Evan Branscum Ms. Jozwiak H English I: 5G 11 March 2024 Working Title A tragic hero, according to Aristotle, is a literary character who is of noble or celebrity birth. They are gifted with heroic qualities and because of their tragic flaws lead to their own downfall, bringing out sad emotions in people. The juxtaposition between happiness and sadness, achievements and flaws brings out both humanity's innate flaws as well as redeeming qualities. The concept of a tragic hero can also be applied to real-life individuals. For example, Elvis Presley, known as King Of Rock And Roll, began his life as a common man before achieving high status in the eyes of American society. Similar to Romeo in real life, the rock icon Elvis Presley best represents …show more content…
He recognized his gradual downfall early on due to his history of heart and liver problems which he took drugs to try and cope with; however, got addicted to drugs and indulged in food without being able to stop himself. Elvis’s widespread suffering was shown in his last performance. “Over the years Presley had come to rely on stimulants for his concerts, depressants for sleep and painkillers for comfort” (Witkoski 1). During his last performance Elvis pitifully performs looking horribly out of shape compared to his past performances, sounding feeble in his song compared to the legend he built for himself. Elvis had his insecurities despite projecting an image of confidence and charisma, he began to destroy himself on the inside with feelings of inaquedency and craved validation from fans and critics. This made Elvis spiral further down his dark path of substance abuse and overindulging in food for comfort, which all compounded into his sorrowful later years. A shell of the man he once was and no longer “The King” he once portrayed. Finally, Elvis Presley suffered a gradual downfall when he started taking barbiturates as a way to cope with his declining health. The effects of his drug use were detrimental to his character, “Elvis became erratic and irrational, and at times even violent” (Witkoski 18). Elvis’s
The history of the twentieth century would not be complete without mentioning the impeccable influence of one of the best and biggest singers of all time. But before he started making his indelible mark in the sands of time, he started out from very humble beginnings, under the care of his loving, working class parents. Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Although, Presley was supposed to be a twin, his supposed twin brother, Jesse Garon, sometimes spelled Jessie was stillborn. Elvis Aaron Presley was an incredible American Singer, Musician and Actor with inspirational quotes such as this “Fingerprints are like values; you leave them all over everything you do.”
“When Elvis died results soon were identified several pharmaceutical drugs in Elvis’s system with codeine being ten times the therapeutic level. This started accusations of a cover-up and suggesting conspiracy theories of a sinister criminal act. Pushing 40 years after, modern medicine and forensics took a new look at the Presley case facts and indicated that something entirely different from a heart attack or a drug overdose really killed the King of Rock & Roll” (Rodgers). Many people believe that Elvis provoked to his fans that drugs were ok. Even though Elvis made a mistake, he has so many exceptional influences to cancel out that mistake. Wayne Dyer once said, “When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.” Elvis was a pleasing, religious, uplifting man. Do not judge him for personal mistakes he
...ten call his doctor, George Nichopoulos, and request more sedative pills. Soon he also began using cocaine along with the prescription drugs (Austin 1994). Elvis stated he was suffering from glaucoma, hypertension, an enlarged heart, clogged arteries and a twisted colon. He was on several different prescriptions which included a barbiturate and Quaalude (Hirshberg 1995).On August 16, 1977, Elvis returns to Graceland after visiting his dentist. Late that morning, Elvis Presley dies from heart failure. His funeral is held two days later (EPE 2014).
Tragic heroes are heroes of a story with a trait or flaw that ultimately leads to their downfall. In the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Oedipus, the protagonist of the story, shows many examples of his pride and how his pride causes tragic events to take place. His many prideful moments in the play such as, the altercation with his father and Oedipus believing that the prophet was lying so Tiresias and Creon could take the throne. Consequently, Oedipus’ pride is ultimately the cause of his downfall and dethroning.
A tragic hero is an individual who possesses a fatal flaw in their character that will bring about their own destruction or suffering. Aristotle believed that “A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. (Aristotle #1)” This Ancient Greek philosopher also believed that each tragic hero has four characteristics. The first of these characteristics is that a tragic hero is born with either wisdom or high integrity, and in some cases both.
Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is someone of great importance or royalty. The hero must go through something terrible such as a relative’s death. We must feel what this character is feeling throughout the story. Aristotle also said that a tragic hero scan be defeated by a tragic flaw, such as hubris or human pride. In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, both Creon and Antigone are tragic heroes.
Many of us have a dream in life to be remembered by all for something great. It’s a lofty goal that only few have, or ever will achieve. Elvis Presley was one of the few people in our American history that achieved this status. Known as “The King of Rock and Roll”, his achievements have influenced our country like none of its precedents. This paper will explain Elvis Presley’s life, his death, and his profound influence after 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
Being in a position of great power can cause one to think they are in control. Oedipus and Creon, in Sophocles’ plays, The Oedipus Cycle, find out that being a king is nothing in comparison to being a god. Throughout their lives of triumph that ended in misfortune, they learned great value from changing their ways and recognizing their stubborn pride. Oedipus was able to see his faults, much sooner than Creon, though their fate was inevitable. A tragic hero is one who makes a judgement error that ultimately leads him/her to his/her own destruction while also learning from the experience. They both are deemed tragic heroes, after facing their fate, accepting the responsibilities of their actions, and recognizing that the gods are the ones in control.
Over time, history has given society many to whom we call true heroes. There are many reasons these heroes have been looked up to such as: bravery, dedication, confidence, and inspiration. However, a tragic hero requires a few different qualities. Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a “member of royalty,” someone who “must fall from tremendous good fortune,” and someone who creates pity for him or herself (“Connections: A Theory” 2000). In Greek drama, Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea both contain several possible tragic heroes including Medea, Jason, and Creon. More specifically, in Antigone Creon exemplifies the qualities of a tragic hero best due to his prominent power as king of Thebes, the way he holds strong to his stubborn pride, and the sympathy felt for him in his tragic downfall.
A tragic hero could be considered a "noble person with a fatal flaw" or "an opponent of society who is willing to take action that 'sensible people' might applaud
In a tragedy, the tragic hero is a literary character that makes judgmental errors that will ultimately lead to his/her destruction. A tragic hero is a person who is born into noble life, with heroic qualities summoned by a higher activist, to suffer great suffering. The purpose of a tragic hero is to get rid of the audience's fear with suspense and overriding. The tragic flaw of a hero sets the character in downfall, or a tragic ending. Aristotle defines a tragic hero more as a noble birth more often than others as well as a man of noble birth with heroic qualities who shifts into a flaw or misfortune due to their mistakes, that really brings out the character's self.
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
On the other hand, another type of tragic hero exists, the modern tragic hero. This type of hero is a product of a clash between the individual and the social environment. Arthur Miller, the famous playwright, said, “each person has a chosen image of self and position, tragedy results when the character’s environment denies the fulfillment of this self concept.” (LATWP, 640). This is a contrast from Aristotle’s classic tragic hero because the hero is no longer born into nobility but gains stature in the action of pitting self against the cosmos, and the tragedy becomes, “the disaster inherent in being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in this world.”
In the tragedy “Antony and Cleopatra”, Shakespeare presents our protagonist Mark Antony as a tragic hero. He does this by using a number of dramatically effective methods, including language, staging techniques and structure. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a character of noble stature who has a tragic flaw (usually hubris which is over confidence/arrogance) and suffers a downfall that is partially their fault but also due to factors beyond their control. The downfall they suffer exceeds the “crime” but the tragic hero gains some sort of self-awareness.