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A tragic hero is a character that holds a high position in society but is not…
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The tragic hero archetype has been played with for as long as literature has been created, but no one had quite a spin on it like William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s tragic heroes were specifically designed to elicit pity and fear from the audience and to really feel their downfall. In Julius Caesar, the protagonist Brutus is a well-made example. But the character of which the play is named after is often not considered as one. Although the character of Julius Caesar does not follow all the requirements of the traditional Shakespearean tragic hero such as Brutus, the titular character still should be considered one.…
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Othello’s prestige (that of a dark, tall, African Moor), joined with his particular charisma, aids him in achieving the admiration and loyalty of the Venetian people and senators. Othello, subsisting as a soldier for a large interval of his life, is viewed as an exceptionally honourable gentleman. His status as a governor-general itself displays an aura of aristocracy, poise, and potency. The identity portrays someone who is sustained in tremendously high reverence by the people of Venice. In addition to him exhibiting pronounced characteristics and courage, Othello also exhibits pride. He retains his composure during the initial confrontation with the senators when he is accused of witchcraft when Desdemona's father faces Othello about his courting his daughter: “Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors,/ My very noble and approved good masters,/ That I have ta'en away this old man’s daughter,/ It is most true. True, I have married her./ The very head and front of my offending/ Hath this extent, no more,” ( I.iii.76-81). Though Iago is the venomous serpent of the play, it is Othello’s tragic faults of gullibility and jealously that convert him from an aristocrat into a venomous creature himself, which inescapably carriages him to his demise. Although Iago fuels the fire that is Othello’s jealously through his tactics of…
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Sister, M. Bettina. "Willy Loman 's Brother Ben: Tragic Insight in Death of a Salesman." Modern Drama 4.4 (Feb. 1962): 409-412. Rpt. in Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 Dec. 2010.…
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In the works Oedipus by: Sophocles, Macbeth by: William Shakespeare, and The Natural by: Bernard Malamud, the main protagonists, Oedipus, Macbeth, and Roy Hobbes, all find themselves in the unfortunate situation of being a tragic hero. They strive to do great things, but in the end meet their downfall through an unfortunate hamartia, or tragic flaw. Although they all live in different time periods and locations (Oedipus, hundreds of years before Christ in Greece, Macbeth, the Middle Ages in Scotland, and Roy Hobbes, the early Twentieth Century in America). They all possess a flaw that brings them down. They all have multiple flaws, and coincidently are all cursed by one hamartia, excessive pride or hubris. Oedipus thought he could solve any problem placed before him, when in fact he himself was the problem. Macbeth thought he deserved to be King of Scotland more than anyone else, and was driven to do horrible and heinous crimes to accomplish this. Roy Hobbes thought he was going to be the best baseball player there ever was, and was concentrated more on his own performance rather than the whole teams. Supporting characters did not help any of the protagonists either. Roy Hobbes was manipulated by women into doing things for them, and Roy’s fatal vulnerability ruined him in the end. Macbeth was practically forced to kill his own king by his wife, who was more ambitious than he was. Oedipus was driven to do bold things because of the mystery and his dependence on oracles. It was all the precautions he took that eventually lead to his downfall. All of these characters are united by their fatal flaws that define their actions and destiny. Though the characters lived in different time periods, they all have flaws that bring about their downfall.…
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Time and time again we see throughout literature a tragic hero who possesses some fatal flaw which inevitably leads to their downfall. I believe that as humans we all possess our own “tragic flaw”, but unlike these great tragic heroes, we learn to cope with and embrace these flaws. This sentiment I find especially true in myself, noting that my own “tragic flaw” is my extreme volume and talkative nature. Throughout these past seventeen years, I have been learning to come to terms with my loud voice, even coming to love it.…
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Othello gains nobility through his distinguished career. He is seen as an outside, but is yet accepted by the Venetian people because of his contributions as General of the Army. Othello asserts “I fetch my life and being/ from men of royal siege” ( ). It is because of his time in the Army that dignifies him royal. By the Venetian people, he is sought out as “Brave Othello” and decides he “Commands/ life a full soldier” ( ). Both Othello and Oedipus have nobility that turns them into the tragic hero they are doomed to become.…
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Othello, the play's protagonist, is the most dynamic character of them all due to the fact that he is a complete foil of himself by the final act of the play. In the second act Othello is introduced as confident, esteemed general of the Venetian army and a “valiant Moor,” (1.3), but by the end of the play he becomes overcome with insecurity and jealousy because of the rumors fed to him by his general. Throughout the play the audience witnesses the subtle shift in Othello’s feelings toward his wife, Desdemona, and his former lieutenant, Cassio. Othello’s suspicion soon drives him to insanity because he cannot figure out what the truth is. He says “I had been happy, if the general camp, Pioners and all, had tasted her sweet body, So I had nothing known.”(3.3) exclaiming how he would rather Desdemona sleep with the entire army without him knowing than being uncertain of her rumored affair with Cassio. The lie that Iago tells Othello ruins the Moor’s life. Othello goes from a respected commanding officer to an emotionally distraught killer. Iago had made the Moor a mirror image of himself.…
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For every Shakespearean tragedy there is a grossly unfortunate sequence of events that eventually leads to a bloodbath. The reason for this bloodbath is the tragic flaw. The tragic flaw is the small character defect in the protagonist that, in most circumstances, wouldn’t have been a big problem if not for said events. People frequently mistake Othello’s tragic flaw. They jump to the seemingly obvious choice of jealousy or naivety. The actually tragic flaw will be revealed in this essay.…
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Othello is the almighty, respected, and victorious General of the Venetian forces, but finds himself defeated in his most important battle. Othello past triumphs are proof of his strength and reputation, “For since these arms of mine had seven years’ pith” (Act I, Scene 3). Othello loyalty to the people of Venice is shown throughout the play, and the trust he…
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all men need to push themselves, as he did, to be victorious in their battles. Okonkwo also believes that…
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It was that moment: the moment that was going to scar me for the rest of my life. He laid right there in front of me, lifeless and cold; the only one that knew how to steer us to safety. Our captain, Owen Cash, was dead. As everyone was crowding around the dead body with wide eyes, someone finally found the courage to speak up.…
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My father is a tragic hero. Over the course of his life he’s had more accomplishments than anyone else who has grown up beside him. After enduring seven years of college, he graduated law school at the top of his class. Upon moving back to his hometown, he took over the family business and achieved an outstanding reputation. With the world in his hands, his wife and two daughters would have done anything for him. However, people change, and when my father decided that it was his turn to, nothing was ever the same again.…
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Shakespearean tragedies follow an accepted formula: they are about an articulate, social authority, someone who is “important”, within his society; this hero has at least one weakness or fault – a tragic flaw – which during the course of the drama grows until it overcomes his virtues and leads to his downfall, death and the destruction of his world. For Othello, however, this is slightly different as he is not royalty, merely someone in command and is also a Moor. Shakespeare was able the show his ideas of Elizabethan times in his plays to all members of society through his diverse language. He was able to use high language to appeal to upper class, well educated people ‘lavicious’ and use humorous, sexual innuendos and common language to appeal to the poorer, lower class people ‘old black ram tupping your white ewe’. By doing this, he was able to speak and relate to a wide audience. In many Shakespeare plays, he makes connections to his belief in fate and destiny or the intervention of some force over which humans have no control. This may complicate the plot but does not bring about the downfall of the hero and he ultimately chooses it for…
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1. By the definition a modern tragic hero "must be good but flawed, must be artistocratic, must be believable, and must behave consistantly." (Literature and Ourselves, 524). With that being said, I think Troy could be seen as a modern tragic hero. I believe that deep down Troy is a good man, but he is flawed in many ways Rose explains this when she said, "sometimes when he touched he bruised. And sometimes when he took me in his arms he cut." (Literature and outselves, 195). This alone explains how Troy was not the best husband he could be. Troy is flawed, but I also believe he is believable. When he went behind his wives back and cheated, he kept his responsibility and took care of his new baby girl instead of abandoning her. Lastly, I noticed Troy's character behaved consistantly throughout the play. He reminded me of a grumpy old man, who had a hard time showing affection to his family.…
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