Achilles Is The First Tragic Hero - 1918 Words

THESIS STATEMENT Euripides’ Achilles is seen as the first tragic hero because he has all the criteria of a tragic hero - high social position, undergoes reversal of fortune, and a tragic flaw - but he does not have a tragic downfall. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through critical essays, research, and reading The Iliad, it can be perceived that Achilles is the first tragic hero in dramatic history. INTRODUCTION Throughout The Iliad, it is debated whether Achilles is the tragic hero or Hector. Looking at the lifestyle of Achilles, it is clear that he is the prototype of the tragic hero. According to Ian Johnston, â€Å"This development is unique to [Achilles] in the poem and is close enough to what tragic heroes go through to enable us to say that he enters the realm of ‘tragic experience’† (Johnston). Achilles shatters the belief that Hector is not the first hero when the story told in Euripides’ The Iliad showed many more of the characteristics of the tragic hero in Achilles that we all know today. The criteria of the tragic hero aligns perfectly with Achilles since he has a tragic flaw, which is his intense and unquenchable rage, also he is in a high social position, because he is an invulnerable general and demi-god. He also experiences a reversal of fortune through his faults and crimes. He would be considered the perfect tragic hero if he only had a tragic downfall, which he does not since The Iliad ends at the funeral of Hector. AN UNCONTROLLABLE FLAW Achilles’ tragic flaw isShow MoreRelated Achilles: a Tragic Hero Essay example1166 Words   |  5 PagesAchilles as Tragic Hero In his classic work Poetics Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. 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