Okonkwo: A Tragic Hero

Throughout literary history, tragic characters have helped readers to understand human conflicts. Authors such as William Shakespeare and J.R.R. Tolkien have included tragic heroes in their novels in order to examine various flaws that lead to the protagonist’s death. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character, Macbeth, displays characteristics commonly present in tragic characters when he says “I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er” (Shakespeare 349). This quote demonstrates Macbeth’s vaulting ambition and how he has reached the point of no return and will eventually face his death. Various characteristics define a character as tragic and the technical definition is “a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering or defeat” (dictionary.com). Characteristics such as arrogance, hubris and ambition are common to most tragic heroes and all lead to their demise. All of these characteristics are present in Okonkwo, the protagonist in Things Fall Apart. Throughout the tragedy Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo is proven to be a tragic character when he is faced with the task of overcoming challenges between himself, society and his own destiny. One of the biggest internal conflicts that Okonkwo struggles with is not being viewed as a masculine figure to everyone he encounters. Over the course of the novel Okonkwo holds a very dominant presence over his family and fellow tribesman. The importance of masculinity within the Ibo tribe is apparent when the narrator states, “no matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man” (Achebe 53). This statement is a mantra in which Okonkwo lives his entire life by. When there is work to be done on his farm, Okonkwo pushes his entire family to help him and no one is allowed to stop until they are