Aristotle’s theory of the Tragic Hero: “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall” Tragic hero’s who fit under Aristotle’s depiction are known as ‘Aristotelian Tragic Hero’s’ and possess five specific characteristics; 1) A flaw or error of judgment (also known as ‘hamartia’ which is a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine) 2) A reversal of fortune due to the error of judgment (also known as ‘peripeteia’‚ which is a sudden reversal of fortune
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Introduction “A hero deserves admiration due to his inherent goodness. If he succumbs to unmerited suffering‚ he becomes a tragic hero.”_1 In Aristotle’s own words‚ “a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” This statement gives the gist of Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero. A hero must fall from grace and must be able to clearly comprehend the cause of his fall. The “fall” must take place due to an error in judgement that arises out of some flaw (hamartia)
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protagonist whose in a state of deterioration in which he loses everything. A tragic hero is meant to define his fate by himself‚ usually by actions that he inflicts on himself which then lead him to wreck his own life. Aristotle is considered as one of the many ancient influential philosophers there is and therefore his view of Oedipus being an ideal tragic hero is considered as highly powerful in the world of literature. Aristotle defines tragedy as the conflict between humans being good yet being defeated
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Aristotle and the Tragic Hero The traditional hero stresses courage and nobility as essential traits of heroism. He lived by a code of honor and valued certain things as more important than others‚ so that he is willing to take risks and endure hardships for their sake. He is often a leader and protector of a community. The fact that the hero not only performs great deeds but performs them out of worthy principles renders his deed even more admirable. On the other hand‚ the Greek tragic hero is
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Aristotle on Causality 1. Introduction Aristotle was not the first person to engage in a causal investigation of the world around us. From the very beginning‚ and independently of Aristotle‚ the investigation of the natural world consisted in the search for the relevant causes of a variety of natural phenomena. From the Phaedo‚ for example‚ we learn that the so-called “inquiry into nature” consisted in a search for “the causes of each thing; why each thing comes into existence‚ why it goes
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Tragedy in “Oedipus Rex” Aristotle’s “The Poetics” describes the process of a tragedy. It is not the guide per se of writing a tragedy but is the idea’s Aristotle collected while studying tragedies. A tragedy‚ according to Aristotle‚ consists of six major points. The first and most important is the plot‚ which is what all the other points are based on. Such points are: character‚ language‚ thought‚ melody‚ and spectacle (Aristotle). A prime example of the usage of these parts in a tragic drama
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Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle there are three key traits that denote a tragic hero. Given data from the play by Sophocles Oedipus the King‚ as well as other literature‚ we will reveal that as a result of his position‚ wealth and astuteness‚ he was not only great but destined for tragedy. In Aristotle’s Poetics‚ he defines a tragic hero as one who must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear‚ saying‚ “the change of fortune presented must
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The Critical Examination of Tragic Heroes Throughout our history‚ many genres have survived the test of time. One of the most well known and popular genre is the tragedy. A tragedy tells a story of the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or misjudgment‚ producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience. One of the main authorities on tragedy is ancient Greek philosopher‚ Aristotle. His piece of literature‚
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Aristotle‚ differing from Plato‚ believed that by observation we could explain the world and all matter. Aristotle refuted Plato’s idea of having an absolute explanation. Aristotle’s approach‚ empiricism‚ is the foundation of science. Empiricism is the use of the five senses to observe objects and gain knowledge. Aristotle observed that the world was constantly changing‚ a movement from potentiality to actuality. One of Aristotle’s examples‚ whiteness‚ shows that something that is ‘not white’ has
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In Macbeth by William Shakespeare‚ Macbeth could be considered as a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. Namely‚ Macbeth is of noble stature and although he has a character flaw‚ his fate is not wholly deserved. Too late‚ Macbeth realises that he has been tricked; leading the readers to pity him. According to Aristotle: “a tragic hero is a character of noble stature”. It is seen that Macbeth is a respected nobleman as he is titled “Thane of Cawdor and Glamis”. “Brave Macbeth” is a mighty warrior
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