Statement: Oedipus is the embodiment of Aristotle’s characterization of a tragic hero through his ability to preserve his virtue and wisdom‚ despite his flaws and predicament. Introduction I. Sophocles’ Oedipus: A Tragic Hero A. Definition of a tragic hero B. Oedipus Character as it relates II. Tragedy A. Language of Tragedy B. Tragedy as it affects the audience III. Plot A. Aristotle’s idea of a tragic plot B. Significance of the plot IV. Virtue and Morality A. Identifying
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Macbeth as a Tragic Hero William Shakespeare ’s plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories‚ genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608‚ including Hamlet‚ King Lear‚ Othello‚ and Macbeth‚ considered some of the finest
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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart is about Okonkwo rule by success and fuel by the absolute resentment of becoming like his father‚ Unoka. Okonkwo chooses to live life by creating fear and anger to his tribe and his family. Okonkwo is ruled by fear and anger‚ which takes part in his ultimate downfall. Okonkwo is not so much a martyr but a tragic hero because he is a man of importance brought down by an insurmountable amount of conflict within himself due to his tragic flaws
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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) in the character of the hero. “According to Aristotle a tragic hero is a person of exalted position
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Shakespeare uses techniques‚ characters‚ language‚ structure and form to present Othello as tragic hero. He exposes his tragic flaw‚ which consequently leads to his downfall. Othello conforms to the Aristotelian principles of tragedy‚ of the noble protagonist who undergoes ceaseless manipulation and endures suffering‚ resulting in his ultimate downfall due to hamartia. All of these techniques combine to provide a different perception of the protagonist‚ as more of an atypical victim‚ exposed to
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Brutus & Julius Caesar The tragic hero archetype has been played with for as long as literature has been created‚ but no one had quite a spin on it like William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s tragic heroes were specifically designed to elicit pity and fear from the audience and to really feel their downfall. In Julius Caesar‚ the protagonist Brutus is a well-made example. But the character of which the play is named after is often not considered as one. Although the character of Julius Caesar does not
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Faust as a Tragic Hero In the story of Faust‚ written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe‚ Faust is whirled into an adventure of sin and deceit. The further Faust follows the devil the closer he comes to his own demise‚ taking down with him the innocent Gretchen. As Faust goes on he embodies the characteristics of a tragic hero in a sense that he is borderline good and evil‚ constantly battling his conscience. The one major flaw that initiates his self-destruction is the fact that he feels he is extremely
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In William Shakespeare’s. Play Macbeth‚ the main character Macbeth‚ was a tragic hero. Macbeth was a tragic hero‚ because by the end of the play he is alone and has many conflicts other characters‚ his tragic flaw was his ambition‚ and finally his actions lead to his downfall‚ Macbeth’s growing character degenerates from a noble man to a truant. Macbeth was the perfect example of the tragic hero. Macbeth was a tragic hero because by the end of the play everyone was against him. By Act 5‚ he
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Things Really Fall Apart: Okonkwo as a Tragic Hero In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart‚ Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Okonkwo meets all of the required criteria of a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition. A tragic hero must have a flaw or error of judgment‚ reversal of fortune‚ recognition that the reversal was the result of his own actions‚ excessive pride‚ and fate greater than deserved. Okonkwo is a hard working leader and committed member of the Ibo community whose tragic flaw is his
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Macbeth: Tragic Hero A tragic hero is a character that is honorable and noble but possesses a significant character flaw that leads to his/her demise. Macbeth starts off the play as being a nobleman and proves to a brave general. Although‚ Macbeth’s tragic flaw throughout the play is his overpowering ambition to his rise as King. Different factors induced him to give in to his tragic flaw but ultimately it was how his reoccurring ignorance of how ambition will lead him to his demise and death
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