Tragic Hero Of Shakespeare's Great Tragedies.

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Hitaxi H. Bhatt.

Roll no:-  03

Sem:-    M.A  (Sem -1)

Year :-  2015-16

Enrollment no:- 15101004

Email id:- hitaxidave81@gmail.com

Paper:- 01(The Renaissance Literature.)

Topic:- Tragic hero of shakespeare’s great tragedies.

Submitted to:- Smt. S. B. Gardi,

Department Of English.

M. K. Bhavnagar University.

Bhavnagar.

A great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall."  The  tragic hero must possess specific characteristics, five of which are below…

1)   Flaw or error of judgment (hamartia) Note the role of justice and/or revenge in the judgments

2)    A reversal of fortune (peripeteia) brought about because of the hero's error in judgment

3)    The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis)

4)    Excessive Pride (hubris)

5)   The character's fate must be greater than deserved.

Initially, the tragic hero should be neither  better or worse morally than normal people, in order to allow the audience to identify with them. This also introduces pity, which is crucial in tragedy, as if the hero was perfect we would be outraged with their fate or not care especially because of their ideological superiority.

  William Shakespeare four great tragedies:- Hamlet, Othello, KingLear, Macbeth, Romeo.  Hero must be physically or spiri tually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.

1) Hamlet.

Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne. Hamlet thinking this trait was genetic, speaks of his father’s tragic flaw that would ultimately lead to his death.

 Hamlet’s tragic flaw was shown to him in a dream by the ghost of his father. His father tells him that he was murdered by his uncle, Claudius. In this scene, His obsession with revenge and death is all he can think about. He needs to act quickly and decisively but finds himself procrastinating about what to do. In Act III, Hamlet holds the knife over the head of his uncle, Claudius, but cannot strike the fatal blow. Instead, he writes a play about the same scenario to study the reaction of Claudius as to a clue of his guilt. After he decides Claudius is guilty of murdering his father, he still relents from

taking his revenge. Hamlet could have killed Claudius on many occasions but never acted upon them. His disdain for women has also affected his relationship with Ophelia. He

neglects her and he insults her. She does not live up to his expectations of love. He thinks love has to be fair, undying, truthful, and can never be tarnished. Afterwards, he kills her father. Ophelia is so distraught over his actions, she commits suicide. But again Hamlet procrastinates. This gives the king time to set into motion a plot to kill Hamlet. In a planned duel, Hamlet is supposed to be poisoned. What is supposed to be a single solitary death turns into a tragic turn of events for many. A goblet of poison wine meant for Hamlet is drank by his mother killing her. So distraught, Hamlet kills Claudius in an hasty, impulsive act, thus overcoming his own ‘tragic flaw.” With the death of his father avenged, Hamlet dies. Hamlet decided to stay with his difficulties in life rather than

commit suicide and “fly to others” that he knew nothing about. If Hamlet could have controlled his fascination with revenge and death, his death and countless others could have been spared. As Horatio is left standing over

him as he dies, Hamlet utters, “O, I die, Horatio!”

2) King lear

                   The play of King Lear is one of William Shakespears great tragic pieces, it is not only see as a tragedy in itself, but also a play that includes two tragic heroes and four villains. If Lear was completely evil, we would not be fearful of what happens to him: he would merely be repulsive. But Lear does inspire fear because, like us, he is not completely upright, nor is he completely wicked. He is foolish and arrogant, it is true, but later he is also humble and compassionate. He is wrathful, but at times, patient. Because of his good qualitie

                        It is his egotism in the first scene that causes him to make his error in judgment the division of his kingdom and the loss of Cordelia. Throughout the rest of the play, the consequences of this error slowly and steadfastly increase until Lear is destroyed. There must be a change in the life of the tragic hero; he must past from happiness to misery. Lear, as seen in Act I, has everything a man should want wealth,power, peace, and a state of well-being.

                                When tragedy, as in Lear, happens to two such men, the effect is even greater. To intensify the tragedy of King Lear, Shakespeare has not one but two tragic characters and four villains. the subplot concerning Gloucester, Edmund, and Edgar augments the main plot. Gloucester undergoes physical and mental torment because he makes the same mistake that Lear does. Like Lear, Gloucester is neither completely good nor completely bad Gloucester has been blinded that he learns the truth about his two sons. These two characters learn to endure their suffering. When Gloucester's attempt to commit suicide fails, he decides to bear his affliction until the end. In his madness Lear learns to endure his agony. Later, when he knows he is to be imprisoned, he maintains this misfortune with a passive calmness. He has grown piritually through painfully achieved self knowledge and through Cordelia's love. Tragedy in King Lear is not only seen through itself but, also through the character of the King and other characters. The Play of King Lear is a great tragic play.

  3) Macbeth.

 The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to Macbeth being labelled as a tragic hero. Macbeth is established as being of great stature. He has already earned the title of Thane of Glamis, and as prophesized by the three witches, will soon take reign as the Thane of Cawdor. These titles indicate that Macbeth is of great political importance, and is moving up in the ranks of Scottish nobility. Macbeth’s blind ambition, along with the provoking of his wife, leads him to take a violent and bloody path to the throne. Following the format of a tragic hero, Macbeth suffers from a tragic flaw. He has multiple flaws in character, the most prominent being his vaulting ambition and his impressionability. After the witches told Macbeth about his bright future of nobility in Scotland. Macbeth was crowned King of Scotland, which led to extreme paranoia, fearing anyone with a noble bloodline as a threat to his power. By the end of the play, four deaths can be attributed to Macbeth’s name, all murdered in hopes of protecting his kingship. His ambition blinds him from seeing the destructive path he has created, ruling as a tyrant rather than a noble king.

                                   He is easily impressionable nature causes him to not form his own thoughts, but rather listen to the words of Lady Macbeth and the three witches. These tragic flaws go on to play a major role in Macbeth’s demise. Macbeth’s tragic flaws lead him to become a tyrant, who is quickly removed from power by the Scottish people. With the bloody path he had made for himself, his fall from power was inevitable. Macbeth’s bloody actions ended with him having to fear for his own life, as thousands in Scotland wanted him dead. Macbeth was aware that his evil deeds would lead to people wanting revenge. He was surprised when he was told that the forest was indeed attacking his castle, which was actually Macduff’s army carrying branches as a means of camouflage. His true anagnorisis came during his battle with Macduff, where Macduff revealed he was not born of woman, rather he was ripped form his mother’s womb, implying a Caesarean section. In this moment Macbeth was enlightened about his vulnerability. Macduff goes on to behead Macbeth, ensuring that his own family did not die in vain. Macduff goes on to behead Macbeth, ensuring that his own family did not die in vain. With his death, Macbeth solidifies himself as a tragic hero. The audience learns the dangers of ambition, and good is reestablished. Macbeth fits every characteristic of a Greek and Shakespearean tragic hero.

             

 4) Romeo.

Romeo is the tragic hero in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He is the tragic hero because of his traits of loving easily and believing in fate. In the beginning of the play, Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline. His friends, Bevolio and Mercutio, tease him because he always falls in love. After they go to a party in the beginning of the play, Romeo falls for a different girl besides Rosaline. Romeo goes to party thinking no girl is better looking than Rosaline, then he lays eyes on Juliet. From that moment on, he believes Juliet is the most beautiful girl, his soulmate, and he believes that fate brought them together. Romeo tells Benvolio and Mercutio how he strongly believes in fate. He tells about his belief in fate and how he does not really care about dying because everything is already decided. But, the ultimate reason Romeo is the tragic hero is because he kills himself for a reason that does not exist. Romeo commits suicide because he sees his love, Juliet lying in a tomb and believes she is dead. The plan by Friar Lawrence and Juliet does not work because Romeo does not receive the letter from them explaining what is going on in enough time. Romeo would rather be dead then have to live without his Juliet. He brings down everyone around him when he physically kills Tybalt and Paris. Lady Montague dies because of his exile.

          Juliet kills herself after finding Romeo dead. But, after both Romeo and Juliet are found dead, the Montagues and the Capulets decide to make peace and honor each other's children which is the only positive outcome of Romeo's actions. Overall, Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet with the mindset that Romeo was the tragic hero.

5) Othello.

Othello is a "tragic hero" due to his self-centered nature and his gullibility--he allows himself to be manipulated by Iago instead of trusting his heart. He does redeem himself, but it is too little, too Othello is a military general who is respected by the government and most of the people in his Italian community. However, Iago is the antagonist or nemesis who works against Othello. Due to Iago's envious and vengeful personality, he constructs the downfall of Othello. Iago hates Othello because Othello has promoted Cassio instead of himself. Then, Roderigo hates Othello because he's in love with Desdemona who is Othello's wife. Finally, Brabantio, Desdemona's father hates Othello for marrying his daughter without his permission.

  When Othello marries Desdemona who is a woman of Noble birth, there are some people who think that Othello is simply not good enough. However, Desdemona loves her Moorish husband unconditionally. She loses the love of her father, yet she stands by her husband's side. Othello's race is not an issue for Desdemona. However, Othello begins to wonder if his wife would prefer an Italian husband. Othello's major flaw is jealousy, which leads to his feelings of insecurity and doubt. Once Othello becomes doubtful of his relationship with his wife, jealousy convinces him that his wife Desdemona has become unfaithful. Instead of trusting his loving relationship, he believes Iago when Iago suggests that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona. Ultimately, Othello's jealous nature leads him to kill the only woman he has ever loved-Desdemona. By the end of the play, several people have died including Othello. Othello has everything going for him. Yet, the story ends tragically because the hero of the story ends up dieing a dishonorable death.

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