The Tragic Hero in Literature

The fatal flaw is an essential element in the tragic hero, being the pivotal condition that causes his downfall. The concept of the fatal flaw derives from the Greek word ôhamartia,ö which is a word used frequently throughout the New Testament and is usually translated there as ôsinö or ômissing the markö (ôHamartiaö). The tragic hero is in effect compelled to sin because of his fatal flaw; he cannot escape it. The great tragedians, such as Sophocles, identify the tragic hero as one who is destined to fall because he carries the evil seed of a fatal flaw that at some point in the play springs up into a full-grown flaw that causes him to commit a fatal and irreversible mistake. The audience watching the tragic hero is touched with pity or fear, watching the downfall of the mighty from such a relatively small factor as a little flaw.

The characters Troy Maxson of ôFencesö and Oedipus of ôOedipus the Kingö serve as good examples of characters that can be analyzed, compared, and contrasted to determine whether they fit the classi

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Some common words found in the essay are:
Terms Definedö, Oedipus Troy, Troy Maxson, Maxson Troy, Oedipus Oedipus, Whereas Oedipus, Compare Contrast, tragic hero, King Troy, fatal flaw, Oedipus Jocasta, Kingö OedipusÆs, oedipus troy, ômore terms definedö, ôoedipus kingö, ômore terms, terms definedö, error judgment, troy maxson, maxson ôfencesö, pity fear, troy maxson ôfencesö,
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Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)

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