Tragic Hero Handout
“A Tragic Hero is a character who falls from a great height because of a character flaw.”
Generally, the tragic hero:
- Is born of noble birth.
- Is responsible for his or her own fate.
- Has a tragic flaw.
- Is doomed to make a serious error in judgement.
- Meets a tragic death.
- Realizes he/she has made an irreversible mistake.
- Faces and accepts death with honor.
- Falls from great heights or from high esteem.
Characteristics
A tragic hero (has/undergoes):
| A belief in his own freedom. He makes choices and has faith and courage to accept the outcomes of his choices | A supreme pride. The pride seems to demonstrate a superiority to fellow human beings and an equality with gods, but gives the tragic hero a unique power and dignity. |
| Capacity for suffering. He suffers because he believes in what he is doing, and because he feels both guilt and guiltlessness. | A sense of commitment. Once the forces of the conflict are set in motion, he is committed. |
| Vigorous protest. The tragic hero objects with vehemence, logic, and pain against the situation in which he finds himself. | Transfiguration. The tragic hero learns from his agony, and his awareness lies in his deeper understanding of the human condition. |
