Oedipus; The Tragic Hero In the Fourth Century BC‚ a famous philosopher named Aristotle wrote about the qualities that a tragic hero must possess. Ever since that time‚ there have been many examples of tragic heroes in literature. None of those characters‚ however‚ display the tragic hero traits quite as well as Oedipus‚ the main character from the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Oedipus is‚ without a doubt‚ the absolute quintessence of a tragic hero. His example shines as clear as a sunny summer
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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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Brutus as The Tragic Hero of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Aristotle is a Greek philosopher who made significant contributions to many different aspects of literature. In Aristotle’s philosophical treatise‚ Poetics‚ a tragedy is depicted as the downfall of a tragic hero‚ which is conveyed through the unification of hubris‚ free choice‚ and an error of judgement. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a person of noble prestige and greatness. Although the tragic hero is notably great‚ he or she
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Beowulf‚ the Tragic Hero In the epic poem “Beowulf” the protagonist‚ Beowulf‚ portrays a tragic hero in a variety of ways. Although Beowulf was not a perfect being‚ he embraces many characteristics of a tragic hero. Beowulf’s ego put him into many difficult situations. For example the battles he fought against Grendel‚ Grendels Mother‚ and the dragon. Other then his enormous ego along with his cockiness that put him into bad situations‚ he also embraced the characteristics of a great leader that
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English 10: Period 5 20 March 2012 Tragic Hero Within the tragic play Antigone‚ by Sophocles‚ there is a dichotomy between the two main characters: Antigone and Creon. Throughout the play Antigone and Creon both portray a tragic hero; however‚ Antigone illustrates more qualities of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is one who fails to attain happiness and whose failures excites pity‚ has a great integrity of character‚ and is nether extremely benevolent nor malevolent. These are all qualities Antigone
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Okonkwo as a Tragic Hero In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart‚ Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Okonkwo meets all of the required criteria of a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition. A tragic hero must have a flaw or error of judgment‚ reversal of fortune‚ recognition that the reversal was the result of his own actions‚ excessive pride‚ and fate greater than deserved. Okonkwo is a hard working leader and committed member of the Ibo community whose tragic flaw is his great fear of weakness
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There are many great examples of tragic heroes throughout the wide world of literature but one of the greatest examples would be Okonkwo‚ the protagonist of Chinua Achebe’s classic novel‚ Things Fall Apart. A tragic hero would best be defined as a literary character that makes a mistake in judgment or has a fatal flaw that‚ combined with fate and external forces‚ brings suffering and defeat upon himself. There are multiple character traits that a tragic hero possesses. Some of those traits are that
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play closely it is clear to see that‚ rather than being an innately evil character‚ Macbeth is in fact a tragic hero‚ doomed by fate from the start to descend into the madness which he did. Had it not been for his hamartia and his interaction with the witches and his wife then the play would have had a very different ending. Like every tragic hero in literature Macbeth suffered from a tragic flaw‚ or a hamartia. In his case‚ his flaw was his vaulting ambition‚ combined with a lust for power. Macbeth
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Gatsby was great. Not so because of all his wealth‚ but because of his persistence in fighting for his American Dream‚ which witnessed his pure love towards Daisy. Gatsby can be viewed as a tragic figure in the story. When he is first introduced‚ he seems to be surrounded by people and wealth. However‚ as the story progresses‚ we identify that everything in his life is fabricated. The true Gatsby‚ Jay Gatz‚ came from a humble background. When Jay Gatz fell in love with Daisy that came from a well
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did in envy of great Caesar. / He only in a general honest thought / And common good to all‚ made one of them. / His life was gentle‚ and the elements / So mixed in him that Nature might stand up / And say to all the world‚ ‘This was a man’” (V.v.68-75). He put his country before his friends and family‚ and he joined the conspirators to assassinate Caesar for the good of Rome. Even though Caesar was his friend‚ Brutus’s loyalty as a Roman citizen came first. Brutus is a tragic hero because he was
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