John Proctor: A Tragic Hero Essay
Tragic Hero
Why Is Hamlet A Tragic Hero
Julius Caesar as a Tragic HEro Essay
Romeo as a Tragic Hero Essay
Defining the Tragic Hero Essay
Julius Caesar
Tragic Hero Essay
Shakespeare
Othello as a Tragic Hero Essay
Antigone the Tragic Hero Essay
A Tragic Hero
1. John Proctor: A Tragic Hero Essay
A Tragedy as a literary Work is described in which there is a hero that is basically moral individual
destroyed by some character flaw and by force beyond his or her control. That hero is a tragic
hero who experiences an inner struggle because of this flaw. Because of his charter flaw and his
struggle to do what is right, John Proctor is a tragic hero. John Proctor is a very friendly man.
Everyone likes being his friend. He is open, kind, helpful, upright, blunt–spoken, and just a good,
hard–working man. John has lots of faith in God but little in humans. He knows that mankind is
good but he also knows that they are weak and imperfect. "Proctor: I've heard you to be a sensible
man, Mr. Hale. I hope you'll leave some of it in Salem"....show more content...
To John the affair was just a one time thing and he never wanted it to be brought back up again.
But for Abigail it was commitment, since they had the affair then she saw it as John being with
her forever, and she realized that the only way for that to happen was to get Elizabeth out of the
picture. So even though John Proctor was a good person because of his one little flaw, big issues
appeared. John's affair created and inner struggle/conflict for him. He was always wanting to
what was right but his affair with Abigail constantly held him back. How could he accuse others
for doing wrong when he was holding a dirty secret himself? He wanted Abigail's lies to stop but
he couldn't stop her unless he came out clean. Then finally, one day he couldn't take it anymore,
the guilt was eating him alive and he had to put an end to Abigail's lies, so he admitted to the court
that he had committed lechery. He worked through his fears and struggles and did what was right
for a greater cause. But it ended up not doing anything. In act 1, John's main conflict is dealing with
his lust for Abigail, even though their affair has ended, he still every so often does think of her.
"Proctor: Abby, I may think of you softly from time
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
2. Tragic Hero
Tragic Hero Essay The play Antigone, written by Sophocies, is a great example of a classical
Greek tragedy. For years, there has been a debate weather Antigone or Creon is the tragic hero.
The king of Thebes, Creon has some qualities of a tragic character, but doesn't have all of the
necessary traits. However, Antigone contains all the traits that are require to be a tragic hero,
especially three traits. In Sophocles's Antigone, Antigone is the tragic hero because she is not
completely good, nor completely bad, recognizes her own error and accepts its consequences, and
meets a tragic end. One way that Antigone is the tragic hero is because she is neither completely
good nor bad. One example of this would be when she buries her brother,...show more content...
It is to understand the concept for Greek tragedy, which is a great example in this play. It is hard
to knowledge both Creon and Antigone, and decide who the tragic hero is. She is has her good and
bad sides in this play as a character. Antigone recognizes her error and accepts her death. A tragic
end occurs to Antigone at the end of the play. Because Antigone demonstrates all the traits, so
Antigone is the tragic hero in this
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
3. Why Is Hamlet A Tragic Hero
A tragedy is a drama or literary piece of work in which the main characters is brought to ruin or
suffers extreme sorrow most likely at the consequences of a tragic flaw or moral weakness and also
a inability to suffer the unfavourable circumstances. The protagonist and driving force of a tragic
drama is known as a tragic hero. In order for a protagonist to qualify as a tragic hero certain elements
must be met regarding the character. The tragic hero must be of a noble birth entailing that the
protagonist has a higher social status that the average person. The protagonist must go from a state
of extreme high to a state of extreme low. The protagonist must go through a change and achieve
enlightenment. The tragic hero must have a fatal character flaw which will result in his undoing.
The tragic hero must have an emotional climax causing emotional change. The finally element
needed to be a tragic hero is that the protagonist must die. Hamlet fits the definition of a tragic hero
because Hamlet has a moment of change about himself during the play, he is a person of nobility who
...show more content...
Hamlet because of his social class is obviously nobility but also because Hamlet is extremely well
loved among his family and citizens of the kingdom "He's loved of the distracted multitude"
(IV.iii, 4). Hamlet is also loyal to his father and is determined to set right the state of Denmark.
The rise of fall of Hamlet is evident thought the play but there is no distinct or dramatic downfall
but a slow breakdown of Hamlet over time. Hamlet's reversal of fortunes starts to happen when he
has the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius and avenge his father's murder. Hamlet decides not to
kill his uncle and this sets his downfall, from this point forward Claudius is always one step ahead
of Hamlet. The final stage of Hamlets downfall is his death which symbolizes his lowest point and
also this qualifies his tragic hero because his journey from a point of high to low is
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
4. Julius Caesar as a Tragic HEro Essay
Julius Caesar as a Tragic Hero
The Ides of March mean much more than March 15th, it was also the day Julius Caesar, the Roman
general and leader was killed. Although this day is not a holiday, we should take time to think of
things Caesar didn't on this fateful day. In "Julius Caesar," by William Shakespeare,Caesar that
morning solidified his place as a tragic hero because of his tremendous fatal flaw. Aristotle once
defined the tragic hero as a person of noble or influential birth, who has a moral personality. The
tragic hero also must have one hamartia, which is a fatal flaw. This fatal flaw is the cause of the
person's downfall. This also means that it is a noble person, and it is one part of their...show more
content...
He should have paid more attention to his instincts. This example shows us that Caesar was
excellent at what he did; however, he had a big problem, which held him back.
Specifically, Caesar's problem was that his arrogance made the men closest to him feel threatened,
mad and jealous. Caesar acted like he was better than everyone else, and he made others feel
insignificant, even though they were great and noble also. "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow
world Like a Colossus, and we petty men /Walk under his huge legs and peep about/ To find
ourselves dishonorable graves." (I.ii.135–138) Cassius feels like he shouldn't have to feel so small
next to Caesar, and Caesar thinks he is better than everyone. Caesar talks to everyone like they are
nothing compared to him, and he talks about himself as though he could never be questioned,
which is basically a dictatorship. Rome was a Republic and the idea that one man could rule it as a
king was a threat. Cassius points out, "When could they say (till now) that talked of Rome, that her
wide walks encompassed but one man" (I.ii.154–155). This is a reference to the fact that Rome
should never be a dictatorship, but a democracy. This is the point that convinces some of the men to
move against him. They feel they had to do it to protect Rome. Additionally, Caesar acted so
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
5. Romeo as a Tragic Hero Essay
"A pair of star–cross'd lovers take their life;" (Prologue, 6)
Tragedy, events of great misfortune, has engulfed the world for centuries. Tragedy often giving rise
to feelings of depression, anger, sorrow, and guilt. Romeo, in the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is a
wealthy adolescent of the Montague family. He falls in love with young Juliet, of his rival
family–the Capulets. Romeo's infatuation with Juliet leads to a hasty desire for marriage. This
creates a rash and careless mindset, making Romeo susceptible to errors in judgement. This same
poor judgment causes Romeo to thoughtlessly slay Tybalt, as revenge for the death of his friend,
Mercutio. Through fate, Romeo coincidentally falls in love with a Capulet, his family's...show more
content...
He failed to realize the repercussions of his family's abandonment, especially since he has abandoned
his family for an enemy. This infatuation and haste gives birth to an altered mindset–one "too rash,
too unadvis'd, too sudden," (II, ii, 118). This mindset causes a loss of self–control. Romeo becomes
driven by passions, and ignores reason. It should be noted that passions are found the bottom of the
hierarchy of the human soul. This hierarchy states the importance of each guiding sense, and
following passion leads to dire consequences–usually death. Romeo's reckless actions echo
throughout the remainder of the play. During a brawl in Verona, Mercutio is slain by Tybalt. Romeo
impulsively steps in and challenges Tybalt–claiming that "either [Tybalt] or [he], or both, must go
with [Mercutio]." (III, i, 125). Romeo thoughtlessly engages in combat, hoping either Tybalt or he
(Romeo) will die to honour Mercutio. This conflict results in Romeo killing Tybalt. Consequently,
Romeo is banished from Verona by Prince Escales. Romeo is similarly hasty in deciding to end his
life after discovering Juliet's supposed death. Moments after poisoning himself and dying, Juliet
wakes from her slumber and discovers her dead husband. Romeo's hamartia proved fatal. However, a
great deal of conflict was in–part, the result of chance's influence. Chance is an unknown and
unpredictable series of events that causes a certain end result, and it is sometimes
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
6. Defining the Tragic Hero Essay
A tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy story. He is the main theme.
He is the source behind the main issues of the plot and some major points maybe cleared by
observing his actions and nature. The tragic hero is always larger than life, a person of action
whose decisions determine the fate of others. He is a man who is superior then the average person, a
character of noble stature and greatness. Though the tragic hero is pre–eminently great, he is not
perfect. Otherwise, the audience would be unable to identify with him and his tragedy. His
imperfection is what invokes pity and fear in the audience. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is
the fact that he is trigger by some error of judgment or character flaw. The...show more content...
Although he is clever man, he is blind to the truth. Even though he did not know that Laius and
Jocasta are his parents, He still kills a man old enough to be his father and marry a woman old
enough to be his mother. One would think that a man with a disturbing prophesy over his head as
Oedipus should be very careful about whom he marries or kills. The fact that a tragic hero is not
perfect evokes both pity and fear. Oedipus although being a good father, husband, and son, he
unwillingly destroys his parents, wife and children. Oedipus is human, regardless of his pride, his
intelligence or his stubbornness and the audience recognize his humanity in his agonizing reaction to
his sin. Watching this, the audience certainly moved to both pity and fear, pity for this broken man
and fear that his tragedy can be their own.
The tragic hero suffers from a character flaw, a moral weakness in character. The flaw is what
sets his actions and what inevitably leads to his downfall. The hero's downfall is partially his own
fault, the result of free choice, not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malignant fate.
Oedipus seems to make important mistakes or some "errors in judgment" that set the events of the
story into action. Oedipus flaw is his pride and stubbornness. When a drunken man tells him that he
is a bastard, his pride is so wounded that he will not let the subject rest, eventually going to the
oracle of Apollo to ask it the
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
7. Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar as a Tragic Hero
	Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare during the year 1597. Julius
Caesar's story involves a conspiracy against Julius Caesar, a powerful senator.
The play involves a highly respected senator, Brutus, who decides to join the conspiracy to kill
Julius Caesar, in the effort to keep democracy intact. Brutus believes that if Julius Caesar is allowed
to live, Caesar will take a kingship and turn the government into a monarchy. Brutus, Cassius, and the
other conspirators kill Julius Caesar, yet they find Antony, a loyalist of Caesar, seeks revenge on
them. Plato set out rules on the traits a tragic hero must possess. A tragic hero must neither be an
evil villain nor a great hero,...show more content...
Caesar's pride is shown by his response, "Caesar. ...Danger knows full well that Caesar is
more dangerous than he. We are two lions littered in one day, And I the elder and more terrible, And
Caesar shall go forth."(2,2,44–47) Caesar shows that his pride overrules any advice given
by others. If not for Julius Caesar's pride, he may have avoided the assassination and had more time
for the conspiracy to be uncovered. This clearly shows that Caesar's pride is a hamartia that leads to
his downfall.
	Julius Caesar vacillates, or changes, his mind throughout the play and this downfall is
shown to be one of Caesar's hamartias. On the day Caesar is to go to the Capitol, he changes his
decisions frequently. Caesar defies the warnings of Calpurnia and the priests and Caesar says that
she, Caesar, shall go forth to the Capitol this day. "Caesar. Caesar shall forth. The things
that threatened me Ne'er looked but on my back. When they shall see The face of Caesar, they are
vanished." Through this quotation, it seems Caesar has made his mind to go forth to the
Capitol. Calpurnia, though, is able to persuade him to stay home and send word that he is sick.
Caesar replies, "Caesar. Mark Antony shall say I am not well, And for thy humour I will
stay at home."(2,2,55–56) Decius then flatters Caesar and is able to persuade him that
Calpurnia's nightmare is misinterpreted and that he
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
8. Tragic Hero Essay
Tragic Hero
In many, a tragedy do the tragic heroes have flaws that lead themselves to their own demise. The
main character always acts exactly on his or her own emotions; thus aiding their tragic flaw and
leading to their own demise without giving them the time to stop the repercussions of their emotion
driven actions. In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles many of the characters are simply too
headstrong and passionate about their beliefs to realize that they would greatly regret the decisions
they are making. All of the characters share this characteristic; it is alluded to in the play that this is
caused by their blood relation to Oedipus and how they are too cursed.
Creon displays his tragic flaw on his sleeve; this is seen in the...show more content...
Nevertheless, her existence in itself is looked down and cursed by the gods and as if fate had called
for it, she kills herself to appease her stubborn and prideful nature. Her emotions fuel her decisions
and before Creon can even begin to regret his own decisions and come to release her, she is dead
along with the majority of his loved ones.
Haemon, much like his father, has his own tragic flaws of his loyalty and undying love for his
would be wife Antigone. Who at the end of the story ends up making a tragic exit and Haemon
after failing to convince his father, Creon, to release her chooses instead to hastily follow suit and
meet his own tragic demise next to his lover. He makes a emotional and heartbroken choice out of
pure desperation for his lost love, without considering how it would affect the people he left
behind. Unlike Creon, he didn't have to face the fact that he caused his mother to kill herself out
of despair for her lost son and left his father surrounded by the dead bodies of his loved ones.
Haemon had to bear the weight of Creon's and Antigone's impetuous decisions after he could not
stop and ended up losing to his tragic flaw of love and killing himself.
These heroes' tragic flaws would hardly amount in any despair if alone, but paired with a Greeks
heroes' tendencies to make
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
9. Shakespeare
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...show more content...
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).
	Though the tragic heroes were from the noble class, every person could identify with
them because the heroes possessed very human qualities. Neither Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet or
Othello were overly good and heroic nor were they too sinister and nasty. This characteristic
allowed the audience to feel pity for the character and to learn a lesson about excessive pride,
greed, ambition or stupidity. The tragic hero mirrors everyone, positive traits and faults, to point a
finger and emplore all to beware; if horrible events took place due to a character flaw in a
genuinely good character, the same thing could repeat in an audience member's life as well
(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 by honorably committing suicide while King Lear, after
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
10. Othello as a Tragic Hero Essay
Othello is a tragic hero because of his greatnesses and his weaknesses. He is a noble man who
possesses all the qualities of a military leader, which he is. He has control over himself and shows
courage as well as dignity. Just as Othello is a virtuous man there are some flaws within him, these
flaws complete him ff as a tragic hero. Othello is often blinded by trust and can not see a person for
who they really are. He trusts the people around him even when they mean to afflict harm upon him.
Through this, it can be seen why Othello is one of the most tragic hero out of all the characters from
Shakespeare's many plays.
To begin with, Othello is a graceful man with a valiant personality which draws people near.
Although he is known...show more content...
Even in the toughest of times, he keeps his anger under control. "I will a round unvarnished tale
deliver of my whole course of love – what drugs, what charms, what conjuration, and what mighty
magic (for such proceeding and charged withal) I won his daughter" (Act 1, scene 3, 90–94)
As an example. this shows how Othello deals with style and grace under fire, when accused of
witchcraft by marrying Desdemona. Othello neither yells nor screams, but explains in a way that
captivates his audience and enhances the emotions in the play.
Aside from the greatnesses there also are some flaws. With Othello being a military leader for
most of his life, trusting another military friend would be common and therefore Othello had no
reason to not trust iago. So it can be said that Othello has tragic weaknesses, one being too
trustworthy. Many times Othello does not see the evil acts of iago. He is used to dealing with
military people on the battlefield, where you put your life in the hands of others. In this situation
trust is very important. Othello says that iago is a man of honor and trust and therefore has no reason
to doubt his honesty.
Likewise another weakness of Othello's would be that he is a man who gets confused easily and
cannot judge right from wrong. This can be seen when
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
11. Antigone the Tragic Hero Essay
A Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined
with fate, results into a tragedy. The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery
and misfortune. The tragic hero causes a sense of pity through the tragic downfall that weakens the
character. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone follows her own beliefs by giving her brother a
proper burial, even if she has to break the law of King Creon. Because of her innocent actions,
Antigone is punished unjustly and unfairly. Through her risky and unselfish actions, ability to
follow her own beliefs, and perseverance Antigone is the tragic hero of this play.
Furthermore, Antigone makes many important and...show more content...
Moreover, Antigone's ability to follow her own beliefs results into the heroicness and tragic
death of Antigone. Antigone is from a royal family and has the power to do what she believes in.
She believes in following traditions and exercises that power when she says, "I will bury him,
and if I must die, I say that the crime is holy: I shall lie down With him in death, and I shall be as
dear To him as he to me" (694). Antigone follows her beliefs in following tradition and by doing
what she feels is best. Antigone does this because she knows she is doing the right thing and
knows that she will be repaid in some way. Furthermore, Antigone justifies her actions by telling
the reasons that motivated her to do it to King Creon. She refuses to give in to the beliefs of King
Creon and continues to think her own separate way. Antigone takes a stand to Creon when she
says, " Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine Is of no importance, but if I had left
my brother Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not. You smile at me. Ah
Creon , Think me a fool, if you like, but it may well be That a fool convicts me of folly" (709).
Antigone believes what she is doing is correct and proves that to Creon , but he is still not
convinced. It is important for Antigone to do what she believes is so that she will be pleased and
satisfied with the outcome. Antigone's ability to pursue her goals and to what she wants
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
12. A Tragic Hero
In the play "The Crucible", we have a great example of a tragic hero as a main character. A tragic
hero is a main character of great or noble standing that has a tragic flaw will lead to their demise.
John Proctor is a great example of character being a tragic hero. He is a high classed farmer who is
great standing in his life, while his biggest flaw being his pride. His pride risks his life as he is
accused of witchery by his own servant. By not wanting to sign and hand over a document that
admits him to witchcraft; he is hanged by giving into his pride.
John's greatest thing he has is the role in his town and play. He is a very wealthy farmer with
plenty of land to his name. A great example of us knowing this is at act one he discusses
Get more content on HelpWriting.net