Qualities of A Tragic Hero

• Is not all good or bad

• Is of the noble class or highly renowned and prosperous

• Has a tragic flaw (error in judgment he could not see)

• Actions involve the well-being of others in society

• Plot of the play shows him working toward a goal dear to him

• Actions involve him in choices

Darth Vader• Was a Jedi• Tried to save his

wife by going to the “darkside”

• Lead to her death• He became evil• Died saving his son

Harvey Dent from The Dark Knight

• Successful district attorney for Gotham

• Engaged to Rachel Dawes

• She is killed, he is scarred

• Kills all those he blames for her death including Batman

• Leads to his death

Dan Scott from One Tree Hill

• Wealthy Mayor of Tree Hill & former basketball star

• Has dysfunctional relationship with his sons

• Kills his brother and is put in jail

• Wife attempts to kill him• Grandson’s nanny

attempts to kill him• Needs a heart transplant• Trying to have a better

relationship with his grandson

Marissa from the OC

• Came from a wealthy family

• Made poor choices with drugs and alcohol

• Broke up with her boyfriend to get her life back together

• Dies after being driven off the road by her ex

The Bachelor: Jason Mesnick

• Was named the 13th Bachelor for the ABC reality show

• Picked Melissa Rycroft and was engaged to her, but broke up with her on national TV

• Decide he preferred runner up Molly Malaney

Chris Brown• Famous R&B singer/

spokesperson• Helped charities such as

St. Jude and others• Recently turned himself

into the police on domestic violence charges after girlfriend Rhianna was discovered beaten in his car.

• Issued public apology and entered counseling.

• Reconciled with Rhianna

Who is the Tragic Hero between these 2

characters?

King Leonidas vs Theron

King Leonidas

• Was King of Sparta• Prideful and war-like• Went to war against

Persia• Died in battle, to

save Sparta And honor

Theron

• Was a politician, part of the Senate

• Was stealing money• Raped Leonidas’ wife

Gorgo.• Tried to overthrow

Leonidas while he was off in battle

Batman vs The Joker

Bruce Wayne AKA Batman

•Son of wealthy CEO

•Sees his parents killed

•Becomes vigilante against crime

•Moral gray area as far as justice

The Joker

• Takes over the criminal underworld in Gotham

• Creates havoc for his enjoyment

• Doesn’t understand compassion (river ferry scene)

• Tries to destroy Batman’s reputation

Captain Jack vs Will Turner

Captain Jack

• Self-centered, but an “ethical pirate”

• Both saves and condemns Will numerous times

• Always in search of something…(ship, treasure, immortality)

Will Turner• Orphaned boy found

on the sea• Grows up to be an

apprentice to a sword maker

• Becomes a pirate to save his love Elizabeth Swan

• Eventually becomes Davy Jones to avoid death

The Beast vs Gaston

The Beast

• Born a Prince• Was rude and

disrespectful to an old beggar woman

• She was a witch turned him into a beast

• He had to find someone to love him or he would die

• Tries to save Belle and almost dies

Gaston

• Was the local “town hero”

• Loved himself more than anyone else

• Proposed to Belle because he felt she was as pretty as he

• Tried to kill the beast when he learned Belle preferred it.

Romeo vs Tybalt

Romeo• Son of wealthy

Monteguw family• Fell in love with

Juliet but they were from warring families

• Marries Juliet but kills Tybalt for revenge

• Is banished and thinks Juliet is dead, so he kills himself

Tybalt Capulet

• Cousin to Juliet• Kills Mercutio during

battle out of spite• Is killed by Romeo for

revenge

Now it’s your turn! :

•Pick Creon or Atigone•Tell me what makes them a “tragic

hero”• Is this character truly a tragic

hero?•Does a tragic hero have to be a

hero?•Does the tragic hero have to die?