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Aristotle's Definition of the Tragic Hero

1) The tragic hero is a man who is characterized by good and evil. He is a mixture of of good characteristics and bad characteristics. For example, Macbeth was a honorable Thane of Glamis. He was a valiant fighter who had protected his country of Scotland well, but he wanted to be king. His "vaulting ambition" caused him to kill King Duncan which ended up in his fall.

2) The tragic hero has a tragic flaw, or harmatia, that is the cause of the downfall. Macbeth "vaulting ambition" was the cause of his fall--death.

The tragic hero has a hubris surrounding him. A person or thing that sets the stage for his fall. It includes all of the conditions that will cause the tragic hero to fail.For example, Iago is the hubris for Othello because he allows Iago was to manipulate him into killing Desdemona.

4) The tragic hero almost always goes on a journey. Hamlet goes on journey to find who killed his father. On, his journey he discovers things about the people around him, and ultimately, himself.

5) The tragic hero is someone people can relate to. If people were put into the tragic hero's position they could see that they would probably do the same things that the hero does. The tragic hero is not perfect, for he is not exalted to a god-like status, but he is human. He has the same human problems, and he goes through life with the same obstacles.

6) The tragic hero always falls in the end. That is why he is called the tragic hero. His tragic flaw always ends up in tragedy for himself and for those around him. Lady Macbeth dies because of Macbeth's vaulting ambition. Desdemona dies because of Othello allows Iago to manipulate him. Ophelia dies because Hamlet plays "mad" trying to find punish his father's killer. In the end, the tragic hero dies. Oh, how tragedy kills all.