Shakespeare - Tragic Heros Essay -- essays research papers

The name "tragic hero", which has become synonymous with Shakespearean dramas, was developed before Hamlet, Macbeth or any of Shakespeares 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 gravid 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 Shakespeare began to utilize Aristotles observations in the production of his many tragedies (Desjardens).&9 belike the most important characteristic of a Shakespearean tragic hero is that one must posses a tragic flaw, because without the flaw, there would never be a downfa ll. The ultimate flaw varies from one play to another, King Lears flaw is that of arrogance while Macbeths it one of ambition. Some characters may be nefarious of harboring many flaws, like Othello. Among Othellos wrongs are gullibility and stupidity. In either case, the character never realizes ones flaws until act five, however, by that time it is too late (Desjardens).&9While the tragic flaw is the key element in a tragedy, the tragic heros social status i...