A Terrible Tragedy

Antigone is a play in which the identity of the tragic hero is debated over. While it was written over 2000 years ago, scholars are still at odds as to whom the tragic hero could be. Many argue that Antigone is the tragic hero, while many insist that it is Creon. Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone because of his hamartia, his recognition of his mistakes, and his neutrality. According to Aristotle, all tragic heroes must have a hamartia, or a Tragic Flaw. Creon is no different than the rest.…

Hamartia, or the first step in Aristotle 's theory of the tragic hero, explains that the play must demonstrate a flaw or error of judgement. The play offers an illustration of "hamartia" throughout its prose, as at the beginning of the play; Oedipus thinks he is free of guilt. However, his rash anger leads him to unknowingly kill his real father, King Lauis, at the crossroads. The murder of Oedipus ' father is one of the essential links in his downfall, which indicates that his anger is a very…

that the two main emotions that a tragedy seeks to invoke are pity and fear, but Clytaemnestra appears to be a fully pitiable character. Furthermore, her death by the hands of her son seem to emphasize the pitiable state she is in, but she isn’t simply a character worthy of sympathy. Clytaemnestra’s death is not only justifiable, but also deserved, and she is not a character which should be related to Aristotle’s concept of catharsis. The cathartic nature of tragedy that Aristotle writes of in…

In all Shakespearian tragedies, a tragic hero is a literary character who has great promise, ability, and integrity of character. However, a tragic hero is identified by his tragic flaw. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, Brutus’ naïve idealism and poor judgement make up his one tragic flaw – his trusting nature. In many instances, Shakespeare shows that Brutus’ tragic flaw lead to his downfall at the end of the play; he fell for Cassius’ sweet words and flattery, he truly believed that…

Tragedy is as prominent today as it was during its origins in ancient Greece. It is a dramatic and literary archetype that instills a dreary ambience within various works of literature. Through the characterization, it “treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual” (Britannica). Although, tragedy was originally intended for the stage, it has been utilized by numerous literary works. The origins of the term, Tragedy are…

In Oedipus Rex, our tragic hero, Oedipus, is subject to bountiful moments of suffering, ultimately leading him into a degraded state, which leaves the conqueror piercing his eyeballs out, and pleading his brother in law Creon, now king, to carry out his final wishes, which include exiling him, and killing him. By the end of the story, Oedipus, once a strong and fearless leader, had shrunk down to a humiliated, god detested man. Through all this pain and self-torment, however, Oedipus has…

Sophocles’ plays, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, and Euripides’ play, Medea, share the same three motifs: tragic flaw, betrayal, and self-righteousness; which create the conflicts in each of the three timeless Greek plays, and these motifs are rooted in way people behave. Oedipus’ tragic flaw is how he avidly seeks the truth, even to the extent that his wife would commit suicide and he blind himself. Compassion, which is usually predominant in women, causes Antigone’s downfall because she felt…

the Most Pity Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most tragic stories in history. It’s a play where in the end, everyone is dead. There are many things that go wrong for many people in this play. But which character is deserving of the most pity? Tragedy befalls every character. Guilt plagues the minds of the majority. But nonetheless, there is one character who’s certain exploits draw sympathy from everyone who reads the great piece of literature that is Hamlet. In the play Hamlet, the…

Tragedies come in all shapes and sizes. Natural disasters, death of a love one, and to a child, the loss of a beloved pet can be a tragic event. According to Greek philosopher Aristotle, the makings of a great tragedy include a person of “high-estate” whose downfall is due to his own tragic flaw. Aristotle says “Tragedy is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and…

What facets are necessary to deem a character tragic? Characters in Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Antigone, wholly encompass such factors. In Aristotle’s Poetics, he describes four characteristics that help make up a tragic character. However, the main concept in understanding a tragic character is to know that the character is not a victim. Of the essence of tragic characters, Aristotle states, “[They are] between two extremes - that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose…