The Tragic Hero

Raymond Williams indicates that there is something definite that can be considered tragic, differentiating it from other experiences: "Certain events and responses are tragic, and others are not" (Williams 14). The tragic hero of antiquity derived from the Greek drama, as elucidated by the criticism of Aristotle in particular. Tragedy 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. 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 that particular characteristics.

The tragedy of antiquity was revived in the Renaissance. The Western world had been in a long period known as the Dark Ages, a world that no longer believed in tragedy, precisely because of a different worldv

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quired to live up to the laws of society, and even tough the two conflict, the individual is expected to live up to both. Death requires acknowledgment, and this is why Antigone insists on burying her brother, from respect. The character of Hamlet in the play of the same name by William Shakespeare has long been a difficult one for critics to assess because he is seen as passive rather than active for most of the play. Early in the play he is charged with the task of avenging his father, a task given him by his father's ghost, and yet for most of the play he does nothing about it. He is highly reflective but inactive until the very end of the play when he does his duty, destroys the man who killed his father, and is himself destroyed. Critics have pondered the question of why he waits so long. Hamlet is called upon to kill Claudius and so to revenge his fathers' death. and this act will also restore order to the kingdom. Much has been made of his hesitation, and many critics find that his supposed hesitation is due to circumstances also beyond his control, related to the social and political realities of the time. This hesitation may be the tragic flaw that the tragic hero must possess, and yet if this is so it is differe
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Approximate Word count = 1707
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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