To what extent does Othello meet the criteria of a tragic hero? The characteristics of a tragic hero are explained in Aristotle’s theory. Aristotle said that a tragic hero must go through four stages. These are Peripateia‚ which is an utter and complete downfall from a very high status such as a king‚ prince etc… to catastrophe and misery. Hamartia‚ which is a fatal or tragic flaw in the hero. Anagnorisis‚ which is recognition of the hero’s mistakes‚ and Catharsis‚ which is when the audience is
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Antigone is a tragedy that tests even today’s readers with the dilemma of man’s law and the laws of man’s religion. One can easily see the side of her moral obligation as well as her obligation of relation and love‚ since Polyneices was also her brother. Such a dilemma‚ crossed with the law of the land and the law of her faith‚ still vex men and women today. Although Antigone met a tragic end‚ the tragic hero in this story is Creon. Below‚ why Creon fits Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero will
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the Poetics‚ a tragic hero should be “between these two extremes—that of a man who is not eminently good and just‚ yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity‚ but by some error or frailty.” The ultimate purpose of a tragic hero is to construct catharsis. Doing this by making the audience commiserate with the protagonist producing emotions by having a rise and a plummeting downfall in the character’s life. Some would quarrel that Antigone is certainly the tragic hero because her
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A “tragic hero” as defined by Aristotle is that the main character must go through four critical stages within the text. The phases that Aristotle states the character has to go through must completely lead to his or her own complete downfall. These four phases in which Aristotle states is: Perietia‚ Hamartia‚ Catharsis‚ and Anagnorisis. Lastly Aristotle states that the tragic hero must be a nobleman or a man of great stature. Yet by Othello having such positive aspects they are responsible for bringing
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roman who 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
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One of the best examples of Greek tragedy is Oedipus the King‚ written by ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. Oedipus Rex is about the downfall of Oedipus‚ the king of Thebes‚ and how his tragic faults affected that. Sophocles’ purpose is to demonstrate the negative effects of pride and other various personal reasons causing his downfall instead of just fate‚ as was told in his prophecy. Sophocles uses various tragic flaws and symbols to send this message to the reader/audience‚ the most important
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Homer: His Life and His Works Greeks had used writing since c. 1400 BC‚ but it was not until the late 8th century BC that their literature was first written down. Greek literature began in Ionia with the brilliant epics of Homer‚ the Iliad and the Odyssey. These mature products of a long tradition of oral poetry brought together a vast body of divine and heroic myths and sagas that served as a foundation for much subsequent Greek literature. The epic view of humankind had a lasting influence
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Marred by a Tragic Flaw After reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare‚ some readers interpret Julius Caesar as the tragic hero of the play. However‚ Brutus is the real tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character that is virtuous‚ but makes crucial errors in judgment or possesses a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. The tragic flaw that mars Brutus is his rigid sense of moral and political principles. Unlike Caesar‚ Brutus was able to separate his public life from his private
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Othello: Tragedy and Error Many would argue that Othello is a tragic hero to some degree. Being destined for downfall from the beginning‚ Othello remained a victim of senseless nature whose ultimate fate was the evil he possessed inside of himself provoked by the actions and words of others. With that in mind‚ awarding the character of Othello with a heroic title would seem plausible; however‚ the flaws in his characteristics would lead me to argue otherwise. Othello allowed his pride to
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A tragic hero has to rise in order for him to fall and die a noble death. In the play‚ Othello by William Shakespeare the main character Othello begins as a great valiant war hero who transforms into a tragic hero because of his own flaws. Shakespeare creates sympathy for Othello by showing us how great he was only to destroy himself due to his own tragic flaws. At the beginning of the play‚ Othello is represented as a great‚ valiant‚ respected and noble. Othello was once a slave but has gained
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