A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragic story or drama in which, despite his virtuous and sympathetic qualities and ambitions, he ends up finding defeat, suffering or even a premature end. They are often flawed or hurt with some sort of tense experience and usually have some sort of fatal flaw. All tragic heroes must have a peripeteia, a sudden reversal of the hero`s previous happiness. These bad things don`t usually happen to them by accident. There should be a connection between their own innate defects (their hamartia) and the unhappiness they suffer – even if this link is complex. Tragic heroes are the key ingredient that makes tragedy tragic. That is, the idea of the qualities that make a tragic hero has changed over time. This trick applies to just about everything you write. Instead of telling your readers that your hero is stubborn, show examples of how they behave this way. The golden rule “show, don`t tell” will make your writing more interesting and encourage your readers to do the work to understand the character! Hester Prynne is a tragic heroine because of her tragic mistake of fidelity outside of her marriage to a weak man who does not grant her the same sense of loyalty. For this, she suffers a constant reversal of circumstances through imprisonment and public ridicule. In addition, she is a tragic heroine, as her journey as a protagonist generates catharsis among readers.
As Hawthorne`s novel progresses, readers feel both pity and fear for Hester. At the end of the novel, the reader`s sympathy for his character leads to a release of repressed sadness and despair that reflects Hester`s own experience. It fascinates us to see people fail. Perhaps that`s what makes a tragic hero so captivating and understandable. Tragic heroes can be seen on television, in cinema and in literature. It is important to define this archetype and understand how they affect an action. Through the use of storyboards, students create a fun and interactive way to internalize the concept and create a framework for recognizing tragic heroes through literature. Just because you have a super interesting protagonist doesn`t mean you can have an annoying antagonist (the person who opposes him).
In fact, since your protagonist himself is morally gray, writing a slide about a tragic hero lends itself well to complex and interesting antagonists. Whether you`re involving an anti-villain, friend-turned-foe, or another variant, if you include an antagonist, make sure you give them enough depth and create an opponent worthy of your tragic hero. Be specific when you ask students to create a storyboard that shows Aristotle`s characteristics of a tragic hero. Make sure students include an explanation of each attribute and a quote to support their statement. If they`re doing it as part of a project, it`s an ideal way to explain each cell when students upload their storyboards to a PowerPoint presentation. A tragic hero maintains and directs the narrative of the tragedy. Through their constant struggle to overcome their mistakes and obstacles, the tragic hero represents the consequences of succumbing to our mistakes. And while tragic heroes are doomed to their special fate, they can strengthen your narrative and lead to the emotional and heartbreaking end we all hope for.
Basically, the anti-hero is someone who, despite being the hero of a story, clearly lacks heroic qualities. They can do good things, but not necessarily for the right reasons. On the other hand, the tragic hero is someone who is generally morally righteous and heroic, except for his fatal flaw. Their intentions are usually noble, while antiheroes are usually not. Willy is a modern tragic hero. He is a good person with good intentions, but he is also deeply flawed, and his obsession with a certain idea of success and determination to provide for his family ultimately leads to his tragic death. What do Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby have in common? Both can be considered tragic heroes. In his treatise Poetics, published more than 2,000 years ago, the ancient philosopher Aristotle first defined the concept of tragic heroes and emphasized the characteristics common to all protagonists of classical tragedies (see next section for these). Nevertheless, the nature of a tragic hero in modern times retains two key aspects of Aristotle`s time: Students may struggle with these concepts, especially with the intricacies of strange words such as catharsis, peripeteia, and anagnarisis. Here`s a storyboard to explain what Aristotle meant by catharsis: If you plan to use the classic rhythms of tragic history (e.g., Establishing the Status Quo, a reversal of fate, a moment of realization when your hero is at its lowest, lots of dramatic irony), be sure to think carefully about when it`s most effective to use those moments.
If you don`t, you may find that the climax of your story comes too soon or falls flat after the ascending plot. So it can be helpful to determine the structure of your story in advance. A classic example of a tragic hero is Oedipus Rex. One interesting thing about Oedipus is that, unlike most tragic heroes, he is not responsible for his tragic mistake (which is that he does not know his true identity). The fact that he is not responsible for his mistake does not mean that his mistake is not tragic or that it does not lead to his own suffering. This is another mistake that comes by itself. More importantly, he is a great example of a tragic hero, especially when it comes to the pillar of reversing destiny. Oedipus finally learns the truth behind his own identity and actions: he is his father`s murderer, and he is also his own mother`s lover.
While tragic heroes historically apply to men, women can of course also be tragic heroes. Medea, the main character in another Greek tragedy by Euripides, is one. Here are two more: Any combination of these can still qualify your character as a tragic hero, especially if you keep the basic idea of these traits: your character is imperfect, although perhaps virtuous, and always encounters failure, death, suffering. The tragic hero is a literary device used to create a protagonist for a tragic literary work. A tragic hero is a character who represents the consequences of having one or more personal mistakes or being doomed to failure by a certain fate.