Aristotle’s Tragic Hero

Brief Background on Aristotle 384 BC-332 BC Greek Philosopher Wrote Poetics

• Analyzed Greek Tragedies

• Came up with the classification of the “Tragic Hero”

Tragic Hero Element #1 Must be of noble birth

Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises

“With great power there must also come…great responsibility!”

-Stan Lee

Tragic Hero Element #2 Not perfect! Must have a tragic flaw

• Hubris too much pride or arrogance• Hamartia too much of a “defect” that can

lead to a downfall.

Iron Man Hubris Captain America Hamaritia

“If you’re writing about a character, if he’s a powerful character, unless you give him vulnerability I don’t think he’ll be interesting to the reader.”

-Stan Lee

Consider: What is Romeo’s Kyptonite?

Tragic Hero Element #3 Peripeteria- A reversal of fortune

brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw.

Downfall is his/her own fault• Usually triggered by some error of judgment

Tragic Hero Element #4 Actions result in an increase of self-

awareness and self-knowledge. Or discovery must happen for someone

else because of the tragic hero’s fall.

Tragic Hero Element #5 The audience must feel pity and/or

fear for this character.

Works Cited "Aristotle (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 June 2012. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/>.

Bruce Wayne. N.d. Holy Comic Trilogy, Batman!, n.p. Celebstalk. Web. 23 June 2012.

Grantiz, Steve. Stan Lee. N.d. Hulk Movie Release , New York. Internet Movie Database . Web. 23 June 2012.

Hulk. 2008. Universal Studios , n.d. Internet Movie Database. Web. 23 June 2012. Iron Man. N.d. Iron Man, California . Internet Movie Database . Web. 23 June 2012. KipMcGrath. Romeo and Juliet. N.d. Educational Blogsite, Scotland . KipMcGrath

Educational Center. Web. 23 June 2012. Kryptonite and Superman. N.d. Studiopress, n.d. Freal. Web. 23 June 2012. Maidment, Jay. Captain America. N.d. Still of Chris Evans in Captain America:

The First Avenger, California . Internet Movie Database. Web. 23 June 2012. Movie Audience . N.d. Digital 3-D , Hollywood. Hollywood Today. Web. 23 June

2012. "Shakespeare - Humanities & Social Sciences." Shakespeare - Humanities & Social

Sciences. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 June 2012. <http://shakespeare.nuvvo.com>. Thor. N.d. Avengers , n.d. Internet Movie Database. Web. 23 June 2012.