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Hamlet Tragic Hero Research Paper

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When you hear the word hero now a day you would think of superheroes like superman or batman. Though they are heros they are much different from heros 400 years ago. Even before that heroes were defined by four basic characteristics. Shakespeare used these characteristics to create his own heros for his plays. Even though Shakespeare used though characteristics as a model for his heros he did not stick to them rigidly. Not every character in his plays fit the model perfectly but had their similarity.
As for those four characteristics of being a classic tragic hero in the the roman and greek times they followed the following qualities. The first quality of the tragic hero is what makes them a hero. That means they have a great trait about them and it is why they are so good. The second trait is a warning of fate. At one point some greater being is going to tell them that something bad is going to happen to them. At that point our hero will say no or brush it off. Third is when that same trait that makes our hero so great is also what brings him down. Then each and every one of them dies at the end of their stories. Now let's look into two of Shakespeare's most popular heroes Othello and Hamlet to see how the stack up against each …show more content…

His is that he is a very trusting person. When he call Iago honest like “A man he is of honesty and trust” (Othello I.iii.280). This is just one example of Othello's trusting nature. But this is also where the issue is because Iago is not a trusting person. When he outright says “I am not what I am” (Othello I.i.66). Because he trust Iago this is what leads to his downfall. Letting Iago's lies creep into his mind and consume him. The entire time Iago just twisting Othello’s mind to the breaking point. This is the exact type of trait that makes was in the old roman and greek stories that starts off good but end really badly. But Othello like Hamlet is not a perfect

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