Antigone: A Tragic Hero What characteristics generate a tragic hero? Must a tragic hero possess superhuman abilities? Should he be immense in size and strength such as Hercules? According to the Greek philosopher‚ Aristotle‚ a tragic hero is a good‚ moral‚ upstanding person that does not fit into society’s mold‚ invokes catharsis to the audience‚ and exhibits flaws that leads to their tragic downfall. These are the traits that a character must uphold in order to be considered as a tragic hero. In Sophocles’
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Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle there are three key traits that denote a tragic hero. Given data from the play by Sophocles Oedipus the King‚ as well as other literature‚ we will reveal that as a result of his position‚ wealth and astuteness‚ he was not only great but destined for tragedy. In Aristotle’s Poetics‚ he defines a tragic hero as one who must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear‚ saying‚ “the change of fortune presented must
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Faustus as a tragic hero Doctor Faustus is the most famous play of Christopher Marlowe and this play alone has perhaps made that his name will be mortal in the history of English literature and English drama. This play shows that he was of high skilled as a playwright and he could write very good drama. It is a tragedy of Doctor Faustus that is the main point of this play. Before moving on further‚ we should discuss about the definition of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is obviously a hero of a tragedy
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The novel Frankenstein is based on a man named Victor who tells his tragic story to another man‚ Walton‚ who like him; is craving knowledge. Victor tells Walton about his tragic story‚ creating a terrible monster‚ and his suffering; hoping to inspirer Walton to put a halt to his search for knowledge. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein portrays a tragedy along the guidelines of Aristotle. Aristotle is a Greek Philosopher who wrote many passages about an abundance subjects‚ such as theater‚ drama‚ or science
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Imperialism. In this story‚ the main character‚ Okonkwo‚ surfaces as a tragic hero. A tragic hero can fall under many categories. For example‚ he or she can be an Aristotelian tragic hero or Arthur Miller’s depiction of a tragic hero. A tragic hero must have certain qualities in order to be considered an Aristotelian tragic hero. Because Okonkwo follows the patterns that Aristotle has set for tragic heroes‚ he is an Aristotelian tragic hero. Okonkwo is “a man of action‚ a man of war” (Achebe 7) and a man
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known for his idea of “the perfect tragic hero”. There were five characteristics the main protagonist in a plot MUST have in order to be considered a real tragic hero‚ at least according to him. The first trait an individual must have is being of noble/royal birth or having wisdom. Next is having a hamartia‚ also known as a tragic/fatal flaw. The third is a reversal of fortune‚ also known as a peripatetia. Next is an anagnorisis‚ this is when the “hero” realizes that their reversal of fortune
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Aristotle’s tragic hero must possess these four characteristics: goodness; superiority; a tragic flaw; and the realisation of both that flaw and the inevitable downfall (Literary Connections‚ 2008). In Macbeth‚ William Shakespeare’s representation of the tragic hero can be seen through the character Macbeth. “For Brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name” (Act I‚ Scene II line 16) Shakespeare further constructs this representation through the second characteristic‚ superiority. The first prophecy
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Oedipus‚ an Ironic Tragic Hero Much of the tragedy of the play comes from the irony involved in fate Oedipus’s life. Being a tragic hero Oedipus is on a quest for truth‚ during his quest he realizes that if he continues on his quest for truth he will cause himself great harm yet he continues his pursuit for truth. The audience is seized by the ironic nature of this play‚ and the tragic nature of Oedipus’s life. Oedipus is lines up against fate and takes steps to try not to fulfill the prophecy
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(Jacques Barzun). A tragedy requires the tragic hero to have initiative towards a certain goal he or she pursues that results in their devastating defeat. Heroes never want to be involved with tragedies‚ but their miscalculations of an action influences them to be victims of tragedy. Based on Aristotle‚ every tragic play demonstrates a noble tragic hero having a fatal flaw that destructs their life but signifies a meaningful lesson. When examining the tragic hero in works of writing‚ Shakespeare’s plays
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Marietta Shaw English 1302-6504 Mrs.Weatherford 21 November 2011 A Tragic Hero Indeed! In Sophocles tragedy Oedipus the King‚ King Oedipus swears to solve the murder of former King Laios in order to free the city from the plague. The plague taunts the city destroying crops and livestock and making the women unable to bear children. A seer‚ Teirsias tells Oedipus that he himself is Thebes’s pollution for killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus ignores his words and is blind to
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