Tragic hero

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A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who exhibits a tragic flaw, also known as fatal flaw, which eventually leads to his or her demise. The concept of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Usually, this includes the realization of fatal flaw, which results in catharsis or epiphany. The tragic flaw is sometimes referred to as an Achilles' heel after the single fatal flaw of the Greek warrior Achilles.

Contents 1 Aristotelian tragic hero 1.1 Characteristics 2 Other common traits 3 Tragic virtue 4 Modern fictional tragic heroes

[edit] Aristotelian tragic hero

[edit] Characteristics

An Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics:

1. Nobleness (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth).
2. Hamartia (translated as tragic flaw, somewhat related to hubris, but denoting excess in behavior or mistakes).
3. A reversal of fortune (peripetia) brought about because of the hero's tragic error.
4. The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis).

[edit] Other common traits

Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero:

• Hero must suffer more than he deserves.
• Hero must be doomed from the start, but bear no responsibility for possessing his flaw.
• Hero must be noble in nature, but imperfect so that the audience can see themselves in him.
• Hero must have discovered his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.
• Hero must see and understand his doom, as well as the fact that his fate was discovered by his own actions.
• Hero's story should arouse fear and empathy.
• Hero must be physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.
• Ideally, the hero should be a king or leader of men, so that his people experience his fall with him.
• The hero must be intelligent so he may learn from his mistakes.

[edit] Tragic virtue

An alternate view of the tragic hero, especially in Renaissance British literature, is one in which he or she possesses a tragic virtue (as opposed to the Classical idea of a tragic flaw). In this paradigm, the hero exhibits traits that would under other conditions be considered desirable, but due to external circumstances cause their eventual undoing. For example, Shakespeare's character Hamlet from the play of the same name is often criticized for his contemplative nature, and his failure to act is cited as his tragic flaw. Under other circumstances, however, such as the kingship that Hamlet was to inherit, a contemplative nature is certainly a virtue. The tragedy of Hamlet, then, is not that a flawed character simply succumbs to his failings, but that a virtuous character is consumed by circumstances not under his control.

[edit] Modern fictional tragic heroes

In the Modernist era, a new kind of tragic hero was synthesized as a reaction to the English Renaissance, The Age of Enlightenment, and Romanticism. The idea was that the hero, rather than falling calamitously from a high position, is actually a person less worthy of consideration. Not only that, the protagonist may not even have the needed catharsis to bring the story to a close. He may die without an epiphany of his destiny, or suffer without the ability to change events that are happening to him. The story may end without closure and even without the death of the hero. This new tragic hero of Modernism is the anti-hero.