The Tragic Hero The Tragic Hero

 The tragic hero can be used as either a protagonist or antagonist.  In both instances, the audience feels a degree of sympathy for the character.  The protagonist usually shows some remorse at having to defeat the tragic hero antagonist. The Tragic Hero

 The tragic hero can be used as either a protagonist or antagonist.  It’s required for Tragic Hero’s punishment to be severe.  Oftentimes, the protagonists end up suffering immense physical and/or emotional pain. (Prometheus)  Many pay the ultimate price and end up dead. (Romeo & Juliet) The Tragic Hero

 The tragic hero is a literary element that can be traced back to ancient Greece and is still used today.  Many of the characters of Greek Mythology can be classified as tragic heroes: Prometheus, Helen of Troy, and Hades  Video games and movies also make use of the format as well.  Kratos in God of War & Andrew Ryan in Bioshock  Michael Corleone in The Godfather The Tragic Hero

 Recipe for a Tragic Hero:  Aristotle stated that a good tragedy needs a hero who audience can empathize with. It takes real-life situations to the extreme.  The hero is destroyed by a flaw (hamartia) of personality that any person could have: lust, greed, hubris, ambition, anger, fear, etc...  The hero must be involved in a irreversible incident between the hero and someone they are close to.  It can be done on purpose  It can be done by accident  It can be something hero is supposed to do but can’t follow through  It can be stopped at the last second exposing the hero The Tragic Hero

 The tragic hero must be at least partly to blame for his/her own fall from grace.  It’s usually a combination of outside forces and the hero’s own choices.  Outside forces could include any combination of supernatural elements, family members, lovers, friends, or enemies.  In order for the audience to empathize with the hero and feel some shared feeling of catharsis:  At some point, the hero has to realize they’ve made a terrible mistake.  The character experiences a peripeteia (reversal of fortune)  The punishment has to be severe. –that’s why most of them end up dead. The Tragic Hero

 In order to elicit empathy from the audience, the story often makes great use of dramatic irony.  The audience knows things the hero does not.  Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, but the reader knows she is just under the influence of a sleeping potion.