the True Tragic Hero Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is one who is in power or associated with power. They have a hamartia‚ or flaw‚ that will ultimately cause their own downfall. Many would use this and claim that Antigone is the tragic hero of the self-named play‚ but one character has a much more grand fall from the heavens after he losses both wife and son to Antigone (isn’t exactly their main reason‚ but Antigone’s actions do lead to their untimely deaths.) The true tragic hero is
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A Tragic Hero is a common figure in many of Shakespeare’s works. A Tragic Hero is usually a figure of royalty‚ fame or greatness. This person is predominately good‚ but falls from prominence due to personality flaws that eventually lead to self-destruction. Macbeth’s major flaws are his ambition and impressionability. Due to their flaws‚ a Tragic Hero’s actions are often atrocious and cause them to battle with their conscience after their desires have been accomplished. These battles with their conscience
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The Tragic Figure of Antigone When people recall tragedies‚ they often think Shakespearean. These tragedies were usually named after their tragic protagonists (e.g.‚ Romeo and Juliet‚ Macbeth‚ Julius Caesar‚ Hamlet‚ Othello). However‚ many tragic characters did not have an eponymous play. For example‚ in Antigone‚ a woman loses her life trying to honor her fallen brother and inadvertently causes Creon‚ the king‚ to lose his wife and daughter. Since we have two important characters’ detriments‚
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People often bring out the worst or best in another person. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare‚ Cassius contrasts Brutus which leads Brutus to become a tragic hero and helps develop a theme in the play. First‚ Cassius contrasts Brutus because they have different character traits. Brutus is honorable and gullible‚ while Cassius is envious and manipulative. In the play‚ Cassius states‚ “Brutus and Caesar:/What should be in that “Caesar”? /Why should that name be sounded more than
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Hamlet as a Tragic Hero William Shakespeare‚ the greatest playwright of the English language‚ wrote a total of 37 plays in his lifetime‚ all of which can be categorized under tragedy‚ comedy‚ or history. The Tragedy of Hamlet‚ Shakespeare’s most popular and greatest tragedy‚ displays his genius as a playwright‚ as literary critics and academic commentators have found an unusual number of themes and literary techniques present in Hamlet. Hamlet concerns the murder of the king of Denmark and the
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audience becomes aware of Oedipus’ prophecy from the very beginning of the play. The reading from the Oracle stated that Oedipus was destined to murder his father and marry his mother. Although Oedipus is unaware of his fate‚ the reader knows the tragic future of the character. This use of dramatic irony allows the story to avoid the typical Greek tragedy structure and keep the reader intrigued as the events unfold. Verbal irony is also frequently used by Sophocles. There are many instances
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Creon as the Tragic Hero In "Antigone" written by Sophocles‚ Creon is the tragic hero. Creon is the tragic hero because of his error in judgement‚ stubborn way of ruling Thebes‚ his change‚ and all the tragedy brought on by his actions. Although Creon changed only when a messenger told him there would be a tragic ending because of all his actions‚ he did try to correct what he had done. Creon ordered that Polyneices’ body be left out to be eaten by vultures andwhile dogs because Polyneices
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According to Aristotle‚ a Greek philosopher‚ a hero must five different characteristics to be considered a tragic hero. First‚ they must be of noble birth or they must be wise. Second‚ they must have a “fatal flaw” or a trait that is unchangeable. The protagonist has to undergo a reversal of fortune where their life gets turned around into a different direction. They must realize that their flaw caused the reversal of fortune before the plot ends or the character dies. Lastly‚ they must receive a
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Oedipus; The Tragic Hero In the Fourth Century BC‚ a famous philosopher named Aristotle wrote about the qualities that a tragic hero must possess. Ever since that time‚ there have been many examples of tragic heroes in literature. None of those characters‚ however‚ display the tragic hero traits quite as well as Oedipus‚ the main character from the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Oedipus is‚ without a doubt‚ the absolute quintessence of a tragic hero. His example shines as clear as a sunny summer
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Hamlet; The Tragic Hero In many plays there is always one person that is the tragic hero. They always possess some type of tragic flaw that in turn leads to their tragic deaths. In the Shakespearean play Hamlet the main character Hamlet is considered to be a tragic hero. By carefully analyzing the Shakespearean play Hamlet one can debate whether the main character Hamlet is a tragic hero. Although it is debatable whether or not Hamlet is a tragic hero‚ one would
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