...Kaitlyn price [2a] April 15th, 2010 My Tragic Flaw I know everyone has one. A tragic flaw? Yes. I will admit…I do have one too. Mine? I am probably one of the most irritable human being you will know. It started a few years ago, I am assuming. Maybe around the time my brother was born which would make it seventh grade. I come from a big family; two brothers, a sister, myself, and my parents. Six people in a tiny house! Why yes, it is very loud. My mom has a low tolerance and I have inherited that from her. She constantly yells because she is stressed but what she fails to see is that it stresses me out too. Stress leads to another factor of why I am so irritable. I feel like I am always ‘on call’, meaning I feel that as soon as I sit down and get comfortable...my mom will call me again and again for help. She does not always call me but that is just how I feel; stressed. For me, irritability is a real issue. I would be constantly talked to in middle school for not paying attention in class and when I would be talked to I would have an attitude. Because I argued with the teachers, I would get detentions or they would send e-mails to my mom. When my mom would get an e-mail she would yell at me and I would yell back. Yelling back at my mom did not get me anywhere but in my room for the next few weeks. It seemed like I was always crying and being put on restriction. When I would be on restriction I would not have my phone. I never had any way of contacting my friends except...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
...Something tragic happens in everyone’s life. In some cases, it is predetermined what their fate will be, and in others, tragedy ensues as a product of their environment. In the case of Oedipus, his tragedy could not be stopped because it was predetermined what was going to happen to him before his birth. But in the case of Bartleby, his tragedy ensued because he was a mere product of his environment. An oracle told Laios and Iokaste, Oedipus’s parents, that their first born son would kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified that the oracle was right, when Iokaste had Oedipus, she sent him away to be murdered. But fate played a major part in their lives and Oedipus’s life was spared. He ended up killing a man where three roads meet, which later on he found out to be his birth father, Laios. Oedipus also saved Thebes from the wrath of a sphinx, and therefore became king and wed the widow Iokaste, who he later found out is his birth mother. As the result of finding out that the oracle could not be changed and that fate can not be beaten, Iokaste hanged herself, and upon hearing all this horrible news, Oedipus scratched himself blind with broaches and banished himself from Thebes. In the case of Bartleby, time and situations molded him into a very sad and monotonous man. Working as a Scrivener in a Law Copyist office, Bartleby seemed like he was the perfect worker. Even though he kept to himself, there were no major apparent flaws within him. Things started to change...
Words: 474 - Pages: 2
...The Tragic and the Comic It has been said that tragedy is life viewed close at hand, while comedy is life viewed at a distance. It has also been said that life is comedy to the person who thinks and tragedy to the one who feels. The chief source of the comic is the incongruous, the unexpected. We expect one thing but find another. The Parable of the Blind by William Carlos Williams (based on a painting of the same name by Pieter Brueghel the Elder) This horrible but superb painting the parable of the blind without a red in the composition shows a group of beggars leading each other diagonally downward across the canvas from one side to stumble finally into a bog where the picture and the composition ends back of which no seeing man is represented the unshaven features of the destitute with their few pitiful possessions a basin to wash in a peasant cottage is seen and a church spire the faces are raised as toward the light there is no detail extraneous to the composition one follows the others stick in hand triumphant to disaster Fundamental Types of Comedy and Tragedy Comedy of Situation – “Low Comedy” – slapstick comedy and farce Tragedy of Situation – “Low Tragedy” – the essence of melodrama; events that are exciting Comedy of Character – “High Comedy” Tragedy of Character – “High Tragedy” In low comedy and low tragedy the characters are not individuals but types. In high comedy they...
Words: 547 - Pages: 3
...A tragic hero is a person of noble birth and high status with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. Though fated the hero makes choices which bring about his destruction. In order for us to eventually feel sorry for this hero, he is initially introduced as one with the same moral standards as us so that when his downfall occurs we would feel pity. In shakesperean tragedies the hero climbs a ladder of power but in the end falls from his position and dies due to some irreversible mistake known as a tragic error. He has the potential to be good or bad and can win either side by his own actions and intentions. His tragic error leads to his downfall but he redeems himself by the end of the play. Brutus is the tragic hero of this play. Brutus’ tragic flaw was being naive which led him to his death. All that he trusted deceived him at one time or another during the play. He allows others, like Cassius and Antony to manipulate him. His first mistake was in Act 2, Scene 1 when the fake letters are sent to him from the conspirators. This was all a lie to get Brutus to join in on the conspirator for Cassius knew he could not do it without Brutus’ support as he is of high status, a feature of the tragic hero. Brutus believes these letters are from the people of Rome and therefore agrees to the death of Caesar. Another example of his naiveness is in Act 3, Scene 2 where Brutus decides to allow Antony to speak to show honor to Caesar. This is his tragic error. Antony sways the crowd into...
Words: 464 - Pages: 2
...David Glen Smith, Instructor November 29, 2012 Research Paper Miss Emily Grierson and Eveline The family and society’s expectation of a woman has led to some women becoming tragic heroes and anti-heroes who battled consistently with their true identity. Literary works of William Faulkner in the short story, "A Rose for Emily", and James Joyce’s "Eveline", reflects the negative impact of these expectations. Based on information, culled from Dr David Smith’s notes, tragic heroes are driven and obsessed with past deeds or by fate, they are neither entirely good nor entirely bad and are fated to cause grief to individuals or to the community, they are often leaders in the community or head of family (2). Faulkner shows these common traits of tragic hero in Miss Emily Grierson; a protagonist in self-exile from the modern world, locked away in her decaying mansion (3). In James Joyce’s Eveline, a protagonist is revealed as tragic hero who endures a dramatic and tragic life full of conflicts, but Smith thinks otherwise, he refers to her as an anti-hero and is of the opinion that antihero should not be confused with tragic hero because, “existentialist believed modern life does not allow the existence of a true hero. Modern life dehumanizes everyone”(3), short of this, Eveline is a classic example of a tragic hero. William Faulkner’s Miss Emily and James Joyce’s Eveline are women who in the quest of fulfilling the roles assigned to them by their family, lover, and society, cost them...
Words: 2596 - Pages: 11
...Othello: Tragic Hero? Michael Charles Robinson ENGL 102 October 17, 2011 Ms. Charity Givens Othello: Tragic Hero? I. Introduction Thesis statement A. Thesis Statement II. Brief overview of Othello III. Aristotle and Othello A. Peripeteia B. Hamartia C. Anagnorsis D. Catharsis IV. Othello a tragic hero? A. Evidence supporting B. Not supporting V. Brief overview of “O” A. Comparison to original VI. Conclusion THESIS STATEMENT: Othello is a tragic hero because he mostly satisfies Aristotle’s four requirements for a tragic hero: peripeteia, hamartia, anagnorsis, and catharsis. Othello: Tragic Hero? The tragic play Othello, written by William Shakespeare has caused constant dispute on whether the main character Othello can be considered as a tragic hero or not. Othello is a tragic hero because he mostly satisfies Aristotle’s four requirements for a tragic hero: peripeteia, hamartia, anagnorsis, and catharsis. The exploration of different aspects of the Othello character will give the readers of this essay insight regarding whether Othello is a...
Words: 2018 - Pages: 9
...In literature, some novels that may contain have a tragic flaw which thus contributes to their undoing. Like Oedipus from Oedipus Rex, Achilles, Othello from Shakespeare, etc. Today we are going to discuss how their tragic flaws leads to their failure. In addition, how’s their downfall being important to the literary selection? We are going to focus on the tragedy on Othello demise. From Shakespeare novel, it’s starts off Othello falls in love with a lady named Desdemona, the daughter of the Venetian. These lovers keep their love and marriage a secret because of Desdemona’s father. Then, the captain of his army named Iago advises Desdemona father Brabantio regarding their love. Tardily, he goes to Othello criticize him concerning of them...
Words: 510 - Pages: 3
...According to Aristotle, the definition for tragic hero is a character who is noble or a man of high status, has a tragic flaw, and discovers his fate by his own actions. Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe could be easily classified as a tragic hero because his character satisfies all the requirements set forth by Aristotle. Because Okonkwo was a powerful and respected man in Umuofia, possessed the flaw of the fear of failure and weakness, and his unwillingness to change after returning from exile resulted in his demise, his character is undoubtedly that of a tragic hero. In order to be classified as a tragic hero, Aristotle requires that the character must be noble or a man of high status. Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart was “well...
Words: 997 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth’s Tragic Flaw The term tragic hero refers to a central character who has an authoritative status in the drama, but through a flaw in his character, brings about his demise.(Tragic Hero as Defined by Aristotle). Macbeth had many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws. Macbeth's degeneration was caused by the prophecy of the witches, lady Macbeth's influence, and his own long time desire to be king. Macbeth's tragic flaws were his ambition and the way he was easily manipulated. The prophecies of the witches bring out Macbeth's ambitious nature. Macbeth was first established as being of great stature, the captain says “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-/Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel”( I.ii. lines16-17). However, after hearing of the prophecy his honorable nature fades. The witches prophecies give Macbeth a sense of security and confidence but prove to be harmful for Macbeth and his interpretation of the truths. In the article “Shakespeare's Macbeth” by Mitchell Kalpakgian she states, “the witches on the heath foretell what Macbeth will gain but never disclose what he will lose or the price he will pay for acting on the insinuations of the witches who only speak half truths.”(Kalpakgian, 2013). Although it is true that Macbeth will become king it is never explained how he will obtain kingship and what kind of life he will lead as King. The witches plant the seed of murdering Duncan in Macbeth's head, but if it were only the witches...
Words: 806 - Pages: 4
...Hamlet as a Tragic Hero William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of the English language, wrote a total of 37 plays in his lifetime, all of which can be categorized under tragedy, comedy, or history. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare's most popular and greatest tragedy, displays his genius as a playwright, as literary critics and academic commentators have found an unusual number of themes and literary techniques present in Hamlet. Hamlet concerns the murder of the king of Denmark and the murdered king's son's quest for revenge. Its main character, Hamlet, possesses a tragic flaw which obstructs his desire for revenge and ultimately brings about his death. This tragic flaw makes him a tragic hero, a character who is destroyed because of a major weakness, as his death at the end could possibly have been avoided were it not for his tragic flaw. Hamlet's flaw of irresolution, the uncertainty on how to act or proceed, is shown when Hamlet sees a play and the passion the actors had, after Hamlet's third soliloquy, in Hamlet's fourth soliloquy, and in Hamlet's indecisive pursuit in avenging his father's death. First, Hamlet's flaw of irresolution is shown when he sees a play and the passion one particular actor had. A group of players has arrived and Hamlet arranges a personal viewing of The Murder of Gonzago with a small portion of his own lines inserted. Hamlet then observes one portion...
Words: 1053 - Pages: 5
...Oedipus as a Tragic Hero Oedipus, who is a great ruler with the ideal characteristics that a hero would have, falls under the category of a tragic hero based off Aristotle’s definition. According to Aristotle, Oedipus fits in as an ideal tragic hero due to the the reader’s connection to the protagonist in regards to the emotional attachment created, the fear of what will happen due to a major flaw in the character, and the pitying for the hero as he suffers while facing his destiny. The nobility that Oedipus posses is an integral trait that makes the reader feel attached to his character. Although he does not yet know, he is the son of Laius and Jocasta, who were better known to be the King and Queen of Thebes. Even though they were not his biological parents, Oedipus himself believed that he was the son of Polybus and Merope, King and Queen of Corinth. “Polybus of Corinth was my father, my mother was the Dorian Merope” (Gould 775). Another heroic action...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...Oral Presentation Macbeth as a tragic hero Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, that is set in Scotland and is believed to have been written around 1606. Macbeth is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth that let himself conducted by a consuming ambition that leads him to a tragic end. The play dramatizes effects produced when evil is chosen as a way to fulfill the ambition for power . Before we can tell if Macbeth is it, or not a tragic hero, we must to know what the traditionally definition says about that that: Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, a tragic hero is a literary character who make judgement errors that inevitably leads to his/her destruction. The hero also must to fallow certain characteristics that we have attached on a separate sits that the teacher gave to us and is named : Characteristics of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are about 14 condition that one tragic hero should have. I will try to give examples for all this characteristics that i believe that Macbeth have and he is the perfect tragic hero. Macbeth was born a Scottish nobleman who was a recognized solider with an appetite for his opposing enemy`s blood in order to protect his country and gain his valor. At the start of the play, we were introduced to Macbeth by the injured sergeant recount about Macbeth war-time battlefield valor and heroics, so we were given an impression that the main protagonist was supposed...
Words: 1182 - Pages: 5
...Okonkwo A Tragic Hero Okonkwo's fortune really helped him become a tragic h Is Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart a tragic hero who dies at the end of the story.There are many ways that Okonkwo can be a tragic hero. Can Okonkwo and these three ways peripeteia,superiority, and his hamartia make him his own tragic hero in his life,village,or story. ero. From his farm to his titles he became a tragic hero of fortune. Okonkwo's farm helped him make fortune by his yams. His yams had stocked him up for the winters and he could also help his friends. Another way he has fortune is his wives. Okonkwo has three wives and with this he seems to have fortune to be able to have three wives to support.The last way okonkwo has fortune...
Words: 612 - Pages: 3
...stage of Aristotle’s definition is the pre-eminence stage. This is where the Tragic Hero is either of noble birth or maintains a high position in society. Lear is shown as the King of Britain at the beginning of the play, therefore we are introduced to a character with pre-eminence and that is shown upon Lear’s entry into the play where he declares “We shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there”. The use of the pronoun “we” is reference to the royal “we”, this instantly shows that Lear is a man who demands respect and is of a royal background. In addition the use of the adjective “darker” brings forth secretive and vague imagery and shifts the tone to that of a severe nature. This makes us unaware on what Lear is about to declare to the rest of the Kingdom, however this is a form of foreshadowing for the consequences of Lear dividing the Kingdom at this point in the play and that this event is what casts a shadow over the Kingdom. It could also reference the contextual significance of the splitting of the Kingdom due to the belief in The Divine Right of Kings. This was the belief that it was God who picked Kings which were exclusively male. With Lear giving his Kingdom to his three daughters, this completely ignores any of the contextual conventions which hints to the audience of Lear’s tragic flaw. This leads onto the second stage in Aristotle’s belief which is the Tragic Flaw that a tragic hero must have to help elicit pity from the audience and helps make the character...
Words: 450 - Pages: 2
...When the Tragic Hero Falls There are lots of tragedies happening all around us, whether it be a catastrophic incident or something as simple as dropping that last piece of cake, each of us have different ways of viewing tragedies. The two tragedies, Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman examine tragedies very differently. Oedipus Rex is about a king who uncovers his horrific backstory, that he has killed his father and married his mother. Knowing this information, it begins to demolish his state of reality. It caused him to go from an extremely high peak, honored king, to a terribly low peak, resented human. In Death of a Salesman, a average American man named Willy Loman spirals into further insanity because he cannot reach his deceitful dream....
Words: 591 - Pages: 3