For example, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth was a king whose flaw was his vengeful nature, which led him to lose everything he had, including his life. In Julius Caesar, also written by William Shakespeare, the hero Brutus was a good man of high position whose flaw was being too trusting, and this led to his inevitable death as well. Nora, the protagonist in Ibsen's A Doll's House, does not fit into the role of a tragic hero. She didn’t have the “tragic flaw” the main characters of tragedies are supposed to have. The only real “flaw” that provided a weakness or limitation to her was the fact that she was born a woman.
But in order to understand the elements that make Macbeth, it is important to analyse the concepts of tragedy. The classical definition of tragedy comes from Aristotle, who states that tragedy is a representation of reality through a complete story. It does not rely in narrative, but in dramatic form and it raises the emotions of fear and pity, promoting a catharsis of them (ARISTOTLE; ACKRILL, 1987, p. 543-544). Additionally, he talks about the tragic hero, a great man who experiences change through misfortune. Aristotle’s theory is suitable to the plays available to him at his time, but it is not enough to embrace all “types of serious plots ending in a catastrophe” that
If Hamlet were to have seen his father’s ghost by himself, there would be a greater argument for him being insane from the outset of the play. Hamlet also exerts control over his actions, which is the main reason why it could be argued that he is sane. He actively tries to convince Polonius that he has gone mad - mocking him when he would usually be respectful, acting cruelly towards Ophelia whom he was clearly affectionate to earlier in the play. He does this in the hope that Polonius will tell the court of his madness. Hamlet is often hesitant to do things, for example where he had the chance to kill Claudius in the chapel but couldn’t bring himself to do it, not because he would be killing another human but because he wanted Claudius to suffer and not go straight to Heaven.
Despite all this negativity, it would be a great over-simplification to assume that the overall play ‘presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers no comfort at the end’, though this is an easy assumption to make given the obvious bleakness that infects the play throughout. Shakespeare does not dance around with back stories for the characters; rather he launches straight into Lear’s grand mistake in the first scene, and leaves the characters actions to imprint on the audience’s mind, introducing them. Lear’s flaws become evident immediately, even if the consequences of such flaws are not fully unveiled until later. Lear’s pride can be dismantled to have many layers; too proud to accept the truth in Cordelia’s words, seeking only mindless, false flattery; too proud to listen to Kent’s wise warnings, hearing only ignorant interruptions. ‘In thy best consideration check this hideous rashness.’ Lear does not only ignore the good advice his good friend Kent is giving him, he also
Unique Tragic Hero A hero does not need to be good, he just need to be the winner. In ancient time, Greek tragedy was not only a form of entertainment but also a tool to make people embrace The Gods. It endues emotions such as pity and fear in the audience that the protagonist’s affliction may happen to them. Thus, a tragic hero is extremely crucial to promote such emotion. Medea, an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides has Medea, a female character as the tragic hero.
In The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare demonstrates the build of guilt and remorse that Macbeth and his Queen begin to develop, consequently aids and foreshadows their demise. Shakespeare uses a wide variety of imagery to emphasize how guilt affects Macbeth’s life. Also, throughout the play, multiple pieces of evidence are displayed to prove how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both change drastically from the beginning to the end of this piece. Finally, towards the end of the play, Macbeth finally comes to terms with himself and his devious actions, thus restoring his old mentality. Guilt is a factor of human nature and touches just about everyone at some point.
You don't need to make a comparison, but pick which view you agree with, Knight or Shakespeare's, or make it into 2 separate sentences. Are you trying to argue Claudius's motivations or to explain that Hamlet was the true villain? Make sure following paragraphs support that.) Knight argued that Hamlet, and not Claudius, is the villain due to his irrational ways because Claudius had no choice but to commit the murder or to protect his throne from Hamlet. However, Claudius had a chance to make a choice, but since his desires for power and treasures were so overwhelming, he chose the murderous path.
In the play Macbeth, I believe that Macbeth brings about his own downfall and is not a victim of circumstance. Certain traits contribute to his downfall. Three that are apparent are his ambition, the way others can influence him, and his ignorance while making decisions. Vaulting ambition is a very obvious flaw of Macbeths. In part of the play, Macbeth even admits to his ambition, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other."
Statement: ''According to Aristotle, the tragic hero should not be entirely good nor evil. Instead, he should possess a fatal flaw, which will incite pity and fear in the audience. Critics are divided about Othello. Some feel that he is flawless, while others think that he is too easily moved to jealousy. What is your view on the matter?''
Furthermore, the tragic hero has been often portrayed in famous past plays as someone from noble status. Because of this, some may think that Willy does not fit the role of a real tragic hero but is rather of just a failure of society. Miller's essay Tragedy and the Common Man argues that tragedy should not be "allied to pessimism." Therefore Willy should not be seen in the perspective of how he is not the tragic hero but instead, of how he does achieve this tragic identity. Already, Willy can be seen to not be the typical tragic hero that has been exemplified in various past plays.