what is a tragic hero?

Answer 1

A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who commits an action or makes a mistake which eventually leads to his or her defeat. The idea of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Usually, this includes the realization of the error (anagnorisis), which results in catharsis or epiphany.


Aristotelian tragic hero

Characteristics
Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." An Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics:

Nobility (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth).
Hamartia (translated as flaw, mistake, or error, not an Elizabethan tragic flaw).
A reversal of fortune(peripetia) brought about because of the hero's Hamartia.
The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis).

Other common traits

Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero:
Hero must suffer more than he deserves.
Hero must be doomed from the start, but bear no responsibility for possessing his flaw.
Hero must be noble in nature, but imperfect so that the audience can see themselves in him.
Hero must have discovered his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.
Hero must see and understand his doom, as well as the fact that his fate was discovered by his own actions.
Hero's story should arouse fear and empathy.
Hero must be physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.
Ideally, the hero should be a king or leader of men, so that his people experience his fall with him.
The hero must be intelligent so he may learn from his mistakes.
A tragic hero usually has the following sequence of "Great, Good, Flaw, Recognition, Downfall."

Tragic virtue

An alternative view of the tragic hero, especially in Renaissance British literature, is one in which he or she possesses a tragic virtue (as opposed to the Classical idea of Hamartia). In this paradigm, the hero exhibits traits that would under other conditions be considered desirable, but due to external circumstances cause their eventual undoing. For example, Shakespeare's character Hamlet from the eponymous play is often criticized for his contemplative nature, and his failure to act is cited as his tragic flaw. Under other circumstances, however, such as the kingship that Hamlet was to inherit, a contemplative nature is certainly a virtue. The tragedy of Hamlet, then, is not that of a flawed character who simply succumbs to his failings, but that of a virtuous character who is consumed by circumstances not under his control.

Modern fictional tragic heroes

In the Modernist era, a new kind of tragic hero was synthesized as a reaction to the English Renaissance, The Age of Enlightenment, Gothic and Romanticism. The idea was that the hero, rather than falling calamitously from a high position, is actually a person less worthy of consideration. Not only that, the protagonist may not even have the needed catharsis to bring the story to a close. He may die without an epiphany of his destiny, or suffer without the ability to change events that are happening to him. The story may end without closure and even without the death of the hero. This new tragic hero of Modernism is the anti-hero.

If you take all this into consideration, Victor Frankenstein can be deemed a tragic hero. He was of high birth, had a tragic flaw, fell to much lower position, but died without remorse or epiphany.

Pax - C

Answer 2

Tragic Hero Definition

Answer 3

What Is A Tragic Hero

Answer 4

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what is a tragic hero?

Answer 5

A tragic hero is a man of high reputation and noble character who meets his own downfall and destroys himself and others because of immoral choices prompted by a tragic flaw.

Answer 6

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Odysseus, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Oedipus Rex, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, Sydney Carton, Anakin Skywalker, Antigone, Medea, Dr. Jekyll

Answer 7

A tragic hero (or heroine) is a main character who has a fatal flaw that eventually leads to his or her demise in the end. A good example of this is Deirdre of the Sorrows, a very beautiful woman from Irish mythology who took her own life after the murder of her lover. She was fated to marry a power-hungry and jealous king, but fell in love with one of his soldiers, Naoise, who wanted nothing to do with her at first. They ran away together, and lived peacefully with Naoise's brothers until their whereabouts were discovered by the king. The king then lied that Deirdre and her makeshift family were free to live in peace, but this was a ruse that killed Naoise and his brothers. There are different accounts of Deirdre's death; For one part, she stabs herself in the chest right after Naoise's death and falls into his grave as she dies. For the other (that I'm currently aware of), the king forcefully takes Deirdre as his wife, but after a year of Deirdre's continuing coldness, he asks her with frustration who she hates the most besides him, and she answers with the name of the man that killed Naoise.
The king then decides to send her to that man for a year, but while riding there, Deirdre threw herself from the chariot and dashed her head against a rock, which killed her.
Tragic heroes are often people who were of high positions and fell from them, and suffer a terrible fate as they die. They also have to discover what they have done as they perish, and yeah, that really sounds a lot like Deirdre. I really love the story.

Answer 8

A tragic hero is a hero that walks towards his or hers own death. It can either be known by the hero (his or her will is to die) or unknown (the set of tragic event kill the hero).

This came from ascient greece. In a tragic play all the caracters die at the end of the story and that end the story.

Johan

Answer 9

Someone who struggles in life, perseveres against all odds--and seemingly ends up dying in a cruel twist of fate.

I had a few "extras" in my Price of Freedom novel which fits that bill succinctly.

Answer 10

Ben Affleck when he dated J-Lo