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
In Victor Pelevin’s novel, The Yellow Arrow, there is an evident string of symbols and metaphors which represent the harsh conditions of the Russian people during the early 1990’s. One of the literally largest symbols in the novel was the train itself: The Yellow Arrow,...
Adlai E. Stevenson’s rejection on the foolish notion of Senate Bill No.93, the “Cat Bill,” is declared through deliberate literary facets, meant to belittle and warn the senators to pay more attention to their actions, and literary allusions to . Made-to-order essay as fast as...
“The term gender is commonly used to refer to the psychological, cultural, and social characteristics that distinguish the sexes” . From the idea of gender such notions as gender bias and stereotyping have developed. Stereotypes have lead society to believe that a male or female...
Postcolonial literature both reveals and challenges the ideals of a dominant culture in their attempt to marginalise and control a minor group. No Sugar is a play set in a period of Australian history known as Protectionism, in which Indigenous Australians were marginalised as primitive...
Many plays use the balance of power as a theme to drive the plot forward and to define their characters. In A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, the patriarchal figure of Eddie becomes a tragic hero through his loss of power and reaction...
The play Wit by Margaret Edson addresses one of the most challenging topics that mankind is forced to grapple with: death. For Vivian Bearing though, death had always been more of a subject to study rather than one to face. Death in Vivian’s experience is...
The downfall of Othello is a story by William ShakespeareIt would be clearer if the author specified that “The Downfall of Othello” is the name of the play, rather than just a description of what happens in the play. which is a romantic tragedy involving...
‘Qhua wait gif all that Chauceir wrait was trew?/Nor I wait nocht gif this narratioun/Be authoreist’. Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay In his Testament for Cresseid,...
The Soloist Mental illness does not discriminate. Despite Nathanial Ayers’ talent as a musician, artist, and generally good upbringing, schizophrenia still found a way to enter into his life. Through meeting compassionate journalist Steve Lopez, Nathanial Ayers was able to begin his road to recovery...
Children’s stories are short stories, each full of adventures, excitement, sadness and more. They are usually filled with a minimal amount of words and are filled with many pictures. As such, these stories are responsible for giving children a creative imagination. These stories consist of...
Adolescence is a very important time in life which everyone has to go through. It is like a journey, and yet you don’t know what to expect on the journey. In Katherine Paterson’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia, Jess Aarons, a very naive follower, goes through...
When novels are adapted to films, often writers and directors make changes, especially if the book was written a significant time ago. They make these changes to draw modern viewers in. Oliver Parker composed the adaption of The Importance of Being Earnest. His adaptation is...
Diego Rivera is one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century. He was born in 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico and died in 1957 in Mexico City at the age of 71 years. He started his drawing career at the age of three years....
The artistic world of Dostoyevsky is exceptionally dark and frightening: the author places mirrors in which the reader peeps to understand the truth about oneself. Unfortunately, this truth exposes fear and hatred, and love of cruelty and weakness, instead of the presence of virtues. Dostoyevsky...
Rosalie Ham’s novel “The Dressmaker”, published in 2000, is set in the 1950’s in an Australian outback town called Dungatar. In the novel, Ham utilises genre conventions such as Gothic, romance, detective story, and revenge tragedy conventions to intrigue the reader’s expectations of the novel...
The moon, something we see in the sky every day and every night if the moon could talk it would tell tales older than humanity itself. Since the dawn of man, the moon has always been a mystery to all. The beauty captivates us with...
To begin with, the ageing population faces the challenge of social isolation and loneliness along with health-related problems. The research article about the Tangible User Interface aims to review the existing research on TUI (Tangible User Interface) in order to enhance the social interaction between...
For centuries, cultures around the world have used fables not only for entertainment but as a method to teach significant moral lessons. Fables have given cultures an opportunity to highlight their moral values and provide individuals a path to practice their traditions through their minds...
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when we take your eyes off your goals,” wrote Henry Ford. Everyone is different, but we all have obstacles. We need to never give up, but instead stay focused on the journey and direction to keep on going....
The short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan provides a thought-provoking literary analysis of the conflicts that arise between parents and children when their goals and aspirations differ. In this first-person narrative, Tan depicts the struggle that Jing-Mei Woo and her mother face in reconciling...
The Iliad, by Homer, primarily revolves around the male characters in the epic poem, but the few women in the story play a salient role. The women are seen as nothing but trophies for the dauntless works of men, but the roles that they depict...
For several stories, the protagonists’ pride is usually shown and explained by the narrator or secondary characters. Yet in Anglo-Saxons’ Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, his pride is boosted by himself; he takes satisfaction in knowing he is letting everyone know of his value and...
John Desmond gives his view on O’Connor’s short story, ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find.’ He does so from a religious and philosophical perspective in his article ‘Flannery O’Connor’s Misfit and the Mystery of Evil.’ Desmond focuses on ‘good’ and ‘evil,’ which seem to...
Desire is ubiquitous, it is the essence of wanting or hankering for something or someone, it has limitless objects. The longing for a person to be with us or for an inanimate object, whether it be a car, a house, a shoe, or the yearning...
In the story “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just Met a Girl Named Maria” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the author Cofer discusses the how people stereotype Latin American woman generation after generation. Cofer begins her story with her own experience on a bus...
Geographical juxtaposition is not uncommon in the genius works of William Shakespeare. In his renowned play, Othello, Shakespeare exploits the stark contrasts in the story’s two settings, the two cities of Venice and Cyprus. Shakespeare presents the environmental, moral, and behavioral dichotomies between Venice and...
Through his work, A Mad World, My Masters, Thomas Middleton challenges the viewer’s perspectives on adultery by portraying it as comical, rather than starkly reproachable. During the first four acts of A Mad World, My Masters, the play seems to encourage the audience to support...
In Blindness, Jos? Saramago questions the morals innately present in human nature through characters who ignore or misuse the advice provided by sayings. By inserting old, vague, and contradictory proverbs, Saramago demonstrates that in bewildering times, sayings become a comfort rather than actual guidance. He...
During a time of the utmost rationality, when the serious nature of man was exposed in its most raw form, Samuel Beckett– author of Endgame — tackled subject matters that stepped out from under the issue of war and the tangible problems of his era,...
The American by Henry James is a masterly crafted novel that explores the differences between the American and European cultures. Through the main character, Christopher Newman, the author is able to articulate a clear and distinct criticism of American culture in that Americans have no...