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Tragic Hero: Commonly Known Terms And Character Archetypes

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Tragic Hero Essay The tragic hero is one of the most commonly known terms and character archetypes. This term is a longstanding literary concept, and will remain to be one for quite a while. The tragic hero is always destined for failure because of a fatal flaw or two of theirs. To quote the famous Julius Caesar: “Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest” (3.1.126). Brutus, like most of the tragic heroes, is nobility and upper class. He is in a dignified position in the government of Rome, and was close to Caesar. He is not directly related to any royal blood, but one doesn’t have to be blood related to be so. He also fits the stereotype of a leader and hero in his society. To add on to the previous statement,
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Tragic heroes are characters that make judgement errors that leads to their downfall or destruction. The tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet is a prime example of a tragic hero. Shakespeare portrayed Romeo and Juliet as victims that captured the audience's hearts. The book Inherit the wind written by Jerome Lawrence, and Robert E. Lee, is no love story, and the main character Matthew Harrison Brady is no Romeo; however Brady does meet Aristotle's criteria to be considered a tragic hero.

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What is a tragic hero? A tragic hero a person of high rank or quality that suffers a downfall as a result of his or her tragic flaw. These main characters Robert Peace( The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace- Hobbs) , Macbeth ( Shakespeare) and Okonkwo ( Chinua Achebe) were the tragic heros in their own story. Each character started off doing simple task then evolved into doing things that were much bigger that came with a consequence along the way. These men built character amongst themselves once they had to come face to face with their own internal conflict and to reality.

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The tragic hero is defined as, "a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy." (Web). There are many tragic heroes in literature. A good example of a tragic hero is John Proctor, from Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. John Proctor is a farmer living a simple life in a Puritan town with his wife and children.

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A tragic hero is a character in a literary work whose hamartia, or tragic flaw, causes their downfall. They usually hold a high status in the society they reside in, and their peers love them. They are the cause of their downfall, but there is always a lesson behind it. A tragic appears in the dramatic play, “Fences”, by August Wilson. The protagonist, Troy Maxson, defines this role.

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What is a tragic hero? The most common definition of a tragic hero is a literary character that displays characteristics of bravery and courage, yet is destined to downfall. Often times, these characters have a tragic flaw which leads to the ultimate collapse of the hero. In Arthur Miller’s tragic play, The Crucible, John Proctor is a good, well-respected man, however he has one fatal flaw. His secret affair with Abigail Williams spurred the jealousy that Abigail has towards Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife.

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What is a tragic hero? The best definition of a tragic hero comes from a Greek philosopher, Aristotle. When depicting a tragic hero, Aristotle stated, “The change in the hero’s fortune be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in depravity, but in some great error on his part.” In addition, Aristotle explained the qualities that a tragic hero should possess. Qualities that are best shown through the play The Crucible by Arther Miller, where the protagonist is an excellent example of a tragic hero.

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Tragic hero; a person in who contains a tragic flaw in which leads to personal downfall. This blemish of someone’s personality or being can be portrayed in many ways. Examples include a weakness or error in judgement, leading to a state of suffering and/or struggle. A tragic hero must receive pity from the viewer (or reader).

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Tragic Hero Essay Tragic heroes are a character that makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. In the play Antigone, the main character Antigone marries her own brother Haimen, Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother, Creon stones his niece because she broke his law for burying Polyneices. Creon, in the play Antigone, is a tragic hero because he is was born into nobility, Doomed to make a serious error in judgement, and Realize they have made an irreversible mistake.

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The Tragedy of Brutus. In the play Julius Caesar, there were many traits of a tragic hero being displayed. A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which, combined with fate, results in a tragedy. One character proved that he was the tragic hero the most. Although Caesar would be portrayed as the tragic hero based on his flaws, actually Brutus is because of his involvement in the conspiracy which was an error that caused his downfall.

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Although the tragic hero normally describes a literary character, the concept of a tragic hero can be applied to real life people in history. For example, Napoleon is military genius who brought France to the world stage as never before through his wars. Napoleon, a man who started as an average boy from Corsica rose to the highest echelons of power and nobility in France through revaluation, conquest, and talent (cite 3). However, Napoleon's hamartia,or tragic flaw, was his greatest asset and his greatest hindrance he was a general like no other at his time; a tactician who won even when He was outnumbered unfortunately, this also led to him overextending the French empire and his armies leading to his downfall (cite 2). Additionally, Napoleon's conquests led to a broken army and overwhelming

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Tragic Hero: Caesar vs. Brutus What would be considered a tragic hero in a story? A tragic hero is considered a character with good intentions that possess a fatal flaw in their character that ultimately results in their demise.

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In every tragedy, there is a character that personifies the qualities of the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who possesses virtuous characteristics that experiences a downfall due to the fatal mistake that they make. This demonstrates that individuals with positive intentions can still face complications as a consequence of their own actions. There are many tragedies, but one prominent tragedy in literature that contains a tragic hero is Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare’s well known tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is the one who bears the embodiment of the tragic hero.

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The tragic hero must have a flaw or error of judgment which can come in the from of justice or vengeance. As seen in Creon and Oedipus' story that the justice they serve is immortal and wicked. The hero must also experience a setback of fortune brought forth because of the hero's inaccuracy in discernment. The realization or recognition that the setback was brought by the hero's own actions. Excessive Pride is the most common of tragic hero's flaws which bring forward the remaining of the part the predicaments.

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Maesie Marischen Ms. Jozwiak Honors English 1: P5 08 March 2024 Working Title In a tragedy, a tragic hero is defined as a literary character of noble birth that makes a judgment error which leads to their own tragic demise. Despite the protagonist’s defeat, humanity is validated and the audience is taught valuable lessons. 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, anagnosis, and suffering.

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Tragic Hero Essay One can say that the actions of a hero do not go well with the actions of the misguided, but when the actions of the hero and the misguided come together, they form a tragic hero. In most of William Shakespeare's plays, there is a tragic hero; a person who possess a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. In the play, Julius Caesar, the tragic hero can easily be identified as Marcus Brutus. When analysing the play, one will find that Brutus is the only one who fits the characteristics of a tragic hero. These characteristics are his Noble Personality, his Tragic Flaw, and the pity we feel for his honourable death.

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