His ministers, and make my spirits pull His churches down (pg 28, Line 102-105). However, Doctor Faustus planned on making the rest of his life meaningful by laying waste throughout Europe. Whilst I am here on earth let me be cloyed with all things that delight the heart of man. My four and twenty years of liberty Ill spend in pleasure and dalliance (pg 36, Line 59-62). For the next twenty four years Faustus, with Mephistophilis as his servant, has absolute power. However, in spite of this, he spent his time going to several different important places to display his power in the form of petty tricks. In Rome, Faustus turned himself invisible along with Mephistophilis and played tricks upon the Pope and some friars. He also went to the German court where he showed of his power to Emperor Carolus by conjuring the ghost of Alexander the Great. When one knight was sarcastic with Faustus tricks, he placed a set of horns on his head. Later on, Faustus sold his horse to a horse-courser on the condition that he not take the horse into water. Soon thereafter, the horse-courser returns, furious that his horse had turned into a bundle of hay in the middle of the lake.

Finally, later on in the play, Faustus conjures up Helen of Troy for some fellow scholars for their viewing pleasure.

Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of Heaven,

That time may cease and midnight never come:

Fair natures eye, rise, rise again, and make

Perpetual day; or let this hour be but a year,

A month, a week, a natural day

That Faustus may repent and save his soul.

O lente lente currite noctis equ. (pg 80, Line 143-149)

This part of the play, Faustus approaches his ultimate demise and in his final seconds, he realizes more time is all he can ask for so that he can repent for his sins. By the end of the play, Faustuss interests become an off tangent of his original ambitious pursuits that he outlined from the beginning; producing impressive benign magic for the aristocracy. He feels that he can justify his turning to witchcraft and necromancy by his gaining of all other knowledges. The irony here is that he never did, or he would have realized that even after he had committed blasphemy by conjuring spirits, he could have turned back to God. Instead of using his evil powers to attain the secrets of the universe, he plays petty tricks on various important people around the world, including the pope and the German emperor. Finally, he proved his tragic nature by trying to move above and beyond the limitations set by God himself. Faustus knew that he had to abide by certain laws and rules that God set aside for all of mankind. Faustus knew his limitations, and thus by trying to break those (time itself), he damned himself to eternal torment. Ironically, Faustus could have been the most incredible human being who ever lived. If he had repented, the world would have seen that God is truly merciful because he forgave such a blasphemous heathen as Faustus. Faustus could have become an example for all of mankind and proven that if he could be forgiven, then all could be forgiven. However, because he was stubborn, ignorant, and blind, he refused to see that he was never truly damned until he was manipulated by the devils into the heart of hell itself.