Characteristics of a Tragic Hero – Shakespeare
- Pages: 2
- Word count: 343
- Category: Character Hero Shakespeare Tragic Hero
A limited time offer! Get a custom sample essay written according to your requirements urgent 3h delivery guaranteed
Order Now1.Exceptional beings â a person of great public and social importance
2.Above the average level of humanity
3.Character traits are similar to the audience â ordinary humanity
4.His actions and sufferings are of an unusual kind
5.Their circumstances raise them to levels far above anyone we have ever known
6.They will experience an epiphany â a major realization about life and humanity
7.Their death is due to their fatal tendency
The Tragic Flaw
1.An ordinary trait that we can relate to, but it is magnified in the tragic hero. For example: pride, procrastination, greed, ambition, anger etc.
2.A fatal trait in the tragic hero that is directly connected to their death
3.The tragic hero shows a tendency to follow one particular character trait and become blinded by it
The Tragic Impression
ïșThe central feeling is waste; a profound sense of sadness and mystery
The Moral Order
ïșMoral order is the ultimate power in any tragic plot
ïșThe moral order shows tends to favour good over evil
ïșTherefore, as the plot in a tragedy progresses, and evil overruns the plot & characters, the universe must bring the balance back where morality & order must reign
ïșEssentially, everything and everyone that is creating a moral imbalance (evil, evil acts) must be eradicated (die) and allow good to prevail
ïșThis why the tragic hero must die
The Role of Fate
ï§Fate always plays a role in the destiny of Shakespearean tragic heroes
ï§We are reminded that sometimes a greater power will influence life â regardless of how much control we think we have
Tragedy
ïșThe audience experiences great pity for the tragic hero
ïșIt is a world in which characters aim for perfection and in this pursuit they give birth to glorious good and immense evil
ïșThis evil can be overcome only through self-torture and a sense of waste
Bradley, A.C. âThe Shakespearean Tragic Hero.â in Viewpoints 12. Robert Dawe et al. (authors). Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2002, 687-691.
