Tragic Hero Essay

A hero is often described as a brave person who does everything in his power to save the lives of those around him. A tragic hero, then, can be defined as someone who is killed because of a fatal flaw, according to Greek philosopher Aristotle. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero because he fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero having goodness, superiority, a tragic flaw, and a realization that his decisions alone brought his death. To be considered an…

A tragic hero is a literary character who makes judgement error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. Aristotle said “ a hero suffers more than he/she deserves”. He believed a very long time ago that to be a tragic hero, the character must meet five criterias. The character’s fate must be greater than deserved, excessive pride, the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s own actions, a reversal of fortune brought about because of the hero’s error in…

In Shakespeare’s “Othello,” the protagonist, as well as tragic hero, is the main character Othello… obvious enough. While encompassing as the tragic hero, Othello has covered the first Tenet of Tragedy. I was able to infer that this character will be the one that develops a tragic flaw that will ultimately lead to his downfall. Othello has all the characteristics of a tragic hero, not counting his high positions in the armed forces, his inter ties with a Venetian senator, Brabantio alone lead…

thoughts eventually bring about his tragic downfall. Shakespeare depicts this flaw greatly overpowering his good qualities leading to a tremendous waste through circumstance. It is quite obvious to the audience when Macbeth’s thoughts (shown in the form of soliloquies) are dominated by ambition and power that this will be his tragic flaw and fatal downfall.…

Othello, many similarities can be drawn between the title character and tragic heroes of other famous works. These observations can be made by looking at the clear outline of characteristics that Aristotle has given use to describe such ill-fated protagonist. Even with this obvious checklist of factors some people believe he remains outside the category of the tragic hero. People try and say that Othello does not have a tragic flaw, that he is not filled with pride, or even that Othello…

character and protagonist, Okonkwo, as a tragic hero in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” The definition of a tragic hero will be examined in depth and how Okonkwo, whose flaws ultimately leads to his downfall, meets all the criteria of a classic Greek tragic hero. Aristotle describes a tragic hero as someone who has high status and who displays a tragic flaw (“hamartia”) that will in the end cause their own destruction. Aristotle explains how a tragic hero will experience a dramatic reversal…

play Antigone is a clear example of a tragic play. Tragic heroes, such as Creon, spend a great deal of time trying to avoid their fates. But in the end, fate prevails, and the tragic hero is doomed. Creon was an excellent character to portray as a tragic hero. He was a good person, good to his family and the people of Thebes. Creon used free will to try to avoid his fate. However, Creon has flaws that allow fate to come back and haunt him. Tragic heroes must be good in some way.…

a catharsis. He crafted this idea so that each tales would have a noble hero who experiences a downfall caused by nothing but his own undoing, also known as a hamartia. Although centuries later this definition has transformed, modern tragic heroes still hold similar ideals. Additionally, this archetype does not have to be limited to literature. For example, infamous stockbroker, Jordan Belfort, is portrayed as a tragic hero in the highly stylized film, The Wolf of Wall Street. His character…

old to be valuable to their employers. Willy Loman does not meet the qualifications to be a tragic hero but he shares a common story with millions of people because in modern times the common man has similar emotional situations just like kings did who are tragic heroes in drama. Willy Loman is the hero of this play to me based off what author miller wrote in Tragedy and the Common Man “ I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character…

Much of the credit is due Oedipus being presented as the “tragic hero”. He was a man who through no fault of his own was cast into a current of fate that would forever change not just his life but the life of all that were associated with him. Indeed, his story continues to deeply impact our emotions even today. Aristotle posited that a tragic hero was “such a person who neither is superior in virtue and justice, nor undergoes a change to misfortune because of vice and wickedness, but because…