Okonkwo – a tragic hero? Goal: Today you will determine the definition of a tragic hero through the process of concept formation, and you will analyze whether Okonkwo falls into the category of a tragic hero.

Can you think of any narratives (literature or movies) that have tragic endings? What is Tragedy? A story dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.

What are the common characteristics of these narratives What are the common characteristics of these narratives? Archetypes of tragic heroes? List five of the most critical (important for defining and understanding) characteristics of a tragic narrative.

Aristotle says… 1. The plot must be complete, complex, and follow the standard order for events in a story – think a complete plot diagram. 2. Characters must be realistic, believable, honorable, likable and sympathetic enough to care about, and possess a tragic flaw or hamartia. The protagonist or hero shouldn’t be perfect, but should be someone the audience sympathizes with, has pity for, or cares about. 3. The tragic hero must possess specific characteristics: flaw or error in judgement, reversal of fortune because of this error in judgement, discovery that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s own actions, excessive pride (hubris), and the character’s fate must be greater than deserved. 4. The setting or cause of the character’s downfall must arouse sympathy or pity in the audience.

Modern Connection Analyze a modern figure to assess whether he or she fits the model of a tragic hero. Come up with a rationale to support your example (10 minutes). What characteristics does this modern figure possess that match with those defined previously as necessary for a tragic hero? Hint: Other common traits may include… Hero must suffer more than he/she deserves Hero must be doomed from the start, but bears no responsibility for their fatal flaw Hero must be noble in nature, but imperfect Hero must have discovered his/her fate by own actions, not by things happening to him/her Hero’s story must arouse empathy and fear Hero must be spiritually or physically wounded by his/her experiences Hero must learn from his/her mistakes Hero must have a weakness – usually pride Hero must be faced with a serious decision to make

Examples of modern tragic heroes…

Is Okonkwo a tragic hero? What critical characteristics does Okonkwo possess? Provide 3 characteristics with page numbers and quotes for reference. Example: “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was not barn to inherit” (16). Characteristic: Okonkwo was a self-made man – all that he had, he earned for himself. He had to make up for what his father lacked. We will continue to track Okonkwo as a potentially tragic hero as we continue with the novel. At this moment do you agree with the statement that Okonkwo is a tragic hero? Why or why not?