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Is Dr Faustus Atragic Hero

Essay by   •  March 22, 2012  •  Essay  •  476 Words (2 Pages)  •  1,410 Views

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be of noble/high stature

2 - Hubris (tragic flaw) - pride blinds them

3 - Downfall

4 - Enlightenment (near the end of the play)

5 - Their death

Someone of high position; in this time period, that meant royalty. He is 'universal,' meaning that everyone everywhere can relate to the kinds of problems or sufferings or emotions that the hero experiences. He has a 'tragic flaw' - this could be a personality trait (like greed, lust, ambition, jealousy, etc.), OR an error in judgement (a bad decision). This 'tragic flaw' leads to his downfall - usually ruins his career, reputation, power, etc. He is enlightened at the end of the story, meaning he realizes where he went wrong, he is humble, and he accepts the consequences .

Answer:

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Tragic hero: A character with a fatal flaw who is brought down from status as a result of fate or their own insecurity. They normally suffer more than they deserve but by the end of the play the audience will their demise.

Desdemona could be argued to be a tragic heroine, Othello is the main tragic character but Desdemona is brought down from her status and eventually killed because of Othello's jealousy and Iago's interference. She has flaws: you could say she is too good, she trusts too much and her promise to help Cassio leads her to her death. She also continues to love and stand by Othello even when she knows he will kill her. She has a tragic downfall which parellels Othello's, Shakespeare built up their romance to a high point at the beginning of act 2, and from then on Iago's plan comes into action and ruins everyting

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A 'hero' does great deeds and/or has great powers. A 'tragic hero' has the same greatness, but there's an unhappy outcome in store. 'Tragic' refers to that unfortunate, unhappy consequence that tends to be loss of one's own life or of whomever or whatever gives meaning to that life.

For example, Antigone does the great deed of seeing that her brother Polyneices' god-given rights to proper funeral procedures are respected. But in so doing, she loses her life.

In the way of another example, Antigone's father, Theban King Oedipus, does the great deed of ending the cruel tyranny of the Sphinx over the city and citzens of Thebes. But in so doing, he ends up being rewarded with a royal wife and a royal job. Unbeknownst to him, the royal marriage leads him down a path to incest and anguish, because Theban Queen Jocasta turns out to be his own mother. The royal job leads him down a path to self-mutilation and disgrace,

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