The concept of a "tragic hero" is nothing new; it has been in use from as early as 335 BCE, when it was introduced into Greek theatre as a character element in tragic plays. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, first documented such a character in his book Poetics, defining a tragic hero as "a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake" (Else 38). Thus, it should not be a surprise that Beowulf, protagonist of Beowulf by William Shakespeare, is lead to his eventual doom: it's already been done before. Above all, Beowulf does indeed match the classical definition of a "tragic hero" on all facets: by beginning as a hero, making poor judgements, and ending with ruin.…