The concept of the tragic hero is a cornerstone of literary analysis, originating from ancient Greek drama and persisting through to contemporary literature. This archetype reflects a character who possesses inherent flaws or makes critical errors in judgment, leading to their inevitable downfall. Tragic heroes are typically individuals of high ...Read More
The concept of the tragic hero is a cornerstone of literary analysis, originating from ancient Greek drama and persisting through to contemporary literature. This archetype reflects a character who possesses inherent flaws or makes critical errors in judgment, leading to their inevitable downfall. Tragic heroes are typically individuals of high status or noble birth who are pitted against an insurmountable fate or a critical moral decision, which ultimately leads to a tragic end. This essay topic invites an exploration of how the tragic hero has evolved over centuries, from the strictures of Aristotle’s definitions in ancient Greek tragedies, through the complexities of Shakespeare’s protagonists, to the nuanced figures in modern literature.
Writing an essay on the evolution of the tragic hero is significant for several reasons:
It offers insights into how societal values and philosophical perceptions of heroism, morality, and fate have shifted over time.
This theme provides a rich field for literary analysis, allowing for a deep dive into various literary devices, character development, and narrative techniques used by authors to depict tragic heroes.
It encourages a nuanced understanding of human strengths and weaknesses and the consequences of our choices, underscoring the timeless relevance of classical themes in the modern context.
The evolution of the tragic hero offers a lens through which to examine different cultural attitudes towards fate, free will, and the divine.
By exploring the tragedies of these heroes, readers and writers alike are prompted to reflect on their own lives and the human condition, fostering empathy for others.
Literature Review Essay Topics
The Evolution of the Tragic Hero in Literature: From Ancient Greece to Modern Times
Feminism in Literature: The Waves from the 19th Century to the Present
The Portrayal of Family Dynamics in 20th-Century American Literature
Post-Colonial Narratives and Identity: A Literature Review
The book Gender of the Gift by the Marilyn Strathern is a detailed evaluation of the problems faced by women and the society at large in Melanesia. The study mainly focuses on the native’s culture with the guinea mead’s field report as the center of...
How far does the literature of the First World War depict a search for normality despite the fact that the war has questioned ‘civilised values’? Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts...
Common Ground In many of John Steinbeck’s works there are themes and elements that parallel his other works. Steinbeck often tackles the result of people’s bad fortune and the realization that their dreams have been destroyed. We can see that in his Pulitzer Prize winning...
Papa’s Bridge is a famous poem written by Richard Blanco. According to the poet, people often ask him certain questions about how does he manage such different works, engineer and poet. He answers to the people in a way that he is an engineer by...
Paradoxical situations arise all the time, and people cannot escape the situations or benefit from them because taking action is impossible. In Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, these paradoxes recur many times. The paradoxes, called Catch-22’s, trap Yossarian, an Air Force pilot of the 256th squadron,...
Aleksandar Hemon a famous writer from Bosnia once said,“Belief and delusion are incestuous siblings.” In The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, not all characters are an open book. Some might have dark pasts, others could be living...
As every ambitious nation, one of their main goals to achieve is to expand their territories in foreign countries, specially countries with resources to contribute with and innocent people that could be dominated easily. The act of imperialism refers to take control over other´s government,...
In the introduction of the book The Location of Culture, Bhabha suggests that we, as members of the society, should attempt to understand cultural differences based on hybridity not based on “organic” group classifications. Nowadays, with the constant increase in immigration, one’s characteristics is not...
In something not to be touched (done, talked of), she studies the lives of the people of the Shahi Mohalla in Lahore. Shahi Mohalla is a place was living in by a town of persons offering entertainment, dancers and players and writers of music. This...
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris is a collection of autobiographical essays that describes the difficulties that occur within American families as a young man recounts his childhood and youth as he becomes apart of the LGBTQ community and struggles to...
In the short story “Sunflowers” by Sam Roddan the narrator explores how two people in a similar position can have opposite values. Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my...
The literary analysis I’m writing over is “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston. She is an African American Modernist writer who conveyed a surprisingly positive, opportunistic, and realistic outlook on what it was like for her to live through racism....
An individual who experiences trauma with family can prevent the start of a true relationship. When someone faces a traumatic experience with family, they will often push away and live a life of being alone. In the story Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese, the main...
The book “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave” is written by Frederick Douglass himself. In this very book, Frederick Douglass has discussed the manner in which the society behaved in that period when going through a slavery phase. This book caters...
Have you ever met someone whom you feel you are in love with? Cumming published a poem that explains how heartfelt and fervent a special connection between two people can be. In 1952, Cummings published the “i carry your heart with me.” His use of...
The ‘Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Gilman provides insight into the life of the narrator- a woman censored and unable to express herself due to the nature of her controlling husband. The narrator leads the reader into the character’s downfall into insanity, allowing for her inner...
Imagine being ripped away from your home and family, and only given the bare minimum to survive. This is how Elie Wiesel felt when he was just 12 years old. This book was written by Elie Wiesel and it explains all of his situations he...
When Christopher Morley explains in Where the Blue Begins that “All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim,” he may not realize how closely he is describing the city illustrated in Jazz, a novel by...
Dave Eggers utilizes unusual formatting tactics to present his memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, including a lengthy introduction and acknowledgements section, inauthentic dialogue, personal commentary, and even an unconventional copyright page. The deviation from expected norms in the memoir genre can be seeded...
Rajiv Joseph’s characters in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo wander through the war-torn Iraqi landscape looking for answers and finding none. The characters span a wide range of humanity: from young, ignorant American soldiers to a former gardener now employed as an interpreter for...
An apple pressed precariously to her blushed lips, Lula from Leroi Jones’ existential drama Dutchman is the epitome of temptation. She snakes around the train car, spying Clay and eventually driving him to his outburst late in the second scene. Clay’s speech is spontaneously provoked,...
In David Ives’s Sure Thing, disagreements are avoided with a ringing bell, which serves as a device to shape consensus and allows the couple to fall in love at the end. Both characters are quick to judge and come close to giving up on each...
Sean O’Casey’s drama Juno and the Paycock details the slow, painful degradation of the Boyle family in war-torn Ireland in the early 1920s. Juno remains strong and calm throughout the course of the play, even though she suffers from a drunkard, good-for-nothing husband, an illegitimately...
During the modernist era, artists gradually moved away from realism towards themes of illusion, consciousness, and imagination. In the visual arts, realism evolved into cubism and expressionism. This movement is paralleled in literature, as illusions and a feeling of flux replaced the realist themes of...
In the third and final play of The Oresteia trilogy, The Eumenides, Apollo testifies for Orestes and the Furies testify for the late Clytemnestra in a trial that will decide whether or not Orestes is guilty. In this play, a new system of justice centered...
In Graham Greene’s dynamic novel The Power and the Glory, we follow the Whiskey Priest throughout his harrowing journey as he runs for his life, avoiding capture and death at the hands of the Lieutenant. This novel shows the development of the priest as he...
When analyzing a work by John Donne it is important to remember that Donne was arguably one of the most influential poets of his time. It is imperative for readers to be aware that Donne’s use of complex metaphors and imagery was revolutionary and it...
There must be something special about hotels that makes people’s imagination inhabit them with ghosts, poltergeists, and other supernatural beings. We can find countless stories dedicated to this subject not only in literature and cinema, but in real life as well a lot of hotel...
In Jonathan Safran Foer’s essay, “Against Meat”, Foer constantly displays the important role that nostalgia plays in his life. Foer fondly reflects on the time that he spent with his grandmother throughout the essay, and the positive impact that she had on his life. Looking...