A tragic hero is a literary character of great virtue who has a fatal flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. What makes the character a tragic hero is a self-awareness and reversal of the tragic flaw that draws the empathy of the reader. In The Crucible‚ by Arthur Miller‚ John Proctor is the tragic hero because of his indiscretion and his conceit to maintain his good name which leads to his demise and eventual death. One trait of a tragic hero is that the character must be noble
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Sophocles Tragic Hero: Creon The play Antigone written by Sophocles (496 B.C -406 B.C.) was first performed around 441 B.C. Sophocles though it was important for this play to be performed during the time as he was witnessing society move away from the gods and toward a anthropocentric view‚ thinking that man and his abilities were more important. This all took place during what was called the Golden Age (480-430B.C.) in Greece during which Pericles ruled (461-439B.C.). The Olympics first took place
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Hamlet as a Tragic Hero The story Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a tale of a young prince of Denmark who seeks revenge. His father who was the king of Denmark was killed by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius. Hamlet was a good soul who just lost his father‚ so he didn’t quite know how to react. Hamlet attempts to be a hero and save Denmark from having a king who killed his own brother just to take the throne. But Hamlet’s hatefulness and indecisiveness leads to his downfall. But in the end‚
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Tragic Hero: Othello In all tragedies there must be a character that experiences disaster. In The Tragedy of Othello‚ Othello qualifies as tragic hero because poor judgement causes a catastrophe that he did not deserve‚ ultimately reversing his fate. Jealousy‚ lack of judgement‚ and concern for reputation are some of Othello’s flaws‚ but the principle flaw that causes his downfall is that he trusts easily. Iago knows that Othello is too trusting and plans to exploit that. During his soliloquy when
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Marcus Brutus‚ the tragic hero of Julius Caesar‚ is a widely admired‚ honorable leader and senator of Rome. Many follow Brutus due to his honest nature‚ though this nature leads to his death. A tragic hero‚ by Aristotle’s definition‚ is a powerful man with great character that possesses a flaw that leads to his/her inevitable hardship or demise. All of these traits‚ which Brutus carries‚ Cassius and the conspirator take advantage of. In the tragedy Julius Caesar‚ the Tragic Hero is known to be Brutus
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Tragic Hero What is a tragic character? A tragic character is a significant person who experiences reversal of fortune as a result of fate or a flaw or weakness in his or her character. Many scholars argue that Antigone is the tragic hero of the play‚ but others argue that Creon is the true tragic hero. This discrepancy continues to boggle the minds of much of the audience. Though‚ Creon‚ the new king of Thebes‚ fits the definition of a tragic character to the letter. Creon still finds sympathy
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In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart the protagonist Okonkwo can be compared to a Greek tragic hero. Throughout the novel we see many heroic qualities as well as a tragic flaw that allows Okonkwo to be associated with a Greek tragic hero. There are many positive attributes given and attributed to Okonkwo‚ but it is that tragic flaw that humanizes him and allows us to decipher his growth and how he personally changes. From the very beginning of the novel Okonkwo is described as very strong
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Written by M.A. 3-5-12 Macbeth as a Tragic Hero The character Macbeth‚ in Shakespeare’s Tragedy Macbeth displays several characteristics of a tragic hero. Common traits that tragic heroes possess are they are born of noble birth‚ their actions result in an increase of self-awareness and self-knowledge‚ the audience must feel pity and fear for this character and the most important‚ they have a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. Tragic heroes also make choices that bring about
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Troy Maxson‚ from the play Fences‚ is an ordinary man. Through ignorance and selfishness he proves this point over and over again throughout the play. As a result‚ he could never amount to a great man; therefore; Troy Maxson is not a tragic hero. A tragic hero is “a literary character who has potential for heroic qualities‚ however‚ he or she makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that‚ combined with fate and external forces brings on a tragedy.” Therefore‚ Troy Maxson does not match those
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John Proctor: Tragic Hero or Pompous Malefactor? According to Aristotle‚ a classic tragic hero must meet the following six criteria: nobility (of noble birth) or (wisdom by virtue of birth)‚ hamartia (a flaw or error of judgment)‚ peripeteia (a reversal of fortune‚ brought on by the hero’s hamartia)‚ anagnorisis (the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s own actions)‚ the audience must feel dramatic irony for the character‚ and the character’s fate must be greater
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