The Tragic Hero
The Tragedy and its Tragic Hero
What a Tragedy?
The notion of a tragedy is credited to Greek philosopher, Aristotle. It is defined as a serious drama which is focused on the life of a distinguished and often noble character, such as a king. Typically a conflict develops between the protagonist, the noble character, and some superior force. Destiny or other circumstances beyond the protagonist’s control overtake the tragic hero, resulting is some self-discovery or moral revelation. The conclusion of the drama comes when the conflict is brought to a sorrowful and disastrous end, often but not always the tragic hero’s death, and a valuable lesson has been imposed on the audience.
“A man cannot become a hero until
he can see the root of his own downfall.”
Aristotle
Important Characteristics of a Tragedy and its Hero
In order to thoroughly understand a tragedy, it is important to be aware of several characteristics of this genre. The following are a list of important terms associate with a tragedy.
Tragic hero
• The protagonist of the tragedy
• Privileged or of noble birth; often a king or leader
• Doomed or cursed from the beginning
• Takes no responsibility for his tragic flaw
Hamartia
• From the Greek hamartenein meaning “to err”
• A defect or short coming of the tragic hero; a weakness
• Causes the tragic hero’s demise
Tragic flaw
• Another term for hamartia
Demise
• The downfall or failure of the tragic hero caused by his tragic flaw or hamartia
• The tragic hero’s demise is due to his own choices
Reversal of fortune
• Another term for demise
• The ruin and suffering a tragic hero experiences when he is made the opposite of what he was
• For example, a king turned beggar; strong made weak
Catharsis
• The emotional cleansing or realization that an audience experiences
• Inspires the audience to realize a moral lesson
• Inspired by the intense fear and pity for the tragic hero that a tragedy suggests to the audience
The Tragedy and its Tragic Hero
Character Analysis
DIRECTIONS: Decide if Oedipus fits the definition of “tragic hero”. In order to make your final decision, make sure you are able to answer “yes” to all of the questions below. Provide specific examples from the text to support your claim.
Character: Oedipus
• Is he the protagonist of the tragedy? YES NO
o Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• Is he privileged or of noble birth? YES NO
o Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• Is he doomed or cursed from the beginning? YES NO
o Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• Does he deny responsibility for his tragic flaw? YES NO
o Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• Does the character face a reversal of fortune? YES NO
o Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• Would the tragic hero’s experience cause the audience experience a catharsis? YES NO
o Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Tragedy and its Tragic Hero
Follow up Activity
Tragic heroes are not limited to literature. Many fictional tragic heroes have been created for movies and TV shows. Additionally, many real people exemplify qualities of the tragic hero.
DIRECTIONS: Locate an example of a tragic hero outside of literature. For example, you may choose a person from a movie or TV show, a singer, or famous leader. You will have to analyze the character traits of the person you choose, and you will not be able to just “Google” the term “tragic hero”. This activity requires some work on your part. Once you have decided upon a good choice for a tragic hero, provide evidence to support your claim in one of the following formats:
• An essay that provides a thorough explanation with specific evidence. Make and prove your claim that this person fits the definition of a tragic hero. Your essay should be typed or neatly written in ink and double spaced. You must provide a list of sources.
• An annotated timeline of the person’s life. Include events from birth to the present or from birth to death. For each event, provide a brief explanation to support your claim that this person is a tragic hero. You must provide a list of sources.
• An original poster depicting events from the person’s life. Each characteristic must be represented with an appropriate visual. For each visual, provide a brief caption that explains the relevance of the picture. You must provide a list of sources.
**A note about sources: For each source, including pictures, provide the title and author of the document. Also, please indicate if the source is a book, website, magazine, etc.
GRADING:
• Final draft quality…………………………………………………………25 points
o Typed or written neatly in blue or black ink
o Neat and organized with evidence of effort
o Your name and date present in the appropriate place
• Specific evidence …………………………………………………………75 points
o Of noble birth
o Of a doomed or cursed beginning (may be excluded if all other evidence is present)
o Of a lack of responsibility for his/her tragic flaw
o Of a defect or short coming that causes the tragic hero’s demise
o Of ruin and suffering a tragic hero experiences from his/her downfall
o Of a moral lesson to be learned by others
• PLEASE NOTE:
o Projects should exhibit final draft quality and effort
o No project will be accepted without a list of references
Tragic Hero Project
Grading Rubric
Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________________
Project: _________________________________________________________________________
Criteria Points Possible Points Earned
Final draft quality……………………………25 points __________
Typed or written neatly in blue or black ink
Neat and organized with evidence of effort
Your name and date present in the appropriate place
Specific evidence ……………………………75 points __________
Of noble or famed birth
Of a doomed or cursed beginning
(may be excluded if all other evidence is present)
Of a lack of responsibility for his/her tragic flaw
Of a defect or short coming that causes the tragic hero’s demise
Of ruin and suffering the tragic hero experiences from his/her downfall
Of a moral lesson to be learned by others
PLEASE NOTE:
No project will be accepted without a list of references
Tragic Hero Project
Grading Rubric
Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________________
Project: __________________________________________________________________________
Criteria Points Possible Points Earned
Final draft quality……………………………25 points __________
Typed or written neatly in blue or black ink
Neat and organized with evidence of effort
Your name and date present in the appropriate place
Specific evidence ……………………………75 points __________
Of noble or famed birth
Of a doomed or cursed beginning
(may be excluded if all other evidence is present)
Of a lack of responsibility for his/her tragic flaw
Of a defect or short coming that causes the tragic hero’s demise
Of ruin and suffering the tragic hero experiences from his/her downfall
Of a moral lesson to be learned by others
PLEASE NOTE:
No project will be accepted without a list of references
Tragic Hero Project
Grading Rubric
Name: _____________________________________ Date: ______________ Class: __________
Project: __________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: No project will be accepted without two references
Criteria Points Possible Points Earned
Final draft quality……………………………25 points __________
Project includes / has:
_____ Typed or written neatly in blue or black ink
_____ Neat and organized with evidence of effort
_____ Your name and date present in the appropriate place
Specific evidence ……………………………50 points ___________
Project includes specific evidence of:
_____ Of noble or famed birth
_____ Of a doomed or cursed beginning
(may be excluded if all other evidence is present)
_____ Of a lack of responsibility for his/her tragic flaw
_____ Of a defect or short coming that causes the tragic hero’s demise
_____ Of ruin and suffering the tragic hero experiences from his/her downfall
_____ Of a moral lesson to be learned by others
References …………………………………..25 points ___________
Project reference #1 includes:
_____ Title: __________________________________________________
_____ Author: ________________________________________________
_____ Website: _______________________________________________
_____ Date accessed: __________________________________________
_____ Publisher: ______________________________________________
_____ Date of publication: ______________________________________
Project reference #2 includes:
_____ Title: __________________________________________________
_____ Author: ________________________________________________
_____ Website: _______________________________________________
_____ Date accessed: __________________________________________
_____ Publisher: ______________________________________________
_____ Date of publication: ______________________________________
-----------------------
Total Points
Total Points
Total Points
(test grade)
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