Tragic hero

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Tragic hero (disambiguation).
Oedipus, a figure commonly considered a tragic hero

A tragic hero (or tragic heroine if they are female) is the protagonist of a tragedy. In his Poetics, Aristotle records the descriptions of the tragic hero to the playwright and strictly defines the place that the tragic hero must play and the kind of man he must be. Aristotle based his observations on previous dramas.[1] Many of the most famous instances of tragic heroes appear in Greek literature, most notably the works of Sophocles and Euripides.

Aristotle's tragic hero

In Poetics, Aristotle suggests that the hero of a tragedy must evoke a sense of pity and fear within the audience, stating that “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity."[2] In essence, the focus of the hero should not be the loss of his goodness. He establishes the concept that pity is an emotion that must be elicited when, through his actions, the character receives undeserved misfortune, while the emotion of fear must be felt by the audience when they contemplate that such misfortune could possibly befall themselves in similar situations. Aristotle explains such change of fortune "should be not from bad to good, but, reversely, from good to bad.” Such misfortune is visited upon the tragic hero "not through vice or depravity but by some error of judgment." This error, or hamartia, refers to a flaw in the character of the hero, or a mistake made by the character.

Therefore, the Aristotelian hero is characterized as virtuous but not "eminently good," which suggests a noble or important personage who is upstanding and morally inclined while nonetheless subject to

honor-culture sense of being duty-bound to moral expectations), and it is these exact, highly-admirable qualities that lead the hero into tragic circumstances. The tragic hero is snared by his own greatness: extraordinary competence, a righteous passion for duty, and (often) the arrogance associated with greatness (hubris
).

In other media

Kullervo, a tragic hero from the Karelian and Finnish Kalevala

The influence of the Aristotelian hero extends past

The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Othello in his Othello.[4]Kullervo, a tragic hero from the Karelian and Finnish 19th century epic poetry Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot, curses beasts from the woods to attack his tormenter, the Maiden of the North. J. R. R. Tolkien wrote an interpretation of the Kullervo cycle in 1914; the piece was finally published in its unfinished form as The Story of Kullervo.[5]

Theatre deeply influences a wide variety of arts throughout the world, in diverse media such as literature, music, film, television and even video games. Many iconic characters featured in these genres follow the archetype of the tragic hero. Examples of such characters include

anti-hero.[6]

References

  1. ^ Aristotle, On Poetics, Ingram Bywater
  2. ^ S.H. Butcher, The Poetic of Aristotle (1902), pp. 45-47
  3. JSTOR 291812
    pp. 172-188
  4. ^ Duckworth, Courtney (23 January 2015). "How Accurate Is American Sniper?". Slate.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Tolkienin Kalevala-tarina julkaistaan sadan vuoden viipeellä – Kullervo vannoo kostoa taikuri-Untamolle" [Tolkien's Kalevala story published after a hundred-year lag – Kullervo vows revenge on Untamo the magician] (in Finnish). 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
  6. ^ AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

Sources

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