When it comes to being a tragic hero the character has to have the qualities of being a tragic hero. A tragic hero is where the main character of a tragedy whose fatal flaw leads to his or her destruction. Either the character was born into society as a great man or a slave, they may have carry the traits of becoming a hero. Sometimes it would have to depend on the wisdom that the character has. It is their purpose to explain what is going on in this story to make it clear for the audience to understand. Even some stories have insights of what a person can do.
When I watched the movie Gladiator (1999), the protagonist named Maximus. He shows the qualities that would represent on how great he was for Rome. In Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy
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He was captured as a slave then taken to the gladiator arena, hopefully he would get the chance to die but was encouraged by those around him to fight on. This shows on how doomed he was when he was betrayed and responsible for not saving them on time. He starts to earn his fame and glory which started to challenges Commodus fame, after trying to get back to his army to march on Rome he betrayed and captured. Even though he would die in the arena he manage to kill Emperor Commodus and saved Rome from a tyrant. He does deserve a little praise for what he has done and prevented it from its own destruction.
I did like the Gladiator movie, it did really shows perspectives of being a tragic hero. In which their was so much betrayal in this movie, it did represent on how much Maximus has done to bring an end to Commodus reign and the vengeance he seeked. I do believe that Maximus was a tragic hero because of what events that occur which would put him in danger. He was more admirable than an average person would be and would earn his glory. The fortune that a tragic hero would occur will end in a downfall. He does display on what a tragic hero will represent in which that will bring him justice or
Ridley Scott’s epic film, Gladiator, considered one of the greatest films in recent years, won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Scott’s film, tells the story of the fall and rise of the great Roman General, Maximus Decimus Meridius. The Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, tells Maximus that he wishes that he ( ) the emperor after his death, instead of his son, Commodus. Angry, Commodus, murders his own father, thus becoming the emperor, and sentences Maximus and his family to death. Maximus escapes, but the Emperor’s men murder his family and burn his home. Slave traders, capture Maximus, and sell him into slavery. Maximus must rise to the top once more, and enact his revenge on Commodus. Through a liberal humanistic critique, the film contains an inherent meaning, shows the enhancement of life and propagation of values, and reveals that human nature never changes.
Northrop Frye once said, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Othello is the pillar of tragic heros, first playing the part of a loving husband with a beautiful wife, then being manipulated into believing his wife was cheating on him and killing her. Throughout the play, he played the part of the protagonist, everyone hoping he would figure out Iago was lying to him. Othello being the protagonist made the fact he was also a villain bittersweet. His apparent love for his wife Desdemona, his ‘just’ reasoning for killing her, and Iago’s deserving end all contribute to the tragic work as a whole.
The classical definition of a tragic hero is a person who is neither completely virtuous nor utterly villainous and falls from great status caused by a tragic flaw or error in judgment (bisd303.org). As all heroes do, tragic heroes often fall in line with archetypes. Tragic heroes repeatedly enjoy free choice, endure a punishment that exceeds their crime, undergo a course of enlightenment, and harvest a catharsis or a purging of human emotions in readers (Crowther). Tragic heroes are never perfect and are either killed by the end of the story or have fallen so far from their previous high status that they have nothing left from their old life.
Tragedy; it’s inevitable. In life, everyone is bound to experience a rough time. These rough times and flaws are what test a hero and build character. Someone experiencing hard times transforms an average person and his mistakes into something remarkable and heroic. What characteristics make a him a tragic hero rather than just an ordinary person? A hero is a person who is admired for courageous acts, noble qualities and outstanding achievements. Despite possessing the same qualities as an ordinary hero, a tragic hero, who is born a noble birth and usually male, has a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his ruin. The hero 's flaws can range vastly. Tragically, however, the flaws possessed with eventually ruin the person 's reputation and also
After its debut in America on May 5th of 2000, the movie Gladiator has been a nationwide symbol of heroism(Imdb). The film was directed by Ridley Scott and the lead roles of the film were carried out by Russell Crowe as Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus(Imdb). The movie takes place during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire in the year 180 A.D. The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is dying and wishes to leave the Roman Empire under the control of Roman General Maximus Meridius. The Emperor’s son Commodus betrays Maximus, kills his father, and takes control of Rome. In betraying Maximus, Commodus has his family killed. Maximus knowing this returns to Rome as a gladiator under the alias “Spaniard” in search of revenge(Imdb). According to Aristotle, “Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude”(Kwheeler). In order for someone to be considered a tragic hero, the person must meet the criteria of high social status, suffer from a hamartia, face a catastrophe, invoke catharsis, and experience anagnorisis and peripeteia(Kwheeler).
Tragic heroes cause intense empathetic reaction, developing an inevitable story of anguish and triumph. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is such a hero. He has many good, even heroic qualities; however, his deep flaws ultimately cause his undoing and terrible punishment. Although he comes across as a royal being who is basically good, he has flaws that ultimately cannot be controlled and devastate his life. As the readers watch his development and the development of the interwoven themes in the play, we ourselves suffer upon seeing and hearing the ironies of his relationships and motivations. Tragic heroes are relatable and saddening, and the pure idea of their being can draw deep emotion that lasts through civilizations and generations. Oedipus Rex is an iconic example of a tragic story with a tragic main character.
A tragic hero is defined as a person of high social rank, who has a tragic flaw or flaws that lead to their downfall. These heroes’ downfalls are usually either complete ruin or death. Tragic heroes face their downfall with courage and dignity. While many characters in Julius Caesar could fit these conditions, the person who fits the role of a tragic hero the best is Marcus Brutus. Brutus develops into a tragic hero throughout the play, and this is shown though his qualifications of a tragic hero, his high status, his tragic flaws, and his courage in the face of his death.
Although this storyline is very entertaining it isn't very factual. There were emperor's named Marcus Aurelius and Commodus but as for the general Maximus, no such character exists. Aurelius, during his reign from 161-180 a.d., conquered many regions and countries. Under his vision, the Roman army defeated the Parthians and also defeated the Barbarians in the Marcomannic Wars. The Emperor Aurelius was not murdered by his son and serves as co-emperor for the last three years of his life with Commodus. Many scholars believe that Aurelius was one of the greatest emperor's of Roman history. He often showed compassion and other great traits of a leader. His son, however, did not share his leadership abilities. Commodus ruled from 180-192 a.d. Aurelius had many peace treaties in the latter part of his rule that his son violated and continued to increase Roman territory. Commodus has been rumored to have been insane and maybe that's why he loved the Gladiator games so much. The gladiator games were when men dressed in warrior outfits fought each other until one died. There were also games in which wild animals were placed with men.
A tragic hero can be described as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is
To begin with, the actual movie is about a man named Maximus that was a war general during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Prior to the death of Marcus, he asks Maximus to become emperor and restore the Republic back in Rome but before Maximus could answer, he suspiciously died in the hands of his son, Commodus. Commodus takes power and orders Maximus to be executed; Maximus is able to escape and make a journey back to his farm where he finds his wife and son murdered. After he buries his family, he gets captured by slave traders and renamed Spaniard. In his new life, Maximus trains to be a gladiator and becomes one of the most famous person to fight in the Colosseum. At the end of the movie, Maximus fights Commodus to gain back his fame, glory and avenge the loss of his family because “Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity” (Gladiator). The battle of death takes down the emperor and gives Rome back the Republic. Finally, Maximus is able to return back to his family and “smile at death” (Gladiator).
In addition to the other qualities of the tragic hero, it is necessary for the tragic hero to develop from
According to Aristotle’s definition, a dramatic production needs to adhere to certain criteria to be considered a tragedy. The film “Gladiator”, directed by Ridley Scott, may be considered a tragic film in respect to Aristotle’s definition. “Gladiator” is set in the realistic time period of 180 AD, in ancient Rome. At this time, Rome was under the power of Emperor Marcus Aurelius Caesar. After his death, his son Commodus imprisons Maximus, who was general of his father’s army, since he fears he may overthrow him and take over his power as his father Marcus had hoped. run on Maximus is then enrolled into the gladiator games where he must fight to stay alive. This plot interprets a realistic situation which could have happened in the past, which
In his classic work "Poetics" Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. This results in the tragic hero being admired by the audience. For the audience to accept a tragic ending as just, it is crucial that the tragic hero be responsible for their undoing. At the same time though, they must remain admired and respected. This is achieved by the tragic hero having a fatal flaw that leads to their undoing. One of literature's examples of the tragic hero is Achilles from Homer's The Iliad. However, Achilles is different from the classic tragic hero in one major way - his story does not end tragically. Unlike the usual tragic hero, Achilles is able to change, reverse his downfall, and actually prove himself as a true hero.
A tragic heros is someone who faces adversity and has courage and they have similar characteristics throughout different literature. A hero often times experience a downfall, but confronts the situation in a way that causes them to be given the title of a tragic hero. Aristotle once stated about tragic heroes and recited “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Aristotle also came up with six characteristics that all tragic heroes have. Romeo is a prime example of a tragic hero by the quick judgements he makes due to his love for Juliet. He decides to attempt suicide when he sees Juliet faking her death, this shows his character falls in love too fast and too hard. The way he loves Juliet is Romeo’s downfall
When one hears the word tragedy, one can assume that the human emotions are responsible for the collapse of an individual. To the Greek philosopher Aristotle, however, a tragedy is “an imitation of an action of high importance…in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties…[or] by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy & Gioia, 945). He defined a tragic hero as having three common characteristics: hamartia, or the tragic flaw in the character which coupled with hubris (pride which results in overconfidence) causes his downfall and demise; katharsis, the purgation of the audience’s emotions, which causes the audience to feel “not depressed, but somehow elated”; and anagnorisis, or the recognition of some fact not previously realized by the true identity of the main character (Kennedy & Gioia, 946). Therefore, as defined by Aristotle’s concept of tragedy, William Shakespeare’s Othello could be classified as a tragic hero. Shakespeare’s play includes jealousy and intrigue, which intertwined with pride and suspense create the finest of Aristotelian tragedies. Othello complies with the requirements for a tragic hero as Aristotle began with the premise that the hero must be of “high estate,” as if he were the member of a royal family; however, he yet falls from a hierarchy of power to one of abashment. He has married the daughter of a Venetian nobleman. He starts out well, but his end is one of drama. Moreover, Shakespeare’s plot develops as Othello’s katharsis is revealed through the climax and conclusion of the play, while the anagnorisis with the recognition that Iago was a traitor and Desdemona his innocent victim.