Tragic Hero – Tragic heroes are a prominent feature of many classic tragic dramas. Tragic heroes are typically seen as “good” characters who experience a dramatic downfall because of a character flaw or a mistake in their judgment. Tragic heroes tend to be more relatable than villains, and have been known to elicit feelings of pity from audiences. Tragic heroes are also often kings or queens, as their deaths generally serve to elevate the characters surrounding them. Tragic endings tend to be far more common in tragedies than they are in comedies. Tragic heroes appear frequently in many classic tragic dramas.
Tragic heroes typically experience a fall from grace because of a character flaw or bad decision that leads to their demise. Tragic heroes tend to be relatable and may elicit feelings of pity from audiences. Tragic heroes can either be male or female, but most involve royalty since their death is often meant to elevate the other characters around them. Tragically told stories are far more prevalent in tragedy than comedy. Beowulf, by William Langland, tells the tale of a hero who travels to Denmark in an attempt to slay three supernatural creatures, including Grendel.
The poem’s conclusion is Tragic, as Beowulf dies after fighting these superhuman forces. Tragic heroes are often seen as “good” characters, but they either make horrible mistakes or have enormous character flaws that lead to their downfall. This downfall usually has negative effects on other characters, which adds to the Tragedy of the Tragic Hero. Tragic heroes tend to elicit feelings of pity from audiences because their demise is not necessarily deserved. Tragic heroes are extremely common in classic tragic dramas and stories, such as William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet.
These stories all contain Tragic Heroes who die after making grave mistakes. Tragic heroes often involve royalty, as their death has far-reaching consequences for the other characters involved. Tragic past stories are more prevalent in tragedy than comedy. Tragic heroes can be easily identified by their fatal flaws and tendency to elicit feelings of pity from audiences. Tragic heroes also typically come from a Tragic Past , which contributes to their downfall in the present day. Tragically told stories are most common in tragedies, although tragic heroes may appear in comedies as well.
Beowulf even tells Hrothgar that he would have killed Grendel with his bare hands if it were not for the weapons that were given to him. He says, “I did not desire these swords of old / in my youth, when I was tough and strong” (lines 667-668). By bragging about himself this way Beowulf is displaying great pride. This same pride leads Beowulf to engage in several battles beyond his strength. To kill Grendel’s mother, Beowulf swims to the bottom of the lake after she drags him down there. At this time he should have known better than to go into an area where his enemy was much more powerful than him without any help because of all the boasting he did about himself.
In his fight with Grendel he should have known better than to challenge someone who was half man and half beast, but Beowulfs pride made him do it anyway. When Beowulf is killed by the dragon, his excessive pride leads him to face the dragon alone. He does not think he needs any help because of all the boasting he has done throughout the epic about how powerful and great a warrior and leader he is.
Another reason why Beowulfs over-confidence in himself leads to his demise is that every time Beowulf fights an enemy with great strength or size, such as Grendel’s mother and the dragon, he goes into battle without having any sort of back up plan just in case he is killed. This gets him into trouble every time, and Beowulf always dies in the end because of it. The third reason why Beowulfs excessive pride leads to his death is that when Beowulf sees a dragon in a dream he recognizes the dragon as a sign from God and thinks if he kills it, which would be an impossible task to accomplish, then God will reward him with eternal life.
In this excerpt from line 799-836, when King Hrothgar talks about how great Beowulf was in battle, Beowulf starts bragging about himself again. In these lines Hrothgars comments about Beowulf start at line 810: “‘. . . You were dear / to all these people and they’ll remember you / forever, your fame will never fade'”.
In this excerpt from line 1005-1047 Beowulf is talking to Wiglaf about how great he is in battle. In these lines Wiglaf’s comments start at line 1019: “‘. . . Now this [dragon] destroyed the mighty lord / who once with wise courage slaked his rage!'”.
One of the traditional elements of a tragedy that Beowulf displays is a tragic flaw. Tragic flaws in the literature typically lead to some type of downfall or bad events in a person’s life that eventually leads the character to his death. Tragic heroes often have an obsessive goal, such as revenge for something they cannot change even if it kills them, or they have a character trait that is ultimately their downfall. Tragic heroes always die in tragedies. Beowulf’s tragic flaw is his excessive pride, which throughout the epic leads him to do dangerous things and face dangerous enemies alone when he should not be alone at all. Tragic heroes often display some sort of hubris, or arrogance about themselves.
In Beowulf this happens every time he boasts about himself to one person or another, even boasting in front of Grendel’s mother after she had already devoured one of his men. Tragic heroes also tend to see themselves as invincible and untouchable because of how great they are, but these types of personalities cause the to make mistakes that lead up to their death. Beowulf always sees himself as invincible and untouchable because of how great he is, which leads to his tragic downfall.
Tragic heroes are also often very prideful people who are not willing to ask for help when they need it, or accept that there are things they cannot do on their own. Tragic heroes character development starts out strong but eventually begins to erode over time due to the protagonist’s flaw(s). Tragically, Beowulfs character development starts off strong in the beginning of the epic, but slowly begins to wear down throughout the rest of the poem leading up to his downfall at the end.
“I have heard your speeches about this man / you so well — how he was an excellent king, / brave and honorable. He broke the ranks of giants . . .” -Hrothgar
“The prince was dear to his people in every way, / generous in giving gifts. And so he flourished in fame!”- Hrothgar
“He alone achieved in each adventure / what no one else could do in battle– / overcoming all with courage.” -Wiglaf
“So may God give you your reward for all your work! / I have heard about your great bravery.” – Beowulf
“[For] a man’s worth is measured by his mind, not money or gold. / It must be clear that a man has a generous heart.” – Wiglaf