Dan Tamulonis
Mrs. Munn
English 11H
28 November 2011
Nora, the Aristotelian Tragic Hero Along with many great theories, Aristotle left the world with his own set of guidelines to defining the tragic hero. Many protagonists have been put through his test and been placed as tragic heroes or just heroes, but where they truly belong is up for debate. In A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, many characters could be put through the rigors of an examination based on Aristotle’s qualifications. According to Aristotle, Nora Helmer, the play’s protagonist, is a tragic hero, because her character traits are perfect examples of what contributes to a tragic hero. As defined by Aristotle, a tragic hero must be of noble stature and radiate greatness. In this instance, Nora fits the bill quite well because she is part of the upper echelon of society. She also has a burning desire to be in that group of people and remain there. She wants to be a part of this group and she puts that highly within her ideals. Her husband’s recent promotion to the manager of the bank shows that Nora indeed is part of this upper echelon. Nora exclaims, “Look, here is a new suit for / Ivar, and a sword; and a horse and a trumpet for Bob; and a / doll and dolly’s bedstead for Emmy” (I, 7). This shows that she has the money of a high status person and that she is virtuous in her spending. She may be wealthy, but she is a good person because she is considerate of others. Although Nora seems to be a great person, the tragic hero is a flawed individual. Nora may appear to be the perfect Victorian age wife, but behind the scenes, she is vain individual who is ignorant to consequences among other things. Nora’s rudeness is first shown in her conversation with Mrs. Linde. Nora says, “So you are quite alone. How dreadfully sad that must be. / I have three lovely children” (I, 11). In this particular moment