Webster’s dictionary defines tragedy as, “a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror.” A tragic hero, therefore, is the character who experiences such a conflict and suffers catastrophically as a result of his choices and related actions. The character of Hamlet, therefore, is a clear representation of Shakespeare’s tragic hero. As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King.
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.
This is backed up in Scene 1 when Blanche says “the boy-the boy died. “ This could also be seen as a reversal of fortune, which is typically a trait seen in most tragic protagonists, however, the time in the play that this reversal of fortune occurs varies, and it is suggested that in the opening scene, Blanche has already suffered her reversal of fortune, which ultimately labels her as a tragic hero from the first page. In addition to this, it is suggested by “daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice” that she is a character of higher status than the men from New Orleans who dress in “blue denim work clothes”. This also suggests that Blanche has a high enough status to not work as opposed to the “roughly dressed “men. The stage directions in Scene 1, describe Blanche as “incongruous to her surroundings”, which implies that she is isolated from the beginning of the play therefore she is showing another typical trait of a tragic protagonist.
One may argue that Williams does it better that Friel because not only is his central character clearly emotionally weak through h her speech and actions, she also appears unstable because of Williams’ clever use of stage directions and music. Both playwrights show their main character’s instability early in the play. The initial impression we are given Blanche DuBois is that she is out of place in New Orleans; she’s come from Belle Reve a
Kowalski’s beast-like traits and inhuman strength are opposed to Blanche’s language capabilities right from the meeting between the two. Within this section the playwright portrays Blanche to have poor people skills as well as a desperate defiance and an intellectual ability. Williams also contrasts these traits with Stanley’s rough and compact nature that are part of the modern era of America that is going to crush and get rid of the older, weaker America that Blanche symbolises. Firstly, Williams uses personification to emphasise the immense force and effect that the family deaths have had on Blanche. This emotional turmoil is portrayed as powerful “blows in (her) face and (her) body” showing how painful that these deaths were for her and how influential they were in the loss of Belle Reve.
A ‘tragedy’ in theatre is a play in which ‘good’ turns to ‘bad’, and ends with the downfall of the hero and/or heroine. The question of what caused the tragedy in Romeo and Juliet has been argued by many English scholars. Romeo and Juliet is centred around a strong feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, and this is often held accountable for the tragic death of the two lovers: ‘Capulet, Montague See what a scourge is laid upon your hate That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.’ (V.3.291-3) Although this may contribute to the disastrous outcome of the play, it cannot be held entirely to blame. Right at the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, the Chorus tells us that we are to see a pair of ‘star-crossed lovers take their life’. (Line 6).
Is Macbeth a tragic hero? Traditionally, a tragic hero is one of high birth who possesses a flaw in character that brings about his own downfall. This is true of Macbeth. How is Macbeth a hero? Macbeth is a hero because in the beginning of Act I, we hear the other characters talk about how heroic Macbeth was in a fight in defense of his king's land and how he defeated the enemy.
Othello fits into the classical mould of a Greek tragedy, brought about by Aristotle many years before the play was written. A Greek tragedy is based on conflict and depicts the downfall of high-ranking characters, who make fatal errors of judgement (hamartia) because of their overweening ambition and pride (hubris), and they are swiftly destroyed by the consequences of their actions. Aristotle stated that a tragic hero should have qualities that the ordinary person would also possess, but the tragedy is best when it ends unhappily, making the audience feel pity and fear. Othello is a highly original tragedy in many ways. He is a high-ranking general and is descended from a line of kings, as well as being overambitious when marrying Desdemona, possibly overreaching himself when he tries to combine the two lifestyles.
The Tragic Hero in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar In most stories, there is often a hero that sacrifices to achieve their goal, but in Shakespearean tragedies, there is always a tragic hero. A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy, which is fated to suffer by his or her own flaws or weaknesses. Some people believe that Brutus is the tragic hero in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, while others believe that Julius Caesar is the tragic hero in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The tragic hero in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is Brutus because he experiences suffering, has a tragic flaw of honor, while other believe that Julius Caesar more of a tragic hero. A hero suffers an extreme reversal of fortune, from great success to abysmal failure, which causes immense suffering.
Ahmad Rathore 3/25/11 Creon: An Aristotelian Tragic Hero Aristotle, an ancient Literary Critic believed that in order for a character to be a tragic hero, the character must fulfill certain qualities. In Sophocles’ Tragedy Antigone, Creon who was once the cities most favored King, fell to ruin after causing the death of his own son. Not only did he kill his own son, his wife committed suicide because of such unbearable news. According to Aristotle Creon executes such criterion to the highest extent. Aristotle believed that a tragic hero must have been a man of greatness and nobility, while still being flawed in essence to his personality.