The Tragic Hero (lecture from February 6th, 2018)

"A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." (Aristotle, 384 - 322 BCE)

The lecture from this day stood out to me because I have always loved looking deeper into the flaws of tragic heroes. We gave background to the titular character in Aristotle's Antigone, as we were beginning to read it at this time. Firstly, what is a tragic hero?

A Tragic Hero...

• is the central character in the story, often nobility
• has defects and flaws in their character

These two defining characteristics were hard to digest at the time, as nobility was often viewed as God-like. Said defects and flaws are very human, like poor judgement, great pride, and general weakness. Many of the flaws given to these types of characters also coincide with the Seven Deadly Sins highlighted in Dante's Inferno.

1. Pride
2. Greed
3. Sloth
4. Envy
5. Gluttony
6. Wrath
7. Lust

A point brought up during this lecture was a matter of altruism versus egoism. This refers to whether a character is truly selfish, or if they are acting solely for their own image. Factors in this are also arrogance and hubris.

So, what makes the tragic hero?

(I figured it would be best to just post my bubble map from the lecture, as to preserve the actual thought process)

Are there any modern day tragic heroes?

Of course! And that question has caused this lecture to stand out to me personally. Now, when I watch a movie or read a book, my mind starts reeling through the flaws of the characters to try and add up their situation. My favorite example is Anakin Skywalker, but for the sake of repetition, I won't go through all of his flaws here. Click this link to read my published piece about Antigone, Anakin, and the idea of fate vs. free will.