HeroesThe Romantic Hero vs. The Tragic Hero

The Tragic HeroA Tragic hero has the potential for greatness but is doomed to fail. He is trapped in a situation where he cannot win.He makes some sort of tragic flaw or a tragic error in judgment (hamartia), and this causes his fall from greatness.

The Tragic HeroEven though he is a fallen hero, he still wins a moral victory, and his spirit lives on. The story of the fall and utter destruction of someone with such potential for greatness provokes fear and pity in the audience or reader.

Tragic Heroes are:Noble or royal by birth or hold some position of rank and authority in societyResponsible for their own fates – their ultimate destruction is the inevitable consequence of their own actions

Generally good, but contain a character trait often, but not always, pride) that ultimately leads to their downfall.Doomed to make a devastating error in judgment.

Eventually, Tragic Heroes•Fall from their elevated position•Realize their error and its inescapable consequences•Face and accept their death nobly (often it is the nobility with which they face their death that redeems them in the eyes of the reader)•Die

The Romantic HeroThe hero as rebel is an invention of the Romantic Movement.The Romantic Hero is a brooding man, a nonconformist who rejects the traditional moral code in order to be loyal to his own code, which he shares with only a few other “great souls” or “sensitive fellow sufferers.”

The Romantic HeroShelley and The Romantics

He is a proud man, moody, cynical, and defiant.His heightened insight into the nature of things causes him intense emotional and psychological misery.

20th Century Model

The Romantic HeroShelley and the Romantics

He is unyielding in his ambition and extra-humanly strong in his passions – relentless in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affections as well.He is solitary and wise.

Victor and His Creature

The Romantic HeroHe can be devoted to his country or to an ideal – like freedom or equality. Because he feels more deeply than the ordinary man, and because his aspirations are higher, the Romantic Hero is a loner, vacillating between reveling in his aloneness and lamenting his utter loneliness.

Characteristics of the Romantic Hero

Birth and class are unimportant: the individual transcends society The conflict is internal, psychological.

Even though it might manifest itself in external events, still the main portion of the hero’s plight is in his own reaction to events.

Characteristics ContinuedMoral codes are either outmoded or arbitrary– heroes live by their own understanding of “right” and “wrong.”

Passions are beyond the individual’s controlSelf-knowledge is valued more highly than physical strength and endurance.

Characteristics FinaleThe hero is moody, isolated, and introspective.The hero is loyal to a particular cause or a community of people with whom he has affinity.

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