{"id":3932,"date":"2016-10-31T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?p=3932"},"modified":"2019-03-16T10:50:26","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T17:50:26","slug":"6-tragic-hero-examples-heroic-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/6-tragic-hero-examples-heroic-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Tragic Hero Examples for a Heroic Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you ever get so connected to a character that it almost physically hurts when the character gets&nbsp;killed off? For me, it happens all the time when I watch Game of Thrones.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to watch an HBO series to get this reaction\u2014characters in books can lead to the same feelings. Whether on screen or in text, many of these characters are what\u2019s known as tragic heroes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Tragic heroes<\/em> are the types of characters you really bond with and that you see making mistakes that lead to their death, loneliness, despair, or some other kind of undoing.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t worry if it isn\u2019t all completely clear right now \u2026 I\u2019ll explain in more detail what makes a character \u201ctragic\u201d and give you some tragic hero examples you can use as inspiration in your own essay.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is a Tragic Hero?<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4516\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4516\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4516 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/16632632814_e3c1d0631f_z-e1463546279706.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4516 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20282%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/16632632814_e3c1d0631f_z-e1463546279706.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;The Top 5 Best Moments in Game Of Thrones So Far&#8221; by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bagogames\/16632632814\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BagoGames<\/a>, Flickr.com (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Okay, so you might be wondering what a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LFC5Bzm9My4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tragic hero<\/a> is <i>exactly<\/i>. The name is a pretty good clue\u2014a hero or protagonist that is, in some way, tragic. But there\u2019s a lot more to it than that.<\/p>\n<p>A tragic hero is a character, usually the main character, who makes a mistake in judgment that ultimately leads to his or her undoing.<\/p>\n<p>Aristotle had a lot to say on the subject of tragic heroes, including certain characteristics their stories possess. Some of these characteristics include some scary-looking Greek words (thanks, Aristotle), but here\u2019s a basic breakdown of what they mean.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Hamartia<\/b>: The tragic flaw that leads to the hero\u2019s demise or downfall.<\/li>\n<li><b>Hubris<\/b>: When the hero disrespects the natural order because of his or her own pride.<\/li>\n<li><b>Peripeteia<\/b>: When the hero experiences a reversal of fate.<\/li>\n<li><b>Anagnorisis<\/b>: When the hero makes an important discovery.<\/li>\n<li><b>Nemesis<\/b>: An unavoidable situation the hero is in, typically related to hubris.<\/li>\n<li><b>Catharsis<\/b>: The pity, sadness, or fear the audience feels toward the hero after his or her downfall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The main two qualities about tragic heroes, though, is that they are just like you and me and that they suffer more than they deserve to.<\/p>\n<p>This is critical to the response writers want to evoke from readers. By making tragic heroes generally neutral on the moral scale, it makes them more relatable, which makes readers upset when they finally die or suffer some other tragic fate.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, they must suffer more than they should. This really gets the pity party going in the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, tragic heroes are undone by their <i>own<\/i> actions or flaws. They understand this by the end of the play or novel. What\u2019s more, they couldn\u2019t have helped what had happened because their flaw\u2014pride, love, etc.\u2014isn\u2019t something they could control.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Choose Your Own Tragic Hero Examples<\/h2>\n\t<div class=\"blog-cta-simple\">\n\t\t<div class=\"blog-cta-simple-cont\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"blog-cta-simple-header\">Stuck on Your Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"blog-cta-simple-desc\">Check out thousands of example essays.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"blog-cta-simple-input\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"blog-cta-simple-cont-btn\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-warning\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/blog-landing-essay\" target=\"_blank\">Yes! Show me examples.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019re feeling a little more sure about what a tragic hero is, it\u2019s time to start looking for tragic heroes&nbsp;in the literature you\u2019re reading.<\/p>\n<p>Probably the easiest place you\u2019re going to find a tragic hero (but maybe not the easiest to read about) are from William Shakespeare. He\u2019s kind of the king of tragic heroes.<\/p>\n<p>Pretty much any tragedy he wrote has one, and the tragic hero is typically a title character\u2014Romeo, King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth \u2026 the list goes on. (I\u2019ll give more details about a couple of these later.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4749\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4749\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4749 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4749 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare-300x300.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Shakespeare.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4749\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Template:PD-old-100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">{{PD-old-100}}<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But Shakespeare wasn\u2019t the first, last, or only author to use this type of character in literature. So how do you find tragic hero examples of your own?<\/p>\n<p>First, pick a tragedy. Now, it doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be <i>labeled<\/i> as a tragedy. You can choose from epic poems, young adult novels, and even children\u2019s books. The point is that something tragic happens to one of the characters. They don\u2019t have to die\u2014they just have to suffer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tm-tweet-clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tm-click-to-tweet\">\n<div class=\"tm-ctt-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=To+be+a+tragic+hero%2C+characters+don%E2%80%99t+have+to+die%E2%80%94they+just+have+to+suffer.&#038;via=kibin&#038;related=kibin&#038;url=https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/6-tragic-hero-examples-heroic-essay\/\" target=\"_blank\">To be a tragic hero, characters don\u2019t have to die\u2014they just have to suffer.<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=To+be+a+tragic+hero%2C+characters+don%E2%80%99t+have+to+die%E2%80%94they+just+have+to+suffer.&#038;via=kibin&#038;related=kibin&#038;url=https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/6-tragic-hero-examples-heroic-essay\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"tm-ctt-btn\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"tm-ctt-tip\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Secondly, as you are reading, pay attention to your connection to the character.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can you relate to him or her?<\/li>\n<li>Does he or she have human flaws?<\/li>\n<li>Do you feel bad about his or her downfall?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Answering yes to all of these questions is a pretty clear sign you have a tragic hero on your hands.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, think about the reason for the character\u2019s downfall. Even if it\u2019s technically by the hand of someone else, <i>if it can be traced back to the flaw of the hero<\/i>, it makes the situation tragic.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Uncle Ben from <i>Spiderman<\/i>, for example, is <i>not<\/i> a tragic hero. He died in a random act of violence, not because of any flaw he possessed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Cinna from <i>The Hunger Games<\/i>, on the other hand, was killed by the Capitol, but because of his own pride and rebellious nature. And all the readers felt awful about it. He\u2019s not a main character, but I\u2019d argue that he\u2019s a tragic hero.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>6 Tragic Hero Examples for a Heroic Essay<\/h2>\n<p>Want a little bit of help getting started? Here are a few tragic hero examples I was able to find. First, let\u2019s address two from the king of tragic heroes himself\u2014Mister Bill Shakespeare.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Hamlet from Shakespeare\u2019s <i>Hamlet<\/i><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4748\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4748\" style=\"width: 411px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4748 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"411\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet.jpg 411w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet-206x300.jpg 206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4748 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20411%20599%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"411\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20411%20599%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 411w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet.jpg 411w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet-206x300.jpg 206w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hamlet.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Template:PD-old-70\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">{{PD-old-70}}<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cliffsnotes.com\/literature\/h\/hamlet\/character-analysis\/hamlet-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Hamlet<\/b><\/a>\u2019s tragic flaw is his indecisiveness and obsession. He\u2019s a smart guy, but he gets stuck in his head a lot. How does his indecisiveness and obsession lead to his downfall?<\/p>\n<p>Well \u2026 he has to avenge the death of his father but doesn\u2019t act quickly. Instead, he remains indecisive about whether his uncle, Claudius, was the murderer.<\/p>\n<p>Even after he discovers his uncle killed his father, he can\u2019t decide on how to enact his revenge and obsesses over it. Because he wastes all of his time trying to decide what to do, his uncle is able to poison Hamlet\u2019s drink.<\/p>\n<p>Hamlet\u2019s mother drinks it by mistake and dies, after which Hamlet overcomes his flaw, kills Claudius, and promptly dies.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Romeo from Shakespeare\u2019s <em>Romeo and Juliet<\/em><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4746\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4746\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4746 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo-231x300.jpg 231w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4746 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20650%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20650%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo-231x300.jpg 231w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/romeo.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Leslie Howard as Romeo and Norma Shearer as Juliet&#8221; by <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Leslie_Howard_and_Norma_Shearer_as_Romeo_and_Juliet.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection<\/a>, Wikimedia Commons (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.teenink.com\/nonfiction\/academic\/article\/339488\/Tragic-Heroes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Romeo<\/b><\/a> is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/a-character-analysis-of-romeo-as-a-truly-tragic-hero-in-romeo-and-juliet-by-william-shakespeare-Mfhnxe3s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">undone<\/a> by his heads-over-heels, hyper-emotional love for Juliet. While love itself is not a tragic flaw, a love so fast and heavy <em>is<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Romeo\u2019s obsessive love is what causes him to kill himself at the thought of Juliet being dead (if he had held out another hour or two, he would\u2019ve been fine). And inadvertently, it\u2019s Romeo\u2019s suicide that causes Juliet\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>I could write a whole post about <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shakespearean_tragedy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shakespearean tragic heroes<\/a>, but how about tragic hero examples from some different authors?<\/p>\n<h3>3. Jay Gatsby from <i>The Great Gatsby<\/i> by F. Scott Fitzgerald<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4745\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4745\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4745\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby-300x173.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4745 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20289%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20289%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby-300x173.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/gatsby.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4745\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;The Great Gatsby&#8221; by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/evarinaldiphotography\/6314078319\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eva Rinaldi<\/a>, Flickr.com (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/the-great-gatsby-literary-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Jay Gatsby<\/b><\/a> is a tragic hero because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/an-analysis-of-jay-gatsby-as-a-tragic-hero-in-the-great-gatsby-gvOedfmO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he dies chasing an ideal<\/a> that will never come true.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Romeo, Gatsby is completely idealistic in his love for Daisy\u2014he\u2019ll do anything for her, but she wouldn\u2019t do the same for him. It\u2019s not her fault, though. Gatsby is so busy reaching for an ideal that he\u2019s never satisfied.<\/p>\n<p>He surrounds himself with money and parties even though he doesn\u2019t take any real pleasure from them. In fact, he says it\u2019s all for Daisy.<\/p>\n<p>When he finally gets the girl, he still isn\u2019t satisfied. But he takes the blame for Daisy hitting Myrtle with a car and gets shot because of it.<\/p>\n<p>Tragic.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Severus Snape from the <i>Harry Potter<\/i> Series by J.K. Rowling<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4747\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4747\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4747 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4747 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20355%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20355%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape-300x213.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/snape.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4747\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;The poison is served&#8221; by <a href=\"http:\/\/pelegrin-tn.deviantart.com\/art\/the-poison-is-served-513260318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pelegrin-tn<\/a>, Deviant Art (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY 3.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>Severus Snape<\/b>, I have to admit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/severus-snape-as-a-tragic-hero-in-the-harry-potter-series-by-jk-rowling-GGEQeXpX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is a tragic hero<\/a> according to many readers, but others might not think so. That\u2019s the point of your essay though, right? To prove a character is a tragic hero.<\/p>\n<p>So it doesn\u2019t matter if some people say Snape isn\u2019t, as long as you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-write-a-good-essay-commentary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">back your writing up with evidence<\/a> that he is.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Spoiler alert:<\/strong> If you aren\u2019t up to speed on this series, you might want to skip the next paragraph.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Snape\u2019s flaw is his undying love for Lily\u2014even after she\u2019s long gone. He watches after Harry even though he really doesn\u2019t like him and serves as a double agent for Dumbledore against Voldemort (who killed Lily).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s this last relationship that is his undoing.&nbsp;He dies trying to protect Lily\u2019s only son while working against her murderer.<\/p>\n<h3>5. <em>Peter Pan<\/em> by J.M. Barrie<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan-300x193.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4744 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20322%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"500\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20322%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan-300x193.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/peterpan.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.storyboardthat.com\/storyboards\/alixharri01\/the-tragic-hero--peter-pan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Peter Pan<\/b><\/a> as a Disney character is a happy-go-lucky kind of kid. But literarily speaking, he\u2019s a tragic hero. His flaw is his fear of growing up or getting old.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s because of this flaw that he ends up alone\u2014everyone grew up and moved on except for him. He forgets everything within a very short time, which, honestly, makes the whole story even sadder.<\/p>\n<h3>6.<em> The Giving Tree<\/em> by Shel Silverstein<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4743\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4743\" style=\"width: 384px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4743 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree.jpg\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"384\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree.jpg 384w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree-268x300.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4743 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20384%20430%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"tragic hero examples\" width=\"384\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20384%20430%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 384w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree.jpg 384w, https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree-268x300.jpg 268w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/tree.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;The giving tree&#8221; by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/teedle\/6621426081\/in\/photostream\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tasha<\/a>, Flickr.com (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>) \/ Image cropped<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>The Giving Tree<\/b> is maybe the first tragic hero example many of us ever read. The Tree\u2019s flaw is that it loves the boy more than itself. It gives and gives and gives different parts of itself over the years until there\u2019s nothing left but a stump in the ground.<\/p>\n<p>The Tree\u2019s love and giving nature literally whittles it down to almost nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Need some more inspiration, check out these tragic hero essay examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/willy-loman-as-the-tragic-hero-in-the-play-death-of-a-salesman-McQrzXXE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Willy Loman as the Tragic Hero in the Play, Death of a Salesman<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/describing-the-tragic-hero-in-the-epic-poem-paradise-lost-p4AZW0a1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Describing the Tragic Hero in the Epic Poem, Paradise Lost<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-examples\/the-tragic-hero-of-dick-diver-in-the-novel-tender-is-the-night-by-f-scott-fitzgerald-CEU5we3O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Tragic Hero of Dick Diver in the Novel Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Different Approaches You Can Take With Your Essay<\/h2>\n<p>There are lots of ways you can approach your essay, but before you get too creative, check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/essay-writing-blog\/essay-assignment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">assignment instructions<\/a> first. If your instructor wants you to write a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/write-5-paragraph-essay-outline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">five-paragraph essay<\/a>, that\u2019s what you need to do.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you have more creative leeway, try thinking outside the box a little bit.&nbsp;You could write an alternate history. Think and write about what would have happened if the character had overcome a&nbsp;tragic flaw sooner.<\/p>\n<p>Another option is writing your essay like a mock interview with the character explaining his or her&nbsp;actions, the reason for taking those actions, whether he or she&nbsp;would\u2019ve done anything differently.<\/p>\n<p>There are a number of different angles you could take with your essay, so use your imagination. If you&#8217;re having second thoughts about your approach, you can have the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-editing-proofreading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kibin editors<\/a> look it over. They\u2019ll make sure your essay doesn\u2019t end up as a tragedy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you ever get so connected to a character that it almost physically hurts when the character gets&nbsp;killed off? For me, it happens all the time when I watch Game of Thrones. You don\u2019t have to watch an HBO series to get this reaction\u2014characters in books can lead to the same feelings. Whether on screen &hellip; <\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/6-tragic-hero-examples-heroic-essay\/\" class=\"more-link btn btn-primary\"><b>Read more<\/b><span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;6 Tragic Hero Examples for a Heroic Essay&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":8248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[92,63],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>6 Tragic Hero Examples for a Heroic Essay<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have a tragic hero essay due? 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