Tragic Hero

          

Assignment: Paper No. - 04

Name: Patel kavita

Topic: Tragic Hero

Roll No. – 11

Semester: III

Batch: 2011- 12

Tragic Hero

‘Tragic Hero’ is a literary term and specially applied to tragedy. The term is used for Greek literature and especially it is associated with great three dramatists: Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Aristotle has broadly defined the term with special reference to Greek Tragedy. Let’s discuss, what is tragic Hero? What are the characteristic of Tragic Hero? How can we apply Tragic Hero to Greek Dramas?

 The term Tragic Hero is relevant to Modern Hero of   the drama. What types of circumstances do make the character Tragic? The Greek terms like Catharsis, Hamartia, Anagnorisis, Peripetiea, are deeply rooted in Tragic Hero.

  The action makes Hero Tragic. So, there should be a mistake or fault. Such a fault is always portrayed by action not by character. Without action there cannot be a Tragedy in the life of the character. Tragedy always happens, if the character has any evil, too much goodness, lack of taking good judgments, pride or over-confidence, etc. So, Tragic Hero should have certain good and evil qualities. He should have the amalgam of goodness and badness. Then and then, conflict takes place.

  Tragic Hero is always looked like serious, sad, conscious and hasty. Aristotle says about Hero of the Play that the Tragic Hero should be from Royal class, aristocratic family. There may be a reason behind it. Higher categorized Hero that tragedy always has strong effect if main character is from high pedestal then and then fall is taken place. The commonness in the character does not raise that much tragic effect as portrayed in “Death of a Salesman”.  There should be an awful end and it should raise two important emotions like pity and fear among the audience. In Aristotelian concept the Tragic Hero must fall from height of prosperity and glory. M.H. Abrams remarks:

                “…He is thoroughly good nor thoroughly

   Bad but a mixture of both; and also that

           This tragic effect will be stronger if the

              Hero is ‘better than we are.’ in the sense

      That he is of higher than ordinary moral worth.”

According to Aristotle, there should be four prime characteristics of Tragic Hero. He is good, must be appropriate to the character, a realistic and must be consistent. By good, Aristotle means that he should have a moral purpose. There should be appropriateness in his character.

Aristotle observes four attributes that are

                            i.            The hero must not purely a virtuous and true to life.

                       ii.      He should not be totally bad person. But there should not be 

          a combination of good qualities and bad qualities.

                       iii.            He is a rather good man that comes to bad end.

                       iv.             He should be a purely a virtuous and thoroughly bad.

   

      In ‘Hamlet’ the character speaks,

“To be or not be, that’s the question.’

Here, ‘to be’ is Hamlet’s morality while ‘not to be’ is his badness. Because he wanted to accomplish his goal of taking vengeance, to kill Claudius was moral task that was given by his father while not to kill is like a sin that Hamlet makes him free. 

‘The misfortune’ always is a remarkable phenomenon in the great vista of Greek drama. The people used to believe in destiny at that time so that they showed on the stage.

Now, we acquainted of characteristic tragic hero according to Aristotle that he must be of high rank and royal person. And what the king or prince of high rank makes a mistake and he is punished harshly, is dramatized.

There should be a sudden panic, dangers, sadness, solemnity, sensational incidents and at the end there is ultimate death.

There is one striking feature to be discussed is Aristotle believes that character are not important but actions are more important. In The Oedipus Rex, there is a sign of something suspicious that would have been taken place but it remains mystery. Gradually it is revealed and creates tragic emotion among the victimized character. For example in this play, Tierasias reveals the truth but does not directly discloses it speaks in round and round, see following dialogues,

“I pity you; for one day men will taunt you with

These very words!”

“The only person plotting against you is you yourselves.”

Such dialogues are very striking, commendable and highly serious. The dramatist has gradually creates tragic solution of murder of the king Laius.

Tragic hero of Greek drama is always moved from good to bad end because he is rather a good man. There is an undue pride in Oedipus when he announces certain orders. Even there is also great proud with humbleness in his dialogues,

“My people, you came to me to ask for help

You, if you listen to me, and do as I common you.”

In tragic drama there is an indication at the beginning of the story. It catches more effect of tragedy of the hero and at end it takes the figure of tragedy. The hero’s fault is now clarifies and because of his acceptance of his fault and punishment to himself leads towards the great affliction of life that is unbearable

Sometime, except his fault, other external things play a vital role. They are common people, his own relatives, messengers, chorus, etc. they are surrounded by him and make a serious impact on king’s tragedy.

There are for Greek terms which are deeply associated with tragedy and tragic hero. Hamartia, catharsis, Peripatiea and Anagnorisis are applied to tragedy. These whole terms work in the triangle figure of beginning, climax and end, see following figure

Beginning---Judgment---Hamartia---Climax--- Anagnorisis---

Falling---End

       Hamartia can be translated as a “tragic flow or error of judgment”. Even if the hero is purely virtuous man then we find the lack of fear or horror. But the hero is a mixture of both the qualities then somewhere he will make a blunder and this blunder may be because of his innocent or forgetting something. Aristotle asserts that three kinds of plot should be avoided.        

       i.            First, the plot in while a good person is going to misery from happiness since such events seem more odious than fearful or pitiable.

     ii.            Second, the plot in which a bad man going to misery from happiness because he does not arouses our pity and fear and appeals to none of our emotion.

  iii.            Third, in which a bad person going to misery from happiness, since it will also not arouse the feeling of pity and fear.

             The striking point to be discussed is that when tragic hero falls from his fortune becomes like a common man. Then and then we feel pity and fear toward him because we see ourselves in him and also feel that thank god we are not replaced by him and made a serious mistake of life. Otherwise we might have a serious as well as terrible end. This is called Hamartia or ‘hubris’.

Peripetiea and Anagnorisis are two essential features in the play. They are closely related to each other. Anagnorisis is a very indispensable device in all work of literature in which hero realizes what he is after all. The self-realization and discovery reveal of the fact are the closely meaning of Anagnorisis. When this device comes the hero cannot endure the reality. He feels sad and anguished. Same thing happens in Antigone or Oedipus.

Such an Anagnorisis comes at the climax and it is handled by chorus or other elderly experienced group of people or it may by one person or we can say that prophet are themselves an Anagnorisis that makes known to the king that Oedipus is a traitor of the state by mistake .so we can say that not circumstance but man himself is an Anagnorisis.

Peripatiea is a device or term that is outcome of Anagnorisis is most effective when it is connected with Peripatiea. M.H.Abrams puts that

“It is a reversal in his fortune from happiness to disaster.”

One can say that it is also the evils of circumstance that lead him from good to bad or bad to good. With Anagnorisis, it also occurs at the climax of the play. It is promoted by it (Anagnorisis). It is the turning point the action. It is a reversal fortune. Where does the hero become tragic?  The answer is that Peripatiea is stronger than the efforts of the hero. The tragic hero realizes that he is not good thoroughly but bad also.

To wrap up, the tragic hero is not really tragic but external conflict and misfortunes accuse him of being tragic. Destiny moulds his tragic character from happy to sad. So at end, can we say that tragic hero really a hero? Can we put it relevant to modern play? The difference behind ancient Greek dramas and modern dramas is that the ancient hero is at only one fault while the modern common hero is at so many mistakes. So these are the reversal qualities of tragic hero and various dramatic devices that are second side of him.