Shakespeare Tragic Hero

The tragic hero derives from the Greek drama, as elucidated by the criticism of Aristotle in particular. Tragedy in this conception is struggling against something over which we really have no control, and the tragedy develops from a recognition of the futility of the struggle, leading to the resignation of the tragic hero to his or her fate and indeed even to their embracing that fate. The hero takes responsibility for his or her failure--this is the lesson learned and imparted to the audience and only reinforces the power of the gods and the need for the human spirit to obey. Underlying the actions of the tragic hero is a fatal flaw in his character, and it is because of this flaw that he is not able to escape his fate. The flaw is usually a form of pride, but it need not be. As developed by Shakespeare, the flaw and its consequences can be seen to take different forms in different plays and always to emphasize both the blindness of the hero in not seeing what is happening to

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ing the women he should know much better than he does. King Lear's first error is in thinking that he can abdicate his responsibilities and give away his realm while still retaining those aspects of his power that he prizes. In effect, Lear wants to be treated as king without having any of the responsibilities of king. He decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, and to help him decide how to make the division, he asks that each of them profess their love for him. The two older sisters give fulsome praise to their father, but the youngest, Cordelia, speaks quietly of her love and of her duty to her father. This enrages the old man, who refuses to give her any of his kingdom. She has failed to indulge in the excessive flattery of her sisters and is now rejected as a daughter because Lear is more affected by outward show than by true worth. This attitude parallels his failure as a king. He is more enamored of the outward show of kingship, the power and the praise, and less by the substance, the responsibilities of leadership. He is willing to be treated as a king by his daughters and is deeply offended when they do not give him the respect he feels is his due. He is owed a level of respect as a father, and hi
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Approximate Word count = 2806
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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