Tragic Hero

do so with honor. Taking into consideration of the many characteristics, Oedipus The King is a tragedy because it includes the protagonist’s hamartia, an anagnorisis, and peripetia. Every true tragedy comes complete with a protagonist’s hamartia, a tragic flaw resulting from a central part of their virtue. At first glance, the story seems to argue that we are all bound to an unavoidable fate, power beyond our control, but farther reading reveals that it is the characteristics in Oedipus'…

While the end of “The Birthmark” was tragic, it isn’t necessarily considered a tragedy. Given the circumstances, Aylmer and his tragic flaws are to blame for the tragedy at the end. A tragic flaw, or hamartia, was first referenced in Aristotle's work “Poetics”, where his idea is that it is an “error of judgement” that brings the character’s downfall. In Greek literature, there will almost always be tragic flaws, a trait in a character that ultimately leads to their downfall. This…

with. He was being haunted based on the charges of slave labour. To avoid Capture he flees the country. Therefore, His sense of hubris lead to his ultimate downfall in Social status and Wealth. Thus, he can be considered as a tragic hero because he suffers an extreme tragedy. However, both character differ in the amount of respect received by the community. People around him did not respect him. “Next morning I sent the butler to New York with a letter to Wolfsheim, which asked for information…

Although Kreon and Antigone are both tragic heroes in Sophocles ' Greek tragedy "Antigone", Antigone is still portrayed as the "true" hero; proving that a protagonist or antagonists ' moral, religious and cultural values contribute to their popularity as character. Initially, Antigone and Kreon could both be the story’s protagonist, but Kreon is later made the antagonist. Antigone wanted her brother properly buried, but Kreon used his rule to get in the way. Antigone has a firm belief in…

William Shakespeare was well known for the main characters of his plays using their tragic flaws to create their own downfall. In this play, we see a different kind of tragic hero. Macbeth is pushed by his mentally unstable wife to commit the murder of the beloved King Duncan, and even though Macbeth has always been known as a great warrior, he can’t use these skills for evil no matter how much he craves power. Before the idea of power was brought to him, Macbeth was a noble and loyal soldier…

A play that begins with praise, happiness, and honor soon takes a turn for the worst when the tragic hero brings grief among his wife, leader, friends, and colleagues. Macbeth brings about suffering to all of these characters in his grasp for power contributing to the tragic vision of the play. Macbeth goes from a stand up, respected warrior to a bloody tyrant. It is his flaw of greed that turns him into an unruly king, bringing his closest companions down with him. Lady Macbeth suffers the most…

United States justice system is corrupt. It has been and will be influenced by racial prejudice and biased toward the rich and famous. Orenthal “OJ” Simpson, born in poverty but raised to the status of an American hero, is the perfect example of this and of the archetype of the tragic hero. Simpson, once a beloved and celebrated sports star, experienced a fall from the limelight after his secret more sinister side was revealed in a transformative court case. Although he came from a…

Shakespearean Tragedies and Tragic Heroes A Shakespearean tragedy is when the main character has a hamartia, placed in a ghastly situation, and has a disastrous ending. A tragic hero is someone who is set-up to be defeated, and the hero doesn't have to be in high status. Shakespearean tragedies include: Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Titus Andronicus. Shakespearean tragedies were one of the most liked and popular plays that he produced, and it has shaped other stories and plays that we…

Aristotle’s (384-322 B.C.) Poetics, the first book of Western literary criticism. In it, Aristotle discusses the characteristics of a tragic hero and the four elements of a tragedy: hamartia, peripety, anagnorisis, and catastrophe. In this paper, I analyze how Shakespeare implemented the Aristotelian standards of tragedy in Othello. Elaborating on the traits of a tragic hero, Aristotle writes that the necessary characteristics are: be a sympathetic character, realistic enough to be…

A Catharsis of pity and fear is a common thing to feel in while watching or reading a play, for both Ancient Greek and modern day peoples. The Oedipus play causes a great catharsis of pity and fear when Oedipus’s tragic fate is discovered, ‘ O,O,O, they will come out clearly! Light of sun, let me look upon you no more after today!’ (Sophocles 1296). According to Aristotle, this means the play is a “good” tragedy, and Freud’s Oedipus complex adds to this. In the play, Oidipos Tyrannos, Sophocles…