Tragic Flaw Essay

Edith Wharton follows the tragic story of main character Lily Bart. The novel focuses on this upper class group in society and Lily's constant struggle and ultimate failure to keep her place in this group. Her decisions causes her social decline, ending ultimately with her death. Lily’s story follows the classic structure of a tragedy, most importantly including a tragic flaw and a great deal of suffering. After carefully analyzing Lily, it is clear that her tragic flaw is the need for a high…

represented by Shakespeare's character hamlet, He fates himself to failure with his major flaw of being indecisive keeping him from being able to avenge his father's death. Shakespeare emphasizes the major flaw in the play, Hamlet dilemma was “to be or not to be” His story was a tragedy, but he was also a hero. He was always fighting himself in an internal battle where in the end he had to realize his tragic flaw. Hamlet had become distressed when his mother Gertrude married his uncle Claudius…

Othello was a tragic hero with many good traits but he had one major flaw. The flaw that I saw Othello have in Shakespeare’s play was Jealousy and eventually all of his Jealousy is turned in to hate. Iago the arch villain in the play made Othello believe that his wife Desdemona and his lieutenant Michael Cassio were having an affair. Othello’s jealousy towards Desdemona and Michael Cassio eventually lead Othello to murder his love, Desdemona, and taking his own life at the end of the play. You…

In the Greek play Antigone by Sophocles, the character Creon had a tragic flaw. He wanted to appear as strong as he could and he was so prideful. Creon was the king of Thebes and the uncle of Antigone. He fell because of his tragic flaw, pride. Creon was prideful in wanting to appear strong. He fought in a war to become king and he buried Eteocles, to show strength in honor. "Eteocles, who died as a man should die, fighting for his country is To be buried with full military honors." (Sophocles…

to take the curse away is to find the murder of King Laius. Although, Oedipus was an honorable king and cared for the people of the kingdom; he also had his flaws that lead him to the disaster. His tragic flaws were that he was too prideful, he would not think things through, and the anger he could not control. One of the main flaws of Oedipus was that he could not hold in his anger when something occurred he did not like. For example, when Oedipus was interrogating Teiresias into…

The Last trait that fully makes up Oedipus' tragic flaw is his ignorance and lack of self knowledge. He is completely oblivious of his origin. He is thus metaphorically blind by not having access to the fundamental truth of his personal life. This is made abundantly clear when Tiresias ask the question of who his parents are to Oedipus, he then responds by saying: " Parents? Wait! Who were my parents after all?" (Sophocles 40). Based on Oedipus' question the audience can see that he is totally…

young Geatish hero named Beowulf who travels to the land of the Danes to save them from the lurid demon, Grendel. Though Beowulf’s character epitomizes the Anglo-Saxon epic hero, Beowulf also possesses three major flaws that distract modern readers from his ultimate heroism. Beowulf’s first flaw, conceitedness, is apparent in the boasts he makes upon his arrival at Herot. Though it is obvious that the Geat is a talented and mighty warrior, his actions, not his continual gloats, should illuminate…

I think Antigone is the tragic hero in the play. The first flaw Antigone shows is selflessness. She wanted to be loyal to her brother. The second flaw is a reversal of fortune. Antigone and Ismene are the only ones left in her family. The third flaw is Antione has a downfall. Antigone did not listen to her sister so she was being stubborn and brave. Since all of this has happened Antigone fits all the tragic hero elements. The first important tragic flaw Antigone shows is how she is selfless…

painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never perfect” (L’engle). While everyone would like to believe that they are perfect, no one is born without a flaw. Some people have desirable qualities and admirable virtues that may seem like perfection, but underneath they have more serious flaws in their character. In Chinua Achebe’s literary work Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo struggles with his hamartia, or fatal flaw. Born to a lazy, effeminate…

Hamlet by william Shakespeare is a tragedy that has a bunch of curves and ups and downs. Prince Hamlet's tragic flaw is in inability to avenge his father's death he almost killed claudius but didn't want to kill him in prayer so he would go to heaven. Some exciting things happen in this book and I will explain with quotes and proof. Prince Hamlet is trying to avenge his father's death but loses his sanity along the way. He puts on a play to show how claudius kills King Hamlet by…