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
What is it about Tatiana Larina? How is it that a young country girl, whose semblance is hardly remarkable and whose intelligence and judgment are suspect, has captivated literary culture and come to be regarded as “the Russians’ Mona Lisa” according to one prominent Russian...
Introduction Water, with its myriad forms and dynamic nature, holds immense power within our world. It possesses the capability to nurture life or to extinguish it, serving as the bedrock of our planet and an essential element in human existence. Among the natural wonders of...
As its title suggests, “M. Butterfly” is essentially a play about metamorphosis. It is, firstly, the metamorphosis of Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera “Madame Butterfly” into a modern-day geopolitical argument for cultural understanding. Author David Henry Hwang shows, through a highly implausible love affair between a...
In The Homecoming, Harold Pinter suggests that there are two types of women: whores or mothers. The whore, he believes, can have little success in family life; the mother, on the other hand, can create a successful family. Pinter’s statement is reinforced by the behavior...
In his play Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Brian Friel utilizes the entirety of the storyline to develop and present the dramatic relationship between Madge Mulheren and Gareth O’Donnell. Quite quickly, Friel makes it evident to the audience that Madge acts as a substitute mother and...
Webster’s decision to cast strong female characters as the protagonists in his two most popular plays could have been considered highly controversial and unexpected by the audiences of his time. This unintended effect immediately seems to prompt a critical questioning of his rationale. The initial...
The House of Wisdom gives a record of Muslim logical and social prevalence over Christian Europe amid the Middle Ages and contends that the West owes an obligation to the Arabs and Islam today (Lyons 13). His record is organized around Islam’s required five day-by-day...
Michel de Montaigne’s Essays are hailed as profound modern, and their style original. This type of personal essay writing is still found in many places, including today’s commonplace blogs. These pieces are political, they are social, they are philosophical, but they are all deeply eprsonal;...
Symbolism is a literary device used throughout literature in which a concrete image represents something deeper and more implicit. It is an effective strategy used to enhance the meanings of novels and memoirs and also to reveal certain things about characters within the text. In...
Poetry The idea of Carpe Diem originated from a poem called “Ode” by Horace. In the poem, the author is attempting to convince his lover not to worry about what the future holds for them because time may be very hard to find. He continues...
A ruling passion in an individual’s life has the ability to demonstrate an effect on a persons life including the atmosphere surrounding them. In the novel My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, the author traces the making of a great painter from the...
Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There (henceforth referred to as Marnie) tells the story of Anna, whose foster mother sends her away to stay with distant relatives in Hokkaido after a severe asthma attack, in hopes that the change of pace, scenery, and air quality...
In the abstract of this article, we are made to understand that the idealism of Josiah Royce is informed by the criticism of George Holmes. The free and independent selves are featured in the absolute idealism as reflected by Josiah Royce. His facts and views...
The Contrasting Forms of Curiosity in The Grimm’s Fairy Tales One major theme prevalent in the Grimm’s Fairy Tales is that of curiosity. It plays a very significant role in determining where the story will go. There are namely two different outcomes that can result...
Objectivity is the Name of the Game Caryl Rivers, a “nationally known author, journalist, columnist, media critic and professor of journalism at Boston University” (“Caryl Rivers”), in her essay “Totem and Taboo: The Culture of the News Media” (1996), excerpted from her book Slick Spins...
The power of the main character, Beowulf, is constantly emphasized in the text. The passage I have selected depicts a scene in which he is praised like a demigod and shows his ability to triumph in adverse circumstances while a suspenseful build up intentionally leaves...
Book My Show was incorporated in the year 2007 and in less than four years it already boasts 40% CAGR in revenues and holds over 90% market share in the online entertainment ticketing space. Their business is spread over to 1000 screens and across 87...
Throughout history and literature, people have been crossing borders. Not only have groups crossed physical borders such the walls of Jericho in Joshua and the seas that Odysseus crossed in The Odyssey, but they have crossed social barriers as well. Some examples include crossing the...
The female driven novel, The Forgotten Waltz, written by Anne Enright offers readers insight to the role and importance of women in modern-day Ireland. The protagonist, Gina Moynihan, throws herself into an affair and in doing so, is left to re-evaluate her relationship with the...
In modern times the word pirate has a glorified image due to Disney and a negative connotation but piracy has not always been looked down upon. Piracy is defined as “attacking ships at sea without legal permission to do so”(Lecture 8/21). Piracy has affected nearly...
Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” masterfully explores the theme of illusion versus reality in a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. This theme is both intriguing and disturbing, making the story stand out among the many short...
Introduction Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad” serves as a timeless reflection of the intricate interplay between gender dynamics and societal constructs within ancient Greek society. Through its vivid portrayal of characters such as Helen, Briseis, and Hera, the epic offers a nuanced exploration of the...
Introduction Pride, an intrinsic facet of human nature, manifests itself in multifarious forms, often leading individuals on a precarious path between self-assurance and downfall. In Sophocles’ timeless tragedy, “Oedipus the King,” the titular character’s fatal flaw lies in his hubris, an excessive pride that blinds...
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals the uncanny defamiliarization of the natural part of the general public. The creature, a making of Victor Frankenstein’s frenzy is utilized to affirm this. The monsters ghastly appearance is the reason of society’s loath towards it, thus it is addressed with...
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story published in 1892, about a woman who is unable to deal with her depression. Her husband and doctor take over and decide a treatment based upon male dominance and lock her in a room...
Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore some of the aspects that influence state and non-state actors using the Just War Theory in wars or conflicts. The review seeks to answer the research question, how does applying the Just War theory affect current...
Song of Myself is a poem of bold declarations that egotistically assert Walt Whitman’s place and purpose in the context of a world of immense scope and romantically instilled vigor. And yet located within this chaotic unfurling of identity there is one piece of the...
The parallel and overall relation of time is a phenomenon that has been explored from both creative and philosophical perspectives. By forming a connection between the impacts of action, in hand with the various possible outcomes, Tom Stoppard creates a dramatic piece that challenges the...
For the sake of the audience, a theatre production relies on a well-designed and thematically relevant setting. This is because a setting is responsible for designating the audience in a particular time and place, in addition to creating a specific social or political environment. In...
Introduction Every decision, every breath one takes, and every step one ever walks brings one closer to a single goal — to find the meaning of life. The summation of one’s decisions, steps, and movements through life shapes one’s individual existence and leads to proliferation...
