Is Faustus a Tragic Hero Essay

Much of the information in Dr Faustus is derived from a collection of semi-fictitious German stories (the Faustbuch) in which the life of German scholar and purported necromancer, Georgius Faust ar narrated. Where the Faustbuch narrates a simple tale of sin and retri besidesion, Marlowe creates a disaster in which a military man being makes a clear choice for good or bad, with almost knowledge of the possible outcome. In order to do this, Marlowe has drawn on the conventions of important Greek tragedy, some(prenominal) of which dictate the nature of the hero or heroine.In ancient times, a hero achieved heroic placement not because of saintliness or wickedness, but because of the acts he performed in life. The hero should have a socially high status and suffer a reversal of fortune in which he experiences great suffering. This is all for sure dependable of Faustus, who is highly regarded as both a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg, and an accomplished scholar. During his life, he performs bizarre feats, which were unlike anything experienced by lesser mortals.Even by modern standards, the notion of necromancy is unreassuring for a contemporary Elizabethan audience, for whom religion permeated all aspects of life, it would have been inconceivably horrific. Once Faustus is glutted with disciplines golden gifts and surfeited upon cursed necromancy he uses his powers to embark upon amazing adventures (for example learning the secrets of uranology upon the summit of mount Olympus) which, again, are befitting of the tragic hero. Faustus reversal of fortune is also typically tragic.During the lowest scene of the play, in which we witness Faustus final hour before being taken off to hell, he is, like all heroes of classical tragedy, completely isolated. There is a poignant contrast in Faustus degeneration from the successful, revered conjurer of the previous scenes, to the disillusioned scholar we see here. In despair, he tries to conjure and th row condition the earth to gape open but realises that, o no, it will not harbour him. His terror, desperation and disturbed hopes are all conveyed by the final soliloquy, which is both graphic and strong-arm in its nature.The dramatic effect of Faustus death, as his flesh is torn by devils, is at the same time horrendous and moving. His experiences the type of physical anguish reminiscent of the blind Oedipus, and this enactment of the spectacle of pain and death is at the heart of a true up tragedy. In order for the audience to engage with the hero, and emotional state empathy and pathos as a result of his suffering, it is congenital that he is presented with the opportunity to make conscious decisions about his fate, all be they the wrong ones. The plot of Dr Faustus contains some(prenominal) such opportunities.Faustus is given a chance to repent on several occasions before signing the contract with Mephastophilis, he seems to heed the voice of the good angel, and is about to turn to beau ideal again, but denies this as a possibility because God does not love him. However, despite the vain fancies of God and promised land which clearly plague him, Faustus is resolute and clear about what he is committing himself to. Here, we see another trait of the classical tragic hero, hell bent on a course of action which he believes is right, pull d admit perspective he knows it will eventually bring about his downfall.Even at the very end of his 24 years, when the hope of salvation comes along in the form of the old man, Faustus (fearful of the wrath of Lucifer) instructs sweet Mephastophilis to torture his would-be(prenominal) saviour. When Faustus chooses to kiss the image of Helen of Troy, whom he knows is nothing more than a demonic spirit in disguise, we feel that he must realise he has made a fatal choice. By now the tragedy is inevitable of his own free will Faustus has rejected all hope of salvation and the audience waits in trepidation for his imp ending doom.The question of fate versus free will is a key theme in Dr. Faustus, and one which is important when considering Faustus himself as a tragic hero. If, indeed, Faustus has the freedom necessary to change or nobble his predicament then he is truly a tragic hero. The chorus assertion that cut is the growth which might have grown full straight, does seem to support the idea that Faustus was not ordain from the generator, but was given choices and opportunities to repent his wicked ways.Mephastophilis sums this up perfectly when, in response to Faustus desperate, remorseful heraldic bearing thou hast deprived me of the joys of heaven, he reminds Faustus that twas thine own seekingthank thyself. However, when we consider the religious beliefs held by most of Marlowes contemporaries, there appears to be a contradiction in Faustus apparent free will. In Elizabethan times, the ideas of a popular branch of Christianity known as Calvinism (of which Marlowe himself would certai nly have been aware) were widespread.Calvinists held the belief that human beings, as a direct consequence of original sin, have no free will. Also, Christianity has traditionally taught of Gods omnipotence and omniscience- i. e. God knows all and sees all. It follows, therefrom that God has planned our fate and knows it long before we are even born. If this is the case, then doubt must be cast upon the notion of Faustus as a true tragic hero if his fate was already mapped out then all the choices presented to him are rendered arbitrary.When debating with himself at the beginning of the play, Faustus does seem to have some awareness of this, reasoning that we are all inherently sinful and therefore are condemned to die, because the reward of sin is death. Despite the fact that Faustus essentially cheats, twisting quotes from the Bible in order to justify his intended pursuit, one cannot help but feel that he shows insight into the problems raised(a) by fate/free will, concluding t hat what is meant to be shall be (che sara, sara).In conclusion I would word that for the most part, Faustus is the perfect example of the tragic hero. He is an engaging character who holds the audiences attention until the very last, even when we do not find his personality particularly appealing. Indeed, the arrogance and blasphemy apparent in legion(predicate) of Faustus speeches (a greater subject fitteth Faustus wit, Faustus, try thy brains to gain a deity etc) are trace of the classical tragic hero.For example, Faustus pride and arrogance (which the Greeks called hubris) is strikingly similar to that of Aeschylus tragic hero, king Agamemnon. As farther as the issue of free will is concerned, I think that Faustus does have the opportunity to make his own decisions, despite Marlowes paradoxical portrayal of a God whom, whilst able to control our predestination, cannot (when it comes down to it) control or undo the contract which Faustus makes.