The modern definition of a tragedy is any serious accident‚ crime‚ disaster‚ or great misfortune (“tragedy‚ 2009). However in order to classify a play as a tragedy‚ the more formal definition constructed by Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. must be used. Aristotle defined a tragedy as “an imitation of an action of high importance‚ complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these
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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
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To what extent can Othello be considered a ‘tragic hero’? The extent of which Othello is a tragic hero has been open to much debate; the basis on which he is judged falls to Aristotle’s established view of the crucial elements that distinguish whether a person is truly tragic. According to Aristotle‚ a tragic protagonist is a nobleman or person from high status‚ who contributes to his own demise and illustrates a flaw or weakness in judgment. The tragic protagonist must make a fall from a high state
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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
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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
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Antigone: Not the Tragic Hero Sophocles‚ a great tragedian‚ was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form. An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank‚ a tragic flaw‚ a downfall‚ and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon‚ who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buries
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Brutus & Julius Caesar The tragic hero archetype has been played with for as long as literature has been created‚ but no one had quite a spin on it like William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s tragic heroes were specifically designed to elicit pity and fear from the audience and to really feel their downfall. In Julius Caesar‚ the protagonist Brutus is a well-made example. But the character of which the play is named after is often not considered as one. Although the character of Julius Caesar does not
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Aspects of a Tragic Hero To be a tragic hero‚ the character must show a great strength of heroism‚ including a vulnerability‚ that could lead to his or her demise. Sophocles‚ the great ancient playwright of the Greek Empire was as popular then as he is today. Antigone‚ one of his many plays‚ is still appreciated in modern day literature. Sophocles’ main characters Antigone and Creon are both similar and diverse in which they could qualify as tragic heroes. Antigone and Creon have very many similar
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Macbeth: A Tragic Hero There is much debate to whether Macbeth is a villain or hero‚ but it truly is clear that Macbeth is a tragic hero based on that he has the fatal flaw of having too much ambition‚ he was doomed to make a serious error in judgment which was killing Duncan‚ and that he suffered greatly in order to accomplish what he believed was right. Macbeth’s flaw of his extreme ambition is demonstrated by how he kills Duncan‚ how he kills Banquo‚ and how he kills MacDuff’s family. He was
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distinctly evident that part of its ability to continually engage readers is drawn from its treatment of themes universal to the human experience ‚ such as verisimilitude and jealousy. Society’s constant struggle with what is real and what is not in our modern world‚ coupled with our everlasting battle with human emotions such as jealousy‚ give the play textual integrity‚ ensuring that the play is reputable of critical study. This can be specifically realised through the close analysis of Act 3 Scene 3
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