5 Characteristics of a Tragic Hero Noble Tragic

5 Characteristics of a Tragic Hero ¡ ¡ ¡ Noble Tragic flaw Reversal His punishment exceeds his crime Recognition

Noble ¡ Noble in status l l ¡ Noble in mind l l l ¡ Royalty Important/Wealthy person Mostly a good person Admired by others Intelligent, good leader, etc. Example l l Joe. Bob is the Prince of Petersburg He pays his taxes, donates to charity, and rebuilt his town after a tornado

Tragic Flaw ¡ ¡ Greek word: Hamartia Something is wrong with the hero’s character – a defect in who he is Often excessive pride in Greek tragedy Example l l Joe. Bob has excessive pride. He thinks he knows better than all his advisors.

Reversal ¡ ¡ ¡ The hero’s downfall It is brought about by the hero’s actions Example l Joe. Bob’s advisors tell him to stop spending so much money to make the community beautiful after the tornado. He doesn’t listen, and their town budget doesn’t have enough money left to pay the teachers.

Punishment Exceeds the Crime ¡ ¡ The punishment the hero receives is worse than what he did wrong. Example l The angry teachers hang Joe. Bob upside down off the flagpole on top of the school, then incite the citizens to throw textbooks at his helpless, dangling figure. They also kick him off the throne and replace him with the school’s principal.

Recognition ¡ ¡ ¡ Hero has major realization He learns something important Example l Joe. Bob knows that he should listen to his advisors and that he is not always right. Although his political career is over, he applies his new knowledge in his new job as a storm chaser for the local news station.