Hamartia in Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman - 834 Words

Hamartia in Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman Hamartia is defined as a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. Aristotle defines a tragic hero to be a man â€Å"who is not completely good and just, whose misfortune is brought out not by vice or immorality, but by some error or weakness.† The three key requirements of Aristotle in regards to a tragic hero are; a high social standing, goodness or moral excellence, or error committed by the hero in unawareness or ignorance. Two quality examples of men that portray Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero, and who also fit the three main requirements are Oedipus Rex and Willy Loman. Oedipus Rex clearly and without a doubt answers to each of the three requirements laid out by Aristotle is regards to a tragic hero. He is a man of social reputation, and possesses exceptional qualities, but is in no means perfect. It is safe to say that Oedipus’ hamartia is the cause of his own downfall. Willy Loman on the other hand is also considered to be a tragic hero. Like Oedipus, Willy goes through his life, for the most part, blindly, and never really realizes the complete truth of himself. Through his delusional personality, and his continual blindness, Willy’s hamartia is also the main cause of his downfall, where in his case, leads to his death. Through further analysis of both Oedipus Rex and Willy Loman’s tragic flaws, along with literary criticism from Aristotle’s poetics, their hamartia, which ultimately leads them to theirShow MoreRelatedThe Hamartia of Blindness in Death of a Salesman and Oedipus Rex1048 Words   |  4 PagesThe Hamartia of Blindness in Death of a Salesman and Oedipus Rex â€Å"Tragedy is an imitation not of men but of a life, an action†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Aristotle). Tragedy is not about learning of certain characters, but rather learning about life itself. The inability to confront reality is a matter that takes place both in everyday life and in both plays. Despite the differences in both plays, Death of a Salesman and Oedipus Rex, the theme of being unable to confront reality is revealed through the protagonists’ sharedRead MoreIn Death of a Salesman and Oedipus Rex, pride plays an integral part to the development of the1300 Words   |  6 PagesIn Death of a Salesman and Oedipus Rex, pride plays an integral part to the development of the plot. In each play, the hamartia for both Willy and Oedipus is pride, along with other minor things. Willy’s and Oedipus’ sense of self-worth seems to come from their pride, however misguided it may seem. Pride is the hamarita which connects Willy and Oedipus, in which case pride causes them to live in their past and prevents them from seeing the present, resulting in their tragic ending. For Oedipus, prideRead MoreEssay Death of a Salesman, Tragic Hero. Willy Loman.1503 Words   |  7 PagesTo what extent can Willy Loman be considered a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s rules? Arthur Miller presents his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ in the ancient form of a tragedy. Aristotle has defined his idea of the ‘perfect’ tragedy in his text, ‘Poetics’ (350 BC).Here he suggests that the protagonist must fall from an elevated social standing as a result of a â€Å"fatal flaw† within the character; the fall from the main character creates resolution to the play which is seen as just; finally, AristotleRead MoreSophocles Oedipus Rex as Modern Tragedy Essay examples1184 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus Rex and Tragedy Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is, in short, the story of a man who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother. It certainly sounds like a tragedy, doesn’t it? But the classification and definition of ‘tragedy’ are one of the many things widely disputed in the realm of literary studies. So, for the purposes here we’ll use Aristotle’s five criteria of a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw or mistake, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsisRead More Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesWilly Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman       Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern tragic hero. This essay will support this thesis by drawing on examples from Medea by Euripedes, Poetics by Aristotle, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and Shakespeares Julius Caesar, while comments by Moss, Gordon, and Nourse reinforce the thesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classicRead Moreâ€Å"Aristotle’s Definition of the Tragic Hero and Irony in Tragedy† Oedipus Rex, Othello, and Death of a Salesman3217 Words   |  13 Pagesmisfortune due to some flaw of character or failure to find/some deviation from the moral and righteous path, which is referred to as the hamartia. (Myers) However, he cannot be of paramount virtue or righteousness for this would objectify him, in turn isolating him from human perceptivity and compassion though he must be of high or noble character. The hamartia at some point must be realized by the character and this experience is known as an anagnorisis; it is to be noted that the relationship betweenRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus Rex, And Willie Loman1204 Words   |  5 Pagesunderstand. Were there to be a completely virtuous hero with no flaws, no hamartia, as Aristotle describes it, there would be no sense of catharsis or enjoyment at watching horrible events afflict this perfect person. Conversely, if the individual was fraught with flaws, vices, and moral depravity, it would not be a tragedy; it would simply have been seen as his getting what was coming to him, karma, if you will. Although Oedipus, Othello, and Willie Loman can all be said to fall within Aristotle’sRead MoreTragedy Will Never Be The Same3193 Words   |  13 Pageswomen to the cast comes the addition of more vocal participation. Female characters in the play no longer have to rely on just expression to give off the mood that is supposed to be felt. Lastly, time can be manipulated in modern tragedies. In Death of a Salesman (which we will talk about later) the tragic hero constantly has flashbacks, which would be unavailable in Ancient Tragedies. This is usually done by the lights going black and any sound being cut showing a transition is taking place. Plot in