he is not satisfied with his knowledge He wants to learn magic so that he can rule the world Faustus s intelligence and ambition make him a respected figure at the beginning Tragic Flaw Hamartia The most important characteristic of a tragic hero is a tragic flaw It means a serious weakness or mistake that causes his downfall Faustus s tragic flaw is his pride and high ambition He is not happy with what he knows He wants more knowledge and power He wants to be like God and control the world So he defies God and chooses necromancy He says A sound magician is a mighty god This pride is also known as Hubris He makes a deal with Lucifer He sells his soul in exchange for years of unlimited power and wealth This tragic flaw leads to his downfall Bad Choices and Reversal of Fate Peripeteia A tragic hero is not just unlucky he makes bad choices Faustus is warned many times The Good Angel tells him to leave magic and pray to God O Faustus lay that damned book aside An old man in the play tells him to repent before it is too late Even Mephistophilis warns him that hell is real and full of suffering Faustus ignores all these warnings His choice to continue the path of satan brings his tragic end His reversal of fate is complete from a respected scholar he becomes a cursed magician Recognition of Mistakes Anagnorisis A tragic hero realizes his mistake too late Faustus enjoys his magical powers he plays tricks on people entertains kings and calls the spirit of Helen for his lustful desire He says Sweet Helen make me immortal with a kiss At the end Faustus finally understands his mistake He realizes he has been fooled by the devil and wasted his life He is terrified of hell but it is too late In extreme fear he says Mountains and hills come come and fall on me And hide me from the heavy wrath of God The clock strikes midnight and devils drag him to hell Faustus s fear and regret in the last scene show his realization of his mistakes Catharsis Catharsis is the massive suffering of the tragic hero that arouses pity and fear among the audience As midnight comes Faustus begs for more time He cries out for God s help but the devils come to take him away This moment makes us feel pity and fear Faustus s fear and regret remind us that even a great scholar like Faustus can fall In conclusion Doctor Faustus is a perfect example of a tragic hero He starts as a great scholar but falls because of his pride and greed for power Hence his damnation is justified Faustus s final realization and suffering make him a truly tragic figure His story teaches us an important lesson too much pride and ambition can destroy a person