The play Antigone by Sophocles explains how a powerful king and princess both experience a major downfall due to their respective character flaw. Even though both Antigone and Creon are considered tragic characters, Creon is the character who experiences the more intense downfall. Antigone’s tragic flaw is being too passionate while Creon’s tragic downfall is being too full of pride to make wise decisions. At the end of the play, Creon is still alive and has to deal with the loss of his wife and son thus, making him the most tragic character. Antigone’s tragic flaw is that she is too passionate and strong-willed for her own good.
From this anger comes the main conflict of the play. Iago plans to ruin Othello and Cassio by carrying out a plan based on lies and deceit. This plan will make Iago the only person that Othello believes he can trust, and Iago will use this trust to manipulate Othello. Foremost, Iago first plan to ruin Othello is to use Roderigo s weakness to help him remove Cassio from his lieutenant position, which will in turn lead to both Othello s and Cassio s demise. Iago tells Roderigo to "put money in thy purse" (Shakespeare 53).
However as the events unfold, they become allies more than lovers in their quest to claim the throne, and Macbeth is manipulated and encouraged to do wrong. His determination is questioned by his wife as she states that “[he] live a coward in [his] own esteem.” (1-7-42) This corrupts Macbeth’s mind even further and their relationship is destroyed completely by the
Three critical character in the play that completely display a character flaw are Hamlet with his over- thinking nature, Ophelia with her emotional weakness and Polonius with his absolute loyalty to the king. One of Hamlet’s most popular character flaws is that he over thinks matters of controversial value, and situations in which actions need to be taken. The most important part of the play, where Hamlet displays his flaw of over thinking matters, is when he is about to kill King Claudius. He ultimately does not go through with the plan, and says that he could not kill Claudius when he was in confessional because then Claudius would go to heaven, and that would not conclude in revenge. Hamlet also demonstrates his flaw when he says “That would be scanned,”(Shakespeare III.iii.76) which basically means that he wants think more about the situation at hand, before following it through.
After he abdicates his power, Lear still acts authoritarian and kingly, despite having no real power. King Lear lives in a deluded perception of reality, unexposed to a life with hardships and without absolute power. One example of his deluded reality is that he appreciates the superficial praise from his two ungrateful daughters more than the true but tempered affection of his good daughter. When Lear is denied by Goneril and forced to leave against his will, he is furiously resistant, coping with both the betrayal of his daughter as well as the realization that he lacks absolute authority. The most notable moment of Lear’s madness being reasonable is when Lear finds Gloucester and Edgar in Act 4, Scene 6.
In each name, Torvald used the word “little”, as if to belittle Nora emotionally and intellectually to show his power and superiority over her as if she was his child instead of his wife. Torvald also took joy in showing off his manhood that fed his pride of the man of the house by pride fully hoping that Nora would be in trouble and he would be the knight in shining armor. He went as far as to say “Nora, I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life’s blood, and everything, for your sake.” (1081). No man wishes for a great danger to fall upon their wives, but in that statement, Torvald tried to show off his manhood and “wished” for a great danger to fall upon Nora. Although Torvald talks a big game, he is going to get exactly what he wished for.
Furthermore, Shakespeare exhibits how Hamlet chose to devise a plan of acting mad, rather than avenging his father’s death immediately, progressing to his demise. On the other hand, Hamlet questions the appearance of his father: “The spirit that I have seen may be the devil”(II.ii.610,611). Consequently, Shakespeare conveys that Hamlet’s indecisiveness about his father’s murderer necessitates him to procrastinate more, and lead further to his death. However, Hamlet accomplishes the opportunity to murder Claudius, yet believes it is not the right time: “Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent”(III.iii.91). In fact, he desires that “...his soul may be damned and black as hell”(III.iii.97).
They then go onto call him the Thane of Cawdor, and then finally king. Macbeth's curiosity kicks in, and he tries to find out how he will become king. Macbeth then starts to show his lack of loyalty. When the king names Malcolm as his heir, Macbeth sees this as an obstacle. He has resolved himself not only to kill the king, but to also remove Malcolm.
Macbeth himself was always yearning for power. It is first shown when he is made thane of Cawdor, and is jealous of Malcolm for becoming heir of the throne. “As Macbeth hears the title given to Malcolm, he shows again the conflict within him between ambition and fear.” (Campbell 216) His greed and ambition for more gets the better of him, as he plots with Lady Macbeth to kill King Duncan and become the heir to the throne. This was a very selfish act in his position; by killing Duncan and becoming king, Macbeth disrupted the chain of being and doomed all of society as a whole. “The Great Chain of Being was supposed to keep the Earth in a stable condition and order.
Lear's pride keeps him from listening to the advice of Kent, the king's most loyal follower, after he banishes Cordelia and admitting he may have been wrong. Because of this pride, he willingly submits himself to the corrupt will of his other two daughters. “What wouldst thous do, old man? Think'st thou that duty shall have dread to speak when power to flattery bows? To plainness honor's bound when majesty falls to folly.” (1.1.146-151).