Aristotle
defines the term ‘tragic hero’ as, one who must have high status but must also
be noble and virtuous. Though the tragic hero is highly remarkable, he is not
perfect. The tragic hero suffers from some error or frailty. His death or
defeat is caused by his tragic flaw of excessive pride and over confidence.
In
the present play, Faustus’s mind and soul are afire with an inordinate desire
for attaining supreme power through knowledge by any way fair or foul and even
by selling his soul to the devil. Faustus even after getting his degree of
Doctorate and studying all the important branches of learning like Philosophy,
Physics, Law and Divinity, he wants to gain super human power. Here he is going
to do something against the will of God. He is prepared to surrender his soul to
the Devils after enjoying twenty five years of life and he signs the pact and
that is his error of judgment or Hamartia for that he has to die at the end of
the play.
Knowledge
is no doubt powerful, but Faustus who is the embodiment of the dreams and
desires, forgets that there is a limit of man’s power and possibilities and
that knowledge also may become a source of ruin and destruction of life.
Hence, in the end of
the play Faustus with his limitless lust for power ultimately finds with horror
how the glory of temporary success brings about his doom and eternal damnation.
So here with the help of this character we can find some tragic elements. In nutshell,
Faustus has violated the rules established by almighty so God himself. One can
have an idea that these various symptoms of Hamartia define the nature of
tragic hero.
