Even though Lear is not a man of intellectual brilliance he is a “great soul,” with the capacity for feeling deeply the sorrow of rejection and abandonment by his own. The character of Lear in “King Lear” was known as a tragic hero, because the play meets all the requirements of a tragedy based on Aristotle’s Poetics via A.C. Bradley’s, the Shakespearean tragic Hero. Aristotle suggests that a hero of a tragedy must evoke from the audience a sense of pity or fear, saying, the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity. King Lear has many common qualities, which appear to be essential to the tragic effect. According to Aristotle’s criteria of a tragic hero, King Lear shows characteristics of a tragic hero by having pre-eminence, tragic flaw and gaining of interest.
Some critics may argue that Miller’s Death of a Salesman is not a tragedy, because the protagonist, Willy Loman, does not posses the critical attributes of a classical tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the protagonist is a ‘noble individual with greatness of soul’, yet Willy is a middle class citizen struggling in a society which is driven by the notion of the American Dream. I believe that that Linda is the tragic hero, and that the play is a tragedy based around Raymond Williams’ Materialist Model, also incorporating some aspects of the Aristotelian model. According to Williams, the death or suffering of the protagonist causes serious implications for the characters around them. I believe this to be true in relevance to Linda’s wasted life.
But the answer to the question, as is so often the case, is all in how you ask it. You see, if the question is, can the life and death of a salesman be tragic?, then, of course, the answer is yes it can. Nor does it require that he be a "great" man, but it does require that he be a good man. The problem with trying to imbue this play with the aura of tragedy is not that Willy Loman is a little man, it's that he's not a good man : he's not much of a salesman; he cheats on his wife; he lives vicariously and unfairly through his eldest son, Buck, then makes excuses for that son's pathological misbehavior; he virtually ignores his second son; he's a real bastard to friends, neighbors and extended family; and so on. Perhaps I missed something, but what quality is it in Willy that should make us regret his departure?
Critical review of Death of a Salesman (1949), by Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is a written play that focuses on the tragedy of Willy Loman, a modern age American salesman trying to accomplish the American dream. Willy's family which consists of his wife Linda, older son Biff and younger son Happy whom each play a significant role in various scenes of the play. The play also reveals past events of Willy's life that are crucial to the development of Willy as a tragic hero. By the end of the play, Willy commits suicide because he thinks this will help Biff achieve the American dream, something that he was ultimately unable to do. However, does Miller achieve the goal of portraying Willy as the tragic hero by the end of the play?
A. However, it has long been debated whether Othello satisfies the requirements of an Aristotelian tragedy. Yet, through extensive research, it is correct to classify Othello as a tragic hero based on Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Due to Othello’s rank as a general in the Venetian army and his union with Desdemona, he is of noble caliber; Othello exhibits naïve and jealous characteristics that are influenced by Iago’s nefarious actions that create his tragic flaw, conclusively leading him to his own demise. II.
Aristotle, the ancient philosopher was the first to reveal in his poetics his definition of a tragedy; which was that tragedy represents man better than he is. This idea enables us to think that perhaps the main protagonist is not always as strongly perceived as they should be; allowing them to have more credit than they deserve. 'I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy as kings are'- Arthur Miller. Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ introduces us to a tragic hero called Willy Loman. The play does not seem to conform to Aristotle's view of a tragedy, as Willy Loman starts the play at low ebb and continues downhill for the duration.
The fundamental desire for reputation and social validation of the heroes of the Illiad suggests a great significance placed on cult worship and everlasting fame. Poets help recreate these stories into legends in celebration of the heroes and their nobility in dying without fear. The Illiad’s recognition of the inevitability of death and its omnipresence in everything the heroes attempt to achieve is the core motivation for each of the heroic figures. Ultimately, the klea andrôn, or ‘the glories of these men’ live on through Homer’s epic tale, epitomising the rise and fall of the great heroes of Troy. Homer’s exploration of Achilles’ struggle for eternal glory establishes the main element of the Hero in ancient Greek culture as the immortalisation of his life in song or epic poetry.
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be a character of noble stature and greatness while embodying nobility as an inner virtue. Next, while tragic heroes are great, they are never perfect and always posses character flaws to make them more relatable to the masses. Continuing, a tragic hero’s fall from power is the fault of the hero; the result of free choice usually attributed to the heroes imperfection. Next, A hero’s actions result in an increase of self- awareness and self-knowledge. Finally, the fate of a tragic hero does not leave the audience in a state of depression, but draws solemn emotions of pity and sympathy.
Firstly, for the reader to understand why Oedipus in the Greek play, Oedipus Rex is a classical example of tragic hero, one must know the theory. The theory of Greek tragedy refers to the protagonist or hero whom suffers some serious misfortune which is not accidental, mostly predetermined and very significant in that the misfortune is logically connected with the hero’s actions. This tragedy stresses the vulnerability of human beings
As mentioned above, Willy reflects Biffs’ failure in business as a reflection of his own dreams of succeeding although he only succeeded for a short while in his life. Also, the affair that Willy was in might have affected Biff and made him unable to keep a job. Willy has such insecurities with betrayal and himself that not only does he believe his family betrays him but also people on the outside too. His boss, for example, just because his boss fired him, Willy takes it as a form of betrayal even though he tells him, “there’s no room for betrayal in the business