In the land of fame, it is almost expected of you and your career to come to an abrupt end with much drama. Sadly, Amy Winehouse was no exception. As the outstanding musician she was, she was destined to face tragedy. As a woman who possessed traits that included pleasing others, helping others, facing enemies and allies, and then facing a tragedy, she now can, sadly, be considered as a modern tragic hero. A tragic hero is described exactly how it sounds, a person who has done something great like a hero, but also something tragic. A tragic hero may retain traits such as a know-it-all personality, an attitude that is unfit for the world which is changing around her, or even plain arrogance. In today’s world, a modern tragic hero’s tragedy …show more content…
Winehouse was a gorgeous and very talented musician of the early 2000s. She grew up in a normal household with a cab driver father and a pharmacist mother. The fame started when a friend submitted her tape to a record company. Amy was always a bit troubled, for example, she was expelled from her school, Sylvia Young Theatre School, for not applying herself and for piercing her nose at the age of sixteen. She had always been exposed to jazz music, from her family being involved in the industry as well. She started liking rap on her own in her childhood years; therefore her music is a mix of the two. (“Amy Winehouse Biography” Para 2-3).
As her career began to grow after her debut album, Frank, she often showed up to social events drunk and even drugged. During this time, she was in a very unstable relationship that involved drugs, alcohol, and abuse. By 2006, Winehouse was in desperate need of Rehab and help, but instead she wrote a hit about it. To only worsen her situation, the abusive couple got married in 2007. Blake, her now husband, was arrested for bribing a bartender of which he assaulted, and Amy was later arrested for supposedly interfering with his case. (“Amy Winehouse Biography” para
She isn’t the same innocent girl as she used to be. The quotes on page 96 and 129 show that she isn’t innocent anymore.“How long did I stand there listening? Hearing the small sounds, then a sudden gasp, and the needle scratching as the record went round and round, and I couldn’t breathe, my body rigid, my lungs burning, and at the moment of panic, heart thudding, my breath returned, and I listened and heard nothing now.”(96) “All I said to my parents was that I didn’t want to live in Frenchtown anymore.” (129) These quotes reveal how sad and broken someone can be after something
Her rise to fame and privileged life also identify her as a tragic hero, the famous family that she was surrounded with helped her to develop her love for music and aided the jumpstart of her career. Finally, Whitney had personal and decisive flaws, including a lack of self esteem concerning her personal character and a poor spouse choice, which ultimately lead Whitney to experience a downfall that included alcoholism, drug abuse, and, eventually, death. America was left void of their hero, once a mere young girl with stunning talent, beauty, and
Talented singer Amy Winehouse is seen here casually strolling the streets in North London. She died just one week later in July of 2011.
The Sociocultural Perspective explains Britney Spears’s case because she grew up in a bad home environment. Spears grew up with an alcoholic and verbally abusive father (Surge, 2016). This event led to her picking up the same bad habits of her father, and become an alcoholic. Instead of the rage, she just lost herself. It is hard to imagine being in that position. Everyone’s eyes always on everyone else’s, their every move being monitored, making sure they do not say anything irreversible. Due to her manager, the paparazzi were always around her. At the time, her manager would leak her location to the paparazzi, knowing that she was having a
There has been a lot of discussion about what truly defines a tragic hero. If we take a look at the work of well known Philosopher Aristotle, he clearly defined what is needed for a character to be considered a tragic hero. He pointed out 5 specific traits that the person must have to fit the role. They must have skewed judgement, which normally puts them in the position that they are facing. The character must have a realization during the story, there should be an event where they find out that their immoral ways have led them down a path of destruction. They should figure out their wrong doings on their own by taking the time to reflect upon themselves and understand the mistakes they have been making in life, and how to correct them. The person should be filled with pride, as if no one can touch
She battled death and fame at the same time and is dealing with the repercussions 20
Whitney Houston is a superstar. She works with a lot of people who struggle with additive behaviors. This social exposure has been difficult for her to handle. From media reports, Ms. Houston appears to be very stressed over family matters. She reports that she had a tumultuous marriage; suffering through many years of infidelity and public scandals in addition to the drug and alcohol arrests of her husband. Additionally, Whitney has been embroiled in another legal battle with her father for failure to settle a $100 million debt she owed his company (Whitney Houston, 2011).
It is said that this hard lifestyle began to affect her work. Her songs were no longer filled with youthful emotions, but a sort of bitter regret. Even with the change in her music still had a great impact on other artists of her time and later. (www.numberonestars.com, 2010)
By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise.
According to Aristotle, “A tragic hero is a character who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice and depravity, but by some error or frailty…” The classic tragic hero has some type of tragic character flaw which creates an inner struggle, leads to his making a serious error in judgment, and leads to his eventual downfall and death.
I have selected Britney Spears as my subject for the reason that I realize that she has been through so much in her life and has a tendency to convey her emotions radically and live life on the edge most of the times. Moreover, I find it simply fascinating to scrutinize Britney Spears’ personality by means of the Psychoanalysis so as to offer deeper comprehension in investigating her personality. Even though this process of personality analysis is hardly ever employed today due to a deficiency of empirical verification and a disappointment to deal with any adulthood impact on personality, the approach’s stress on childhood development is a long way from without foundation. It permits for a fascinating and vibrant examination of
In order for a character to qualify as the tragic hero they must posses all of these qualities: high standing, a major flaw, and a downfall. A tragic hero is someone that is usually of royalty, of nobility, honest, or brave. During the story they usually show a major flaw or weakness. This usually leads to their downfall, loss of power, or even death. Many stories have tragic heroes.
A tragic hero can be described as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is
A Tragic Hero is a common figure in many of Shakespeare’s works. A Tragic Hero is usually a figure of royalty, fame or greatness. This person is predominately good, but falls from prominence due to personality flaws that eventually lead to self-destruction.
If an individual wants to be in the entertainment industry, one must know who they are and to develop a tough exterior, in order to overcome adversity and negativity. It is evident that Whitney was a people-pleaser and if she did not please everybody, then it would take a toll on her and as a result, provided her with a lot of distress and pain. For this reason, possibly drew her into a realm of drugs and chaos.