Modern Day Tragic Heroes Tragedy‚ according to Aristotle‚ “is an imitation of an action that is serious‚ complete‚ and of a certain magnitude” and causes pity and fear to be felt by the audience. With this in mind‚ what qualifies a character to be considered the tragic hero in this type of literature? These qualifying characteristics are defined in Aristotle’s Poetics and Arthur Miller’s “Tragedy and the Common Man”. They believe that there are several components to a tragic hero: the character
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According to Aristotle‚ the function of a tragedy is to purge pity and fear out of a person. The tragic hero of a tragedy must have certain qualities that can contribute to this function. Inez Serrano‚ a character from Sartre`s play No Exit‚ not only exhibits those qualities but also demonstrates Sartre`s own existentialist philosophy. Inez is the perfect example of tragic character because she does not change throughout the play and above all‚ she knows why she was put in hell. While it is true
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Ashes of a Fallen Hero Jason‚ although often mistaken as an epic hero‚ portrays a tragic hero in the ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides. To be a tragic hero‚ one must first be considered a hero with noble characteristics. In the prelude to Medea‚ Jason sets off into a quest in a ship full of noble heroes after the denial of his claim to royalty. Even with fate leaning heavily on the opponents’ side‚ Jason overcomes many trials lain before him in order to achieve his goals. He is portrayed
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Tragic Greek dramas featured tragic heroes‚ mortals who suffered incredible losses as a result of an inescapable fate or bad decisions. According to Aristotle‚ a tragic hero is a character‚ usually of high birth‚ which is pre-eminently great‚ meaning they are not perfect‚ and whose downfall is brought about by a tragic weakness or error in judgment. The three Greek heroes Oedipus‚ Medea and Agamemnon‚ who each killed a member of their family‚ carry most of the qualities that make up a tragic hero:
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Byronic Hero – Romantic Hero – Tragic Hero – Anti-Hero During the Romantic Era‚ a hybrid of the Romantic Hero evolved out of the writings of Lord Byron and the combination tragic hero/romantic hero/anti hero characterization of many of the protagonists in Gothic Novels. Frankenstein is considered one of the Gothic Novels that developed out the the Romantic Era. The “heroes” in Frankenstein could fit into the Byronic Hero category or be classified as Romantic‚ Tragic‚ or Anti Heroes. Lady Caroline
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Hamlet Essay Hamlet‚ the titular character of the Shakespeare play‚ is one that‚ like many tragic heroes‚ has a tragic flaw. This hamartia eventually leads to his downfall‚ as a result of the circumstances he places himself in. Hamlet’s tragic flaw of inaction leads to his death by Laertes hand‚ as he is consistently unable to kill Claudius despite occult intervention‚ the slaying of Polonius‚ and the eventual climax of the duel. Near the beginning of the play‚ Hamlet is approached by the
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Tragedy involves the downfall of a hero as a result of his tragic flaw. How true is this? It is not simply the existence of a tragic flaw that is the sole causation of the demise of the hero and other significant characters but rather the interplay between the negative externalities and the hero’s actions as a result of his tragic flaws which does so. In Shakespeare’s Elizabethan tragedy Othello‚ Othello’s hamartia arises from a magnified sense of jealousy‚ hubris and misplaced trust brought
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wanted what was in the best interest for the roman population. Brutus’s tragic flaw was that he was too trusting. He honestly felt that he had to kill Caesar in order to save Rome from tyranny. He trusted Mark Antony not to blame the conspirators in his speech at Caesar’s funeral. Mark Antony broke his promise and got Brutus and the others into deep trouble. Brutus indeed ended up in a position‚ from his own actions‚ that is tragic to the reader. In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
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Their Hamartia Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a classic example of a literary tragedy. There are multiple tragic heroes‚ whose consequences of their actions contribute to a series of catastrophic events. Arthur Miller‚ in his essay “Tragedy in the Common Man”‚ states that only those who accept their fate without a fight are flawless and that most of us are in this category. Conversely‚ Aristotle believed “the hero often has many positive qualities‚ but also possesses a tragic flaw.” Aristotle’s
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Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragedy which is built upon moral and emotional conflicts and casts a doubt in reader/audience’s mind about the personality of the protagonist. Unlike Shakespeare’s other tragic heroes‚ who take quick action‚ Hamlet is often characterized with idealism and procrastination. He is posed by big philosophical questions and preoccupied with his thoughts. This preoccupation lends an aura to the audience that Hamlet’s tragic flaw lies in his inaction. William Hazlitt claims
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