The Tragic Hero

Most characters in ancient literature are tragic heroes. Whether we look at Hector, in The Iliad, Beowulf, or even the slightly more modern Hamlet, we see tragic heroes are perhaps the most important characters in classic literature. They all have much in common, a man or woman of human virtue, usually in a position of authority, marked with an almost unbearable life of misfortune, destitution, or loss. Most of the time it seems like the harder they try to dig themselves out of the hole of misery they are in they drag themselves and often others into the pit to be buried alive with them. Yet some of the most memorable moments in literature are the climax of the tragic hero. Why is this? There are a few reasons, and the first is probably because the tragic hero in his last moments reveals his true self and the image of all mankind. The character will make his final defining act as to whether he will be remembered as a hero or villain. And whether he or she will let their decisions and circumstances define them. 

Another reason that tragic heroes are so popular is the great diversity of types of characters and the reason their life is considered tragic. For example, some tragic heroes, like Roland in The Song of Roland, die physically but their souls are redeemed. Other times, like in the case of Creon from Antigone, they might be alive at the end of the story but more than often lose loved ones, their honor, or any virtue they had. Lastly, and perhaps the most authentic form of the tragic hero is the person who loses his life and honor. In Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the main character suffers the truly disastrous fate of both a fall from grace and death at his own hands. Some would argue that the last type of hero mentioned is not even a hero at all, but rather a villain. However, this might be the truest type of tragic hero, not because they are necessarily heroic by the end of the story, but because they were once great.  The tragedy of their fall leads the reader to learn a better lesson than any other character could teach them: that even the greatest heroes fall if they rely on purely their own strengths and abilities.