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
He commits murder and puts his entire kingdom in danger. Still, many of his evil acts are committed while he is under the influence of the Weird Sisters and Lady Macbeth, who are often considered to be the true villains of the play. At the end of the play, Macbeth realizes the evil he has committed and seems to feel sorrow for such. Because of this realization Macbeth is often viewed as a tragic hero, for tragic heroes almost always recognize the errors they have committed by the end of their stories and seek, in some manner, to atone for them. Macbeth is indeed a bit too complex to be categorised as a villain or a hero.
Tragic Hero Essay A heroic figure that possesses a character flaw which eventually leads up to his or her defeat is know as a tragic hero. This character is known to be both good and noble, but suffers many flaws that do not bring out the best traits that he or she has. In the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus qualifies to a high extent as the tragic hero. One of Brutus’ flaws has was that he had a lust for power. Others easily manipulated him into any situation, which resulted in him joining the conspiracy.
Although he is yet unconscious of his pathetic position in the real sense but we, the readers, are well aware that he is the sickest person in the whole Thebes. We notice that Sophocles has applied all the qualities of Aristotelian tragic hero in Oedipus Rex in a very efficient manner. According to Aristotle, “An ideal tragic hero is someone who is not preeminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity but by some error or frailty. He must be one who is highly renown and prosperous”. At the beginning of the play we see the hero as “Great Oedipus”, “wisest in the ways of god”, “king of wisdom”, “Liberator”,etc.
Hamlet Analysis The preeminent Greek philosopher and writer Aristotle defines a tragic hero as “A man of high estate; a well know, well intentioned man whose misfortunes result from some error in judgment or some flaw in character“. Does Prince Hamlet fit the definition of a tragic hero? This question is more complex then one may think. While most scholars agree that Hamlet could be considered a perfect or prototypical tragic hero, other view his role in the play differently. Some scholars can not find a true tragic flaw with Hamlet, others believe his mental instability and murderous ways make him just as much a villain as Claudius.
Is Oedipus a Tragic Hero? In the play of “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus is in fact a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition. Aristotle defined a tragic hero according to these standards: A tragic hero has to be a king or a man of noble stature, a tragic hero must be an honorable man and his downfall occurs from an act injustice cause by ignorance, the downfall of a tragic hero is his own fault and nobody is to blame for, the hero’s downfall is not always earned but his punishment goes beyond from his or her crime, and after his or her downfall the hero learns a valuable lesson. They play is written like it was purposely wrote to meet the qualities of a tragic hero according to Aristotle by using Oedipus as an example. Oedipus meets all the qualities of a tragic hero by him being a man of noble and honorable stature, but his downfall is caused by his own fault but by an act of unfairness, his downfall is not earned by his acts, but at the end he learns a lesson.
A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In addition, this character is happy at the beginning of the play. A tragic hero must be of noble birth and demonstrate a tragic flaw throughout the story. This character will realize their flaw once it is too late to overcome the conflict. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus exhibits qualities that make him the tragic character.
The tragic hero’s defeat is partly, if not entirely, the character’s own fault, though the downfall usually is worse than the character deserves. If the tragic hero survives, he or she usually becomes conscious of what caused their collapse. They learn and grow as to why such a thing happened. Tragic heroes are typically the protagonist. They are observed over closer than the other characters.
tragic hero is a hero of a tragedy drama. However, this is not enough. the first tragic hero in history of drama is Oedipus in ‘Oedipus Rex’ of Sophocles. There we find that in the end Oedipus suffers tragic consequence but he was higher than ordinary people. This matter is very important.
He was of high standing, came from a noble background, and possessed a flaw in his character that brought him to his own downfall. Macbeth represents a tragic hero for many reasons: early in the play he was established as being of great social stature, he suffered from a tragic flaw, vaulting ambition, he experienced suffering, and due to his own actions, this suffering lead him to his degeneration as a character, resulting in his downfall. Firstly, Macbeth is considered a tragic hero because early in the play he was established as being of great social stature and came from a noble background. At the beginning of Act 1, Macbeth was described as a hero: “And fortune, on his demand quarrel smiling,/ Show’d like a rebels whore: but all’s too weak;/ For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-/ Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel” (I,ii,16-19). In these lines, a soldier is praising the bravery of Macbeth and is describing his victory to King Duncan.