Discuss the
essential qualities of a tragic character with special emphasis on Hamartia.
“So far attention has been
paid to the final aim, to the medium and spirit of tragedy, there remains the
question of that which is commonly the means by which the dramatist expresses
both aim and spirit-the tragic hero” (Nicoll)
This piecemeal quotation directs
our attention to the importance of the tragic hero in tragedy. The hero is the
central figure in tragedy. All action emerges from and converges towards him.
In both Classical and Non- Classical tragedy, all other characters take their
cue from him and he is the sole target of the villain. In chapter xiii of The
Poetics, Aristotle, while speaking of the tragic action sets down his own
conception of a tragic character. A tragic hero of the Aristotelian description
is a man who “enjoys prosperity and renown, but he is found involved in misfortune and suffering out of some great flaw in his
character or a fatal error in his judgment, action or conduct” (chapter xiii)
Now let us discuss the qualities
that would go to make an ideal tragic hero for Aristotle:
The tragic hero must neither be
too good nor be too bad, for there he would not raise pity and fear. He must be
a good man, better than the average marked by some fatal flaw (Hamartia).
A tragic character must belong to
some high or royal estate. He must be a person of high degree or of public
importance, enjoying great esteem from his fellowmen. Oedipus is a king, and so
is Agamemnon. Shakespeare’s tragic heroes are kings or princes or important
leaders or generals.
By his position in the play, a
tragic hero necessarily towers head and shoulders above the other characters.
What he does, he does greatly. He is not the average man, but the unique man
who is above average, such as the heroes of Marlowe.
