Anita Shenoi
Ms. Gibson
English 5, Period 5
17 December 2014
Timeless Tragedy
The concept of a tragic hero is present in every story from millions of years ago to now. Tragic heroes are usually people of high status who bring about their own downfall with errors in judgement or a significant flaw. Despite the vast differences in time and place, three tragic heroes -Creon, Othello and Okonkwo- all experience drastic downfalls brought about by their fears and impetuous actions. It is delineated that all three heroes are molded perfectly to Aristotle’s archetype of a tragic hero.
In Sophocles’ captivating play, Antigone, composed in 400 B.C., the consequences of hubris are displayed through Creon’s arrogant and prideful acts. When a fatal fight…show more content… Throughout the story, the cunning villain Iago reveals his plan to completely and utterly annihilate Othello. Even though he is powerful and respected, Othello’s achilles heel is his wife, Desdemona, who will be framed as an unfaithful women. Iago cunningly tricks Othello into thinking Desdemona is cheating on him. At first, Othello is enraged by this all, shouting “I’ll be hang’d if some eternal villain, / Some busy and insinuating rogue, / Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, / Have not devised this slander”(4.2. 155-158). It seems impossible for Othello to overcome his intense covetousness which seems to be eating him alive. Iago warns him, “Beware, my lord, of jealousy; / It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock / The meat it feeds on” (3.3.195-197). Othello fails to recognize his flaw, however, and because of that, Iago’s subtle hints drive Othello further and further into his fatal fate. Just before he kills himself, he implores, “Speak of me as I am...of one that loved not too wisely but too well; / Of one not easily jealous” (5.2. 402-405). At the end, when Othello’s loved one lies dead by his own hands, he realizes his fate he could not escape, as a result of his insecure and jealous mindset which he still fails to recognize…show more content… Even when he is fighting a losing battle, he refuses to stand down, saying, “Afraid? I do not care what he does...I despise him and those who listen to him. I shall fight alone if I choose” (24.18). It is traits like this one that leads to Okonkwo’s downfall, but only after he experiences a mountain of obstacles, failures, and tragedies. Even though he refuses to openly show emotions, Okonkwo is extremely attached to his adopted son, Ikemefuna. There comes a time when Ikemefuna has to be sacrificed, and the leaders of the village advice Okonkwo not to assist because Okonkwo is like a father to Ikemefuna. When the men attack Ikemefuna to kill him, he calls out to Okonkwo, “My father, they have killed me”(7.27). Instead of reacting like a caring father would, Okonkwo, “dazed with fear…[draws] his machete and [cuts] him down. He [is] afraid of being thought weak”(2.27-28). It is traits and actions like these that cause Okonkwo to slowly bring about his own