Mark Mcgwire As A Tragic Hero

In any tragedy, the tragic hero is a righteous character who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. Three main theories of the tragic hero are the Aristotelian model, the Shakespearean model, and the modern tragic hero. Each model has five defining characteristics, which are nobility, hamartia, downfall, anagnorisis, and suffering. In the Shakespearean mode of tragedy, the play Romeo and Juliet best models the tragic hero. For instance, nobility is characterized by being upper class and having elevated character. Romeo satisfies both these criteria through his position as an heir of the Montagues who are revealed as a high respected family in the prologue of the play. In addition, Romeo’s hamartia, or his fatal error that ultimately
McGwire grew up in Pomona, California where he became known for aggressive bat and his powerful hitting. McGwire was drafted by the Oakland A’s in 1984 and made it to the bigs in 1987 then in 1997 he was traded to the Cardinals. More specifically McGwire was traded to the Cardinals and became a threat to anyone that the Cardinals were up against. When McGwire joined the team in 1997 he drove the fanbase high and made them go crazy when he came to the plate. McGwire summed up his problems three months after being signed as the cardinals hitting coach saying: “I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1999 off season and then after I was injured in 1993.”(4) Also going on to say that he tried steroids again in the 1998 season. (4) As a new coach, McGwire could not coach with the hatred of many fans on his back for his steroid use. To keep the team going, he spoke out to the public about his alleged steroid use. Therefore, any actions to stop the hate of Mark McGwire were noble in that his main goal was nothing more than to help the Cardinals organization. Also, the people who gave up on McGwire remained another important goal to the Cardinals who wanted their fanbase to support them from all views and decisions. (7) Because the fanbase of the Cardinals split into two groups, the fanbase was a good example of a good and bad support system. However, there was not much of a debate at this point, McGwire would be the hitting coach and that was going to be how it went. After McGwire was the hitting coach for 1 year the team's batting average was .263. Because of Mark McGwire, the Cardinals became a good hitting team, and the team became a big force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, the cardinals were able to say that they they were now even better in some areas than other teams. McGwire was a good piece to add to the cardinals as the