HELP ME!! my goup is aganist him beging a tragic hero.. and i have no idea.. i mean i know how he could be a tragic hero.. but .. not the oppisit.. so yea
2007-02-13 06:59:56 · 3 answers · asked by Angelika 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
Don't let your group get hung up on a modern definition of the word "hero," in the sense of him being a GOOD person who does GOOD deeds to HELP people.
"Tragic hero" is a genre term, and merely refers to the CENTRAL character in a tragedy. Macbeth, for example, is a tragic hero...but he isn't anybody's idea of a "hero," as we understand the word nowadays.
A tragic hero is a character who describes a particular evolution during the action of a play. I'm over-simplifying here, but, in general, a tragic hero moves from a state of ignorance to a state of enlightenment (think of Oedipus discovering the truth of the prohpecy, Othello learing the extent to which he has been deceived by Iago, etc.); and, at the moment at which the tragic hero achieves that enlightenment...they die.
A tragic hero also "falls;" he or she has to be brought low. And the fall has to be extreme, which is why the main characters of such plays tend to be kings, princes, etc.
2007-02-13 08:07:14 · answer #1 · answered by shkspr 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Great challenge!
Concentrate of against the "tragic" part. He is a struggling figure, but not sad or morose. He has a really good sense of humour: just have a look at the "Mousetrap" part: he makes a fool from Polonius and Rosencrantz; he has a sparkling flirt with Ophelia.
And above that: in better circumstances he would be a great artist or writer.
Have a good discussion!!!
2007-02-13 16:22:16 · answer #2 · answered by niihka 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He is a tragic hero... I'm not sure how he could not be. Even with his faults, he redeemed himself with his dying breath by giving the throne over to Fortinbras. Doing so prevented Fortenbras from invading Denmark and bringing war to the Danes.
2007-02-13 15:37:37 · answer #3 · answered by willow oak 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋