Shakespearean Tragic Heros
The name "tragic hero", which has become synonymous with Shakespearean dramas, was developed before Hamlet, Macbeth or any of Shakespeare's well-known plays were written. The literary term was actually discovered around 330 BC by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Through his theory of catharsis, Aristotle debated that the great plays of Sophicles, Euripides, and other Greek playwrights contained tragic heroes similar to each other, which all portrayed four basic characteristics ("English Lit."). These qualities were a tragic flaw, or harmartia, they all were from a noble class, with very human personalities, and they all face their tragedy with dignity. It is not until the late 1500s that Shakespeare began to utilize Aristotle's observations in the production of his many tragedies (Desjardens). Probably the most important characteristic of a Shakespearean tragic hero is that one must posses a tragic flaw, because without the f
While the tragic flaw is the key element in a tragedy, the tragic hero's social status is also of high importance. All tragic heroes are from a very noble class. Whether the heroes are Thanes or Generals in the army, like Macbeth, Othello, and Antony, or from royalty, like King Lear, Hamlet, or Cleopatra, each eventually fall from grace. This characteristic was used mostly to help the common people identify with the wealthier upper class. If the ruling class, which was generally looked upon with favor and prestige, could sin much like the commoners did, then no one group of people were more superior (Desjardens). After all the people are killed, all the futures damned, and all the plots become undone, the tragic hero must face his punishment. The tragic hero always excepts his downfall with dignity and grace. By act five the protagonist has realized his flaw and must come to terms with it. Othello and Antony face their tragedy
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Approximate Word count = 633
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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