a Tragic Hero? Elizabeth Howell English 102- B33 Professor Katie Robinson Liberty University October 12‚ 2012 Oedipus‚ a Tragic Hero? Thesis: Using Aristotle’s five different descriptions of a tragic hero‚ we will show that Oedipus in Oedipus the King is in fact a tragic hero and how his decisions led to his downfall. Outline: I. Introduction and Thesis Statement II. Is the character of noble birth? A. King of Thebes B. Real father was king III. Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently
Premium Oedipus Tragedy Oedipus the King
A tragic hero is defined in most cases as a literary character of great stature whose moral defect leads to tragedy but some self-awareness brings the character to make the right decision (World Literatures). That is why although Antigone portrays many characteristics of a tragic hero‚ the real tragic hero of this play is Creon. A tragic hero in the Greek world is very different from our perceptive of a hero in the modern world. When today’s society thinks of a hero they think of superpowers and
Premium Sophocles Oedipus Tragedy
Oedipus as a Tragic Hero Essay D1 In the tragedy‚ Oedipus Rex‚ Sophocles portrays the character Oedipus as a tragic hero. By using Aristotle’s interpretation of tragedy and a tragic hero‚ Oedipus is rendered as a favorable illustration. Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles exemplifies Oedipus as the quintessential interpretation of a tragic hero. Oedipus is the embodiment of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero as he depicts character traits such as hubris‚ tragic flaw‚ coming from a high social
Premium Sophocles Tragedy Tragic hero
Sophocles‚ contains a very prominent tragic hero: Oedipus. A tragic hero‚ by Aristotle’s definition of one‚ must possess six traits. One of them is that the tragic hero must be of noble stature. Another trait of a tragic hero is a tragic flaw. A third trait defined by Aristotle is that a tragic hero must have a period of recognition of his crimes. Oedipus strongly displays each of the three aforementioned‚ necessary traits; and he is‚ then‚ an obvious tragic hero. Oedipus’ noble stature is immediately
Premium Sophocles Tragedy Tragic hero
The genuine tragic hero is Creon‚ as his power‚ actions‚ and flaws are what set the tragedy into a downward position. What Antigone lacks is remorse for her actions. A huge part of being a tragic hero is knowing the wrong-doing and showing remorse for the act weather it be criminal or on an immoral level. Creon is a king‚ a very wealthy and powerful human‚ but he still is a human with flaws nonetheless. His people follow him loyally; this loyalty is shown when they follow his order about Polyneices’
Premium Sophocles Oedipus Oedipus at Colonus
A tragic hero is someone who experiences misfortune‚ evokes pity and fear in the audience‚ and possesses a personal flaw. The Iliad showcases a tragic hero during the Trojan War. Trojans and Greeks fight in the war‚ which begins because Paris steals the beautiful Helen away from Menelaos. This angers Menelaos and sparks a war. During the battle‚ the demigod Achilles will eventually kill the Trojan leader Hector. Achilles is the real tragic hero of The Iliad for several reasons. Achilles’s ignorance
Premium Greek mythology Trojan War Iliad
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 the harsh reality of the society he longs to fit into‚ rather than a typical hero. A tragic
Premium Poetics Othello Tragic hero
Greek tragedy would not be complete with out a tragic hero. Sophocles wrote Antigone with a specific character in mind for this part. Based on Aristotle’s definition‚ Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon fits Aristotle’s tragic hero traits as a significant person who is faced with difficult decisions. Creon is significant because he is king. This makes him both renowned and prosperous. Creon is not completely good nor completely bad; he is somewhere in-between‚ as humans are. The audience
Premium Tragedy Sophocles Tragic hero
Hamlet The Tragic Hero The playwright William Shakespeare reveals a tragic hero in his greatest tragedy "Hamlet". This hero is the young prince Hamlet. He fulfills all of Aristotle’s requirements for a tragic hero. Three key events in the play demonstrate these requirements: First‚ when Hamlet does not murder Claudius at his first opportunity after being asked by his father’s ghost‚ Secondly‚ his confrontation with Ophelia regarding her returning his gifts‚ and lastly his reaction to Claudius’s
Free Hamlet Characters in Hamlet
by the people of Rome until he killed his best friend‚ Caesar‚ thinking it was for the good of Rome. Brutus is the perfect example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. William Shakespeare’s definition of a tragic hero includes traditional elements. These elements are a person usually of noble birth‚ one who suffers a catastrophe‚ and one who has a tragic flaw. In act I‚ Cassius talks about Brutus’s nobility “You and I have heard our fathers talk of another Brutus-your ancestor-who would’ve let the devil
Premium Roman Republic Julius Caesar Augustus