Though The question has been answered once before, yet I'm
replying to this again. What you have asked covers the supreme theme of this play by
Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus, which is the inner
conflict of Faustus. Marlowe's hero goes through the dilemma throughout
the entire play. It is the conflict which turns Faustus into a round character, and
successfully, makes him a tragic hero.
Faustus, who is a
renowned professor in a German university, a prolific scholar and a skillful physician
who helped his town to get rid of plague, seems to become more proud out of his fame and
achievements. He tends to practice necromancy now. What he has achieved till now could
not give him satisfaction; he wants more. And, he thinks it is black art which would
help him to reach the peak. Thus, he chooses self-willingly the wrong path for himself,
and sells his soul to Lucifer via an agreement. This ambitious man abuses his knowledge
and skills being distracted. He denies God and focuses solely on earthly pleasure. He
says to Mephostophilis that he will spend his life "in pleasure and in
dalliance" and his preference to sensuality than to spirituality makes
him a villainous character. But, Marlowe shows brilliance in giving this villainous
character a diversity.
Faustus, though driven by his
freewill, many a times tries to call Christ. His attempts to repent and coming back are
clearly shown when he is saying: "Then fear not Faustus, to be
resolute..." or "be resolute:/ Why waver'st thou?... turn
to God again" or, when he sees an inscription on his arm which tells
"Homo fuge!" and then, he falls into deep thoughts whether
he should pact the deal or not. While selling his soul to the devils, he calls Christ:
"O Christ, .../Help to save distressed Faustus' soul." Even
when he reaches the end of his life-time, he still hopes that Christ would forgive
because he knows: "Christ did call the thief upon the
cross". At the end, he realizes that, "no end is limited to
damned souls".
A tragic hero is a human
endowed with some extraordinary qualities, at the same time, possesses a hamartia or
tragic flaw in his characteristics which will lead him to face heavy downfall. This
Profound scholar Faustus, having excellence in his character, becomes a fallible man
gradually, and his life results in terrible consequence because of his pride and
ambition.
Faustus is not flatly a negative character,
rather possesses really "an amiable soul", and this fact is
implicitly depicted through his inner dilemma.
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