Faust: A Man of Unheroic Proportions In Faust, Goethe constructs a dramatic poem around the strengths and weaknesses of a man who, according to a personalized definition of a hero, fails miserably. A hero is someone upon whom humanity models itself and its actions, someone who can be revered by the masses as an individual of great morality and strength, a man or woman who never sacrifices his or her beliefs in adversity. Therefore, through his immoral actions and his unwillingness to respect the rights and privileges of others, Faust is determined to be a man of unheroic proportions. At the beginning of the poem we see that Faust has very strong beliefs and a strict moral code that is deeply rooted in his pursuit of knowledge. Sitting in his den, Faust describes his areas of teaching: "I have, alas, also studied philosophy, jurisprudence and medicine to the hilt and, worst of all, theology with great commitment..." It is obvious that through his studies he has appreciated deep and critical thinking, however, with Mephisto's help, he would ignore his values and pursue the pleasures of the flesh. Faust's impending downward spiral reveals the greed that both Mephisto and Faust share. Mephisto's greed is evident in the hope that he will overcome Faust's morality and thus be victorious in his bet with God; also because he is the devil and this is what he does. For Faust, greed emerges because of his desire to obtain physical pleasures and thus become complete in mind, body, and spirit. Faust's goal of becoming the Überminche is an understandable desire, however, the means by which he strives to achieve those ends are irresponsible and unjust. . It is through this greed that Faust, with the help of Mephisto, exploits others in the dishonest and greedy... middle of paper... pursuit of such a wonderful and magical place only because he admits that what he did was wrong. Reaching passage to heaven is the only thing Faust does to gain hero status. This end result is also questionable, because God would not allow such an unworthy man to accompany people who have such a high moral standard and irrefutable grace. Faust therefore does not fit into the classical definition of a hero, except that he was "...favored by the gods" and does not fit into my personal definition of a hero. Since Faust is not someone whose actions should be followed, he sacrificed his beliefs in adversity and more importantly; he destroyed anyone's life if it conflicted with any aspect of his master plan. Faust, therefore, can be considered the greatest dishero who ever gained passage to heaven.

Topic > Faust: A Man of Unheroic Proportions In Faust, Goethe constructs a dramatic poem around the strengths and weaknesses of a man who, according to a personalized definition of a hero, fails miserably. A hero is someone upon whom humanity models itself and its actions, someone who can be revered by the masses as an individual of great morality and strength, a man or woman who never sacrifices his or her beliefs in adversity. Therefore, through his immoral actions and his unwillingness to respect the rights and privileges of others, Faust is determined to be a man of unheroic proportions. At the beginning of the poem we see that Faust has very strong beliefs and a strict moral code that is deeply rooted in his pursuit of knowledge. Sitting in his den, Faust describes his areas of teaching: "I have, alas, also studied philosophy, jurisprudence and medicine to the hilt and, worst of all, theology with great commitment..." It is obvious that through his studies he has appreciated deep and critical thinking, however, with Mephisto's help, he would ignore his values and pursue the pleasures of the flesh. Faust's impending downward spiral reveals the greed that both Mephisto and Faust share. Mephisto's greed is evident in the hope that he will overcome Faust's morality and thus be victorious in his bet with God; also because he is the devil and this is what he does. For Faust, greed emerges because of his desire to obtain physical pleasures and thus become complete in mind, body, and spirit. Faust's goal of becoming the Überminche is an understandable desire, however, the means by which he strives to achieve those ends are irresponsible and unjust. . It is through this greed that Faust, with the help of Mephisto, exploits others in the dishonest and greedy... middle of paper... pursuit of such a wonderful and magical place only because he admits that what he did was wrong. Reaching passage to heaven is the only thing Faust does to gain hero status. This end result is also questionable, because God would not allow such an unworthy man to accompany people who have such a high moral standard and irrefutable grace. Faust therefore does not fit into the classical definition of a hero, except that he was "...favored by the gods" and does not fit into my personal definition of a hero. Since Faust is not someone whose actions should be followed, he sacrificed his beliefs in adversity and more importantly; he destroyed anyone's life if it conflicted with any aspect of his master plan. Faust, therefore, can be considered the greatest dishero who ever gained passage to heaven.