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ARISTOTLE’S CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRAGIC HERO (INE)

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ARISTOTLE’S CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRAGIC HERO (INE)
ARISTOTLE’S CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRAGIC HERO (INE)
1. The tragic hero(ine) must be highly renowned and prosperous
a. Oedipus, Son of King of Thebes, King of Thebes, “Adopted” son of King of Crones
b. Antigone, son of Oedipus
c. Prometheus, Titan
2. The tragic hero(ine) must not be a perfectly good man or woman brought from a high status to low. This would merely be a shock; there must be justification for the fall.
a. Oedipus, killed the King of Thebes.
b. Antigone, buried her dishonored brother, disobeying Creon
c. Prometheus, stole Zeus’s fire
3. Tragic hero(ine) cannot go from adversity to prosperity; this is the opposite or a perversion of tragedy
a. Oedipus, was blinded and exiled
b. Antigone, was killed
c. Prometheus, was tortured
4. Tragedy must not follow the downfall of an utter villain, this would not evoke the necessary pity in the audience
a. Oedipus, he tried to escape to not kill his adopted father
b. Antigone, she only wanted to give her brother an honorable burial, so his soul would be protected.
c. Prometheus, was trying to help humanity
5. The tragic hero(ine) is brought to disaster by some error or frailty (flaw or hamartia).
a. Oedipus, short tempered
b. Antigone, devoted
c. Prometheus, stubborn
6. Tragic hero(ine) may defiantly accept his/her troubles and glory in the suffering or they may realize he folly of their actions but no matter what attitude to their flaw, is the punishment is disproportionately sever, usually destroying the body, often accompanied by an enlargement of spirit that we fell the hero(ine) has triumphed
a. Oedipus, Blinded and exiled and his wife/mother died
b. Antigone, she died along with her love, Haemon and Eurydice
c. Prometheus, strapped to a mountain with sun beating on him and an eagle eating his flesh and liver daily.
7. Consequence of the hero(ine)’s fall produce suffering and calamity far beyond the hero(ine).
a. Oedipus, his wife/mother killed herself
b. Antigone, Haemon and
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