Tragic Hero Definition

A tragic hero is a type of character in a tragedy, and is usually the protagonist. Tragic heroes typically
have heroic traits that earn them the sympathy of the audience, but also have flaws or make mistakes
that ultimately lead to their own downfall. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a tragic hero.
His reckless passion in love, which makes him a compelling character, also leads directly to the tragedy
of his death.

Tragic Hero Examples:

Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

The Evolution of the Tragic Hero

Tragic heroes are the key ingredient that make tragedies, well, tragic. That said, the idea of the
characteristics that make a tragic hero have changed over time.

Aristotle and the Tragic Hero

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to define a "tragic hero." He believed that a
good tragedy must evoke feelings of fear and pity in the audience, since he saw these two emotions as
being fundamental to the experience of catharsis (the process of releasing strong or pent-up emotions
through art). As Aristotle puts it, when the tragic hero meets his demise, "pity is aroused by unmerited
misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves."

Aristotle strictly defined the characteristics that a tragic hero must have in order to evoke these feelings
in an audience. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must:

• Be virtuous: In Aristotle's time, this meant that the character should be a noble. So that the
reversal of fortune great and hence the fall will have a greater impact. It also meant that the
character should be both capable and powerful (i.e. "heroic"). These traits make the hero
attractive and compelling, and gain the audience's sympathy.

• Common man cannot be a tragic hero.

• Only men can be tragic hero

• Hero must neither be completely saint nor evil

• Be flawed: While being heroic, the character must also have a tragic flaw (also called hamartia)
or more generally be subject to human error, and the flaw must lead to the character's downfall.
On the one hand, these flaws make the character "relatable," someone with whom the audience
can identify. Just as important, the tragic flaw makes the tragedy more powerful because it
means that the source of the tragedy is internal to the character, not merely some outside force.
In the most successful tragedies, the tragic hero's flaw is not just a characteristic they have in
addition to their heroic qualities, but one that emerges from their heroic qualities—for instance,
a righteous quest for justice or truth that leads to terrible conclusions, or hubris (the arrogance
that often accompanies greatness). In such cases, it is as if the character is fated to destruction
by his or her own nature.
 • Suffer a reversal of fortune: The character should suffer a terrible reversal of fortune, from
good to bad. Such a reversal does not merely mean a loss of money or status. It means that the
work should end with the character dead or in immense suffering, and to a degree that
outweighs what it seems like the character deserved.

To sum up: Aristotle defined a tragic hero rather strictly as a man of noble birth with heroic qualities
whose fortunes change due to a tragic flaw or mistake (often emerging from the character's own heroic
qualities) that ultimately brings about the tragic hero's terrible, excessive downfall.

The Modern Tragic Hero

Over time, the definition of a tragic hero has relaxed considerably. It can now include

• Characters of all genders and class backgrounds. Tragic heroes no longer have to be only
nobles, or only men.

• Characters who don't fit the conventional definition of a hero. This might mean that a tragic
hero could be regular person who lacks typical heroic qualities, or perhaps even a villainous or
or semi-villainous person.

Nevertheless, the essence of a tragic hero in modern times maintains two key aspects from Aristotle's
day:

• The tragic hero must have the sympathy of the audience.

• The tragic hero must, despite their best efforts or intentions, come to ruin because of some
tragic flaw in their own character.

Three pillars of tragedy

Your hero’s flaws are intrinsically linked to what Aristotle believed to be three pillars of
tragedy: hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis. Let’s unpack what each of these means.

1. Hamartia is the tragic flaw which leads to the hero’s downfall. Coming from the Greek word
meaning “to err,” it is a flaw form within the character themselves. It is often a
blatant character trait, like hubris.

2. Peripeteia is the reversal of circumstances. Often referred to as a reversal of fortune,

3. Anagnorisis is the hero’s recognition. This is a critical point for your hero, as they have
gained insight regarding their true identity or actions and forever changes them.

These story-telling devices are timeless because audiences can find themselves within the
framework of a tragic hero’s narrative. Humans are flawed, and using these three tools to build
your hero and their journey can ensure your catharsis truly packs a punch.
Tragic Hero, Antihero, and Byronic Hero

There are two terms that are often confused with tragic hero: antihero and Byronic hero.

• Antihero: An antihero is a protagonist who lacks many of the conventional qualities associated
with heroes, such as courage, honesty, and integrity, but still has the audience's sympathy. An
antihero may do the right thing for the wrong reason. Clint Eastwood's character in the western
film, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, is fundamentally selfish. He does a few good things, but
only as long as it suits him—so he's a classic antihero.

• Byronic hero: A Byronic hero is a variant of the antihero. Named after the characters in the
poetry of Lord Byron, the Byronic hero is usually a man who is an intelligent, emotionally
sensitive, introspective, and cynical character. While Byronic heroes tend to be very charismatic,
they're deeply flawed individuals, who might do things that are generally thought of as socially
unacceptable because they are at odds with mainstream society. A Byronic hero has his own set
of beliefs and will not yield for anyone. While it might not be initially apparent, deep down, the
Byronic hero is also quite selfish.

According to the modern conception of a tragic hero, both an antihero and a Byronic hero could also be
tragic heroes. But in order for a tragic hero to exist, he or she has to be part of a tragedy with a story
that ends in death or ruin. Antiheroes and Byronic heroes can exist in all sorts of different genres,
however, not just tragedies. An antihero in an action movie—for instance Deadpool, in the first
Deadpool movie—is not a tragic hero because his story ends generally happily. But you could argue that
Macbeth is a kind of antihero (or at least an initial hero who over time becomes an antihero), and he is
very definitely also a tragic hero.

Tragic Hero Examples

Oedipus as Tragic Hero in Oedipus Rex

The most common tragic flaw (or hamartia) for a tragic hero to have is hubris, or excessive pride and
self-confidence. Sophocles' tragic play Oedipus Rex contains what is perhaps the most well-known
example of Aristotle's definition of the tragic hero—and it's also a good example of hubris. The play
centers around King Oedipus, who seeks to rid the city he leads of a terrible plague. At the start of the
play, Oedipus is told by a prophet that the only way to banish the plague is to punish the man who killed
the previous king, Laius. But the same prophet also reports that Oedipus has murdered his own father
and married his mother. Oedipus refuses to believe the second half of the prophecy—the part
pertaining to him—but nonetheless sets out to find and punish Laius's murderer. Eventually, Oedipus
discovers that Laius had been his father, and that he had, in fact, unwittingly killed him years earlier, and
that the fateful event had led directly to him marrying his own mother. Consequently, Oedipus learns
that he himself is the cause of the plague, and upon realizing all this he gouges his eyes out in misery (his
wife/mother also kills herself).

Oedipus has all the important features of a classical tragic hero. Throughout the drama, he tries to do
what is right and just, but because of his tragic flaw (hubris) he believes he can avoid the fate given to
him by the prophet, and as a result he brings about his own downfall.