1. Tragic Hero

2. Tragedy
A work of literature, especially a play, that shows the downfall or destruction of a noble or outstanding person.

3. Tragic Hero The main character of a tragedy.
Traditionally, the tragic hero possesses a character trait called his or her tragic flaw, which causes his/her downfall.

4. Tragic Hero Continued:
Tragic hero is caught up in a sequence of events that inevitably leads to disaster.
Tragic hero is neither
Wicked villain
Innocent victim
Audience usually has mixed emotions (pity and fear)

5. Tragic Flaw:
a flaw in the character of the protagonist of a tragedy that brings him or her to ruin or sorrow.
Tragic flaw is not always a weakness; it can be any quality possessed by the main character that leads to his/her downfall.

6. Example
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy in which Romeo and Juliet both suffer from the tragic flaw of impulsiveness. This flaw leads to their deaths.
Meet and hastily fall in love
Quickly married (after two days)
Romeo is rash in killing Tybalt
Juliet is impulsive when she makes her plan to fake death
Romeo is rushed in his suicide.

7. Things to Ponder: What are John’s character traits?
What do you see as his tragic flaw?
Is there a pattern to the way in which events unfold in this work?
What do these events seem to lead to?

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