5 Characteristics of a Tragic Hero O Noble

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

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

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

Reversal O The hero’s downfall O It is brought about by the hero’s actions O Example O 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 O The punishment the hero receives is worse than what he did wrong. O Example O 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 O Hero has major realization O He learns something important O Example O Joe. Bob recognizes his tragic flaw – his too-big ego. He now 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 to get a new job as a storm chaser for the local news station.