Poetics

Antigone: The Tragic Hero Aristotle defined the tragic hero as one who suffers total destruction almost entirely by their own hand because of a fatal flaw. Scholars would call this the tragic flaw. The play Antigone, by Sophocles, has multiple characters that could be argued as the tragic hero, but the best and most defining of a true Greek tragic hero would be that of the character Antigone. Antigone has many fatal and tragic flaws that lead to her demise. The foremost of Antigone’s tragic…

Tragic Heroes have either a character flaw or a situation that causes a situation that causes the character’s downfall and suffering, and John Proctor fits this definition perfectly. John Proctor is a main character from the book The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, which is a play about a town with people that accuse each other for being involved with witchcraft. The consequence is hanging which sadly is the outcome for many. There are a few tragic heroes in the play, but the one that stands…

Aristotle’s famous tragedy Oedipus Rex, Oedipus the protagonist suffers a great tragedy upon discovering who he is, and fulfilling his horrible fate. Oedipus’ flaws are shown as hamartia and hubris. According to Aristotle a true tragic story must contain a tragic hero who in the beginning of the play is loved and adored by everyone, but have flaws so the audience can relate to him/her. This tragic hero must also show hamartia which is a flaw or defect that brings about their their own downfall.…

Aristotle argues that a tragic hero is, “who is not eminently good and just, whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.” In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the protagonist; John Proctor, is led to his misfortune through his fatal sin of adultery with his former slave; Abigail Williams. Proctor, a well-respected and powerful man in town, feels the guilt with what he had done with his wife Elizabeth, so he repents his sin in court by blackening his own…

Erin Hunter once said in Tallstar’s Revenge “We all have our flaws. But we overcome them. And sometimes, it's our flaws that make us who we are.” In the modern-day society, it is generally accepted that imperfections are the traits that make people unique and develop their character. These imperfections or flaws can be the reason or cause for how futures play out and determine the paths in life that one could take. Similarly, in William Shakespeare's play Othello, character flaws play a massive…

When one thinks about a hero, oftentimes what comes to mind is a large, brooding man with hulking muscles and a beautiful girl on his arm. However, Greek tragedian Sophocles imagined a different breed of hero that was later defined by Aristotle. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a highborn person who, as a result of some tragic flaw or shortcoming in his personality, makes a mistake in judgement which brings about misery, a loss of moral dignity, great sorrow, and suffering. In Sophocles's…

The Crucible A tragic hero is defined as a character who makes a judgement error, or has a fatal flaw that leads to his or her destruction. Tragic heros are typically honored and respected, but once they’ve made their error, they are greatly judged by the surrounding people and their peers. Following the hero’s downfall, they receive pity and sympathy from their community and family and it becomes hard for them to forgive themselves, and gain back the forgiveness from others. Tragic heros make…

The Tragedy of Othello When one speculates on the word tragedy, it is commonly associated with the traditional genre of Greek dramatic plays. A tragedy is a type of drama, which depicts the causally related events, that lead to the downfall and suffering of the protagonist, a person of unusual moral or intellectual stature or outstanding abilities (Lecture). Tragedies, from their origin of ancient Greece, never faltered, and continues to be an appreciated genre of drama. William Shakespeare is…

Although bleak, the story of Oedipus could be the story of any of us. Yes, everyone could capitulate to a foreboding future, for it is out of our hands, just as it was out of his. Even before he could speak there was prophecy of what he would come to do. He unknowingly killed his father, only to learn about it twenty years later. He takes his own eyes out with the pins of his mother’s brooches. Oedipus is a classic example of a tragic hero because of his unjust fate and cruel circumstances.…

The author, Halsey, uses poetic devices such as metaphors and repetition to reveal that the true meaning of “Gasoline” is that people with mental illnesses go through a lot and it is usually damaging but they can come out stronger because of it. The first poetic device that Halsey uses is repetition. She wrote, “You can't wake up, this is not a dream,”(11). This line is used in every refrain and continues to add meaning each time. The supposed dream Halsey is referring to is life and how she…