Introduction “A hero deserves admiration due to his inherent goodness. If he succumbs to unmerited suffering‚ he becomes a tragic hero.”_1 In Aristotle’s own words‚ “a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” This statement gives the gist of Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero. A hero must fall from grace and must be able to clearly comprehend the cause of his fall. The “fall” must take place due to an error in judgement that arises out of some flaw (hamartia)
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Professor Slattery English L202 October 10‚ 2012 Upholding Jocasta as the Tragic Hero What makes a tragic hero? Aristotle lays down groundwork of a tragic hero as being essentially good. They are neither villain nor saint because they have flaws. Several elememts are nevcesary to have a tragic hero‚ they are the tragic flaw‚ the reversal‚ recognition‚ and hubris. These generally make up the story of the tragic hero‚ and in the case of Jocasta‚ the wife and mother of Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus
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Hamlet is a tragic hero in the true sense of terrible event because he died trying to complete his goal of avenging his father. He is a tragic hero who asked Horatio to let his story be known of how he saved Claudius but‚ in the process‚ lost everything he loved‚ including his own life on one level people might not believe completely he is a tragic hero because he did not die at the hands of Claudius. Instead‚ he died at the hands of Laertes through Claudius’s dishonest actions. Hamlet might have
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considered a tragic hero. Throughout the book‚ The Death of a Salesman‚ we see how Willy’s character develops and how he is a tragic hero. Some may argue that he is not a tragic hero because he is not a good father due to his excessive pride‚ but this can be overlooked since Arthur Miller‚ the author of the play‚ even supports the fact that he is a tragic hero. Furthermore‚ the flashbacks willy sees show that he does indeed wants to be a good father which means that he is a tragic hero. “Tragedy
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"A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall”‚ a wise quote from Aristotle himself. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as one who is born of a noble status‚ one who contains a tragic flaw‚ one who has a reversal of fortune‚ one who has an increase of self-awareness‚ and one who evokes pity or fear from the audience. Considering these particular characteristics‚ Brutus fits the bill as the tragic hero of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. William Shakespeare
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"Poetics" which discussed the characteristics of a tragic hero. In this composition of philosophy and literary theories‚ Aristotle’s ideas revolve around three crucial effects to audience members. First‚ the audience must develop an emotional attachment to the tragic hero. Next‚ the audience must fear what may befall the hero. Finally‚ once misfortune strikes‚ the audience pities the suffering hero. Clearly‚ for Aristotle’s theory to succeed‚ the tragic hero must be a complex and well-constructed character
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describe him or feel any sympathy towards him. However‚ in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”‚ it can be argued that Satan is the protagonist and epic hero of the work. He is made to be a relatable figure and in comparison to God‚ it is easy to be sympathetic towards him. The epic hero can be summed up to be a good person who makes mistakes and who has a tragic flaw that is ultimately the reason for his fall. Milton has built Satan’s character to have profound thoughts and ideas‚ but he is easily misguided
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TRAGIC HERO A tragic hero is an honorable protagonist with a tragic flaw‚ also known asa fatal flaw‚ which eventually leads to his or her demise according to Wikipedia. The term tragic hero comes from ancient Greek times and was defined by Aristotle. According to Aristotle; there are four characteristics that identify a tragic hero. The first characteristic is nobleness or wisdom‚ the second is hamartia which is a tragic flaw‚ third is because of the tragic heroes mistake his future is reversed
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A Shakespearean tragic hero may be defined as an exceptional being of high degree that contributes to his own degeneration and illustrates a personality flaw. The character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a perfect example of a tragic hero. Macbeth can be defined as the tragic hero because he is noble by birth with many heroic qualities‚ but his ambition‚ combined with the witches’ prophecies and the influence of Lady Macbeth leads to his degeneration of character‚ which brings on a tragedy.
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Academic Writing *Tragic Hero Victor Frankenstein‚ from the novel Frankenstein‚ meets the criteria to be considered the tragic hero. To be a tragic hero the character must have caused his own downfall‚ recognize his own flaw and the character must suffer greatly because of this. Victor Frankenstein meets these guide lines and fits them perfectly. Using those three categories one could conclude that he is the tragic hero. The first reason that Victor Frankenstein is the tragic hero is because he
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