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Tragic Hero

A tragic hero in literature is a protagonist that is otherwise perfect except for a tragic flaw that eventually brings him down in the end. The concept was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle. In fact, an Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: goodness, superiority (this can be in terms of politics, reputation, etc), a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his demise and a realization of both his flaw and his demise.
A tragic flaw can be a characteristic such as hubris or pride, such as in the work Antigone and Oedipus Rex. Another famous tragic hero is Shakespeare's King Lear, or Brutus of Julius Caesar. An example of a tragic hero in modern literature would be Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby is another example of a modern tragic hero, as is the title character in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome.

Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero:
- He must suffer
- He must be doomed from the start
- He must be fundamentally noble in nature
- His story should arouse fear and pity
- Though doomed, he must have free choice to some degree

See also: tragic flaw, anti-hero,

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tragic Hero".

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Tragic Hero
A tragic hero in literature is a protagonist that is otherwise perfect except for a tragic flaw that eventually brings him down in the end. The concept was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle. In fact, an Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: goodness, superiority (this can be in terms of politics, reputation, etc), a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his demise and a realization of both his flaw and his demise.
A tragic flaw can be a characteristic such as hubris or pride, such as in the work Antigone and Oedipus Rex. Another famous tragic hero is Shakespeare's King Lear, or Brutus of Julius Caesar. An example of a tragic hero in modern literature would be Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby is another example of a modern tragic hero, as is the title character in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome.

Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero:
- He must suffer
- He must be doomed from the start
- He must be fundamentally noble in nature
- His story should arouse fear and pity
- Though doomed, he must have free choice to some degree

See also: tragic flaw, anti-hero,

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tragic Hero".