Tragic Hero

The book, The Great Gatsby, is a historical fiction novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald which was published on April 10, 1925. This novel was set right after World War I and this period of time was called the Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age, a time filled with dramatic social and political change. The 1920s was a time where women gained more rights, Americans had more money, and people were freer to do the things they wanted to do. This novel is set in the year of 1922 and it is about a poor man, Gatsby, who falls in love with rich girl, Daisy, and then spends the rest of his life trying to get rich to impress her, but no matter how rich he became or how many lavish parties he had thrown, he was unfortunately never good enough for her. He then later he dies utterly alone, having almost no one to care to for him. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the Greek tragic cycle to show that Gatsby represents a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the stages of the tragic cycle are ate, nemesis, anagoreasis, and peripeteia. Gatsby came up with some tragic realizations, unfortunately, he realized these anagnorisis,tragic realizations, too late and ended up getting punished and this made him a tragic hero instead of an epic one. Fitzgerald uses nemesis and anagnorisis to show that Gatsby was a tragic hero. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby experiences nemesis many times towards the end of the book. Nemesis is a punishment that a person cannot avoid, and it usually occurs as a result of his/her arrogance. According to Aristotle, nemesis causes the hero’s downfall which in this case is Gatsby’s death. Gatsby really felt the punishment on that long hot summer day when everyone decided to go to the city, so everyone goes to the city and they ended in some New York hotel. And at this point Tom found out about Daisy’s affair with Gatsby, so he decides to show Daisy the real Gatsby. At first, Gatsby didn’t care that Tom was trying to expose him because he was too focused on getting Daisy to confess her love for him to Tom. But then when the tensions were raised in the room and Gatsby told Tom that Daisy only loved him, Gatsby. Daisy said with perceptible reluctance, I never loved him. … Not at Kapiolani? demanded Tom suddenly. No…. Not that day I carried you down from the Punch Bowl to keep your shoe dry? There was a husky tenderness in his tone Daisy? Gatsby was so desperate for Daisy’s love that he even tried to make her confess her love to Tom.

He was taking extreme measures to confirm that Daisy wanted him and not Tom. Jay Gatsby felt superior to Tom because he truly believed that the girl was his and not Tom’s, but when Daisy said that she never really loved Tom; Gatsby felt that he was even more greater than god. He really shouldn’t have done this because his nemesis came right afterward. Fitzgerald used this quote to teach the reader how quickly nemesis could take over your life because right after Daisy said that she never liked Tom and while Gatsby was having his few seconds of victory; Daisy cried to Gatsby, Oh, you want too much! … I love you now isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past. She began to sob helplessly. “I did love him once but I loved you too.” Gatsby’s eyes opened and closed . You loved me too?” he repeated.” When Daisy said this to Gatsby, his dream shattered. The situation had completely turned around and the opposite of what he anticipated had just occurred. Now what used to seem to be in Gatsby’s command was no longer in his control. Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship was really one sided because on one hand Gatsby was utterly obsessed with Daisy and has been for the past five years, while on the other hand Daisy seemed unsure of who she loved until the very end and she had moved on with her life after she met Gatsby five years earlier. Gatsby waited for Daisy fora long time, but because he was living in the past and only thinking about how he had good times then, he ruined his future by losing the past five years of his life doing nothing but trying to get Daisy back. After Daisy claimed that she supposedly loved both Tom and Gatsby, Tom continued to confront Gatsby and he then revealed that Gatsby was doing some illegal stuff, which gave Daisy a reason to not choose Gatsby and choose Tom instead. Chaos arose and Daisy was sick of the yelling so she said, “Please, Tom! I can’t stand this anymore.”

When Gatsby arrived at the hotel, he was so confident that Daisy would chose him over Tom and that things would go back to the way they were a few years back when they first met. But, now it was like his confidence had been stomped on and the power he used to have had now all gone to Tom. Gatsby made a mistake of trying to put back things that don’t belong there anymore; and unfortunately he never learned from his mistake, even after all the warnings that he received. The biggest punishment the Gatsby could have ever received was Daisy admitting to liking Gatsby and then choosing Tom in the end. Fitzgerald uses nemesis to show that Kosmos was punishing Gatsby due to his arrogance of living in the past One way that Fitzgerald showed that Gatsby was a tragic hero was by making the character have anagnorisis. In the beginning of the story when Nick first met Gatsby, Gatsby asked Jordan to tell Nick the love story between Gatsby and Daisy the occurred five years before and ask him if could arrange a sort of reunion between the two of them. Nick happily agrees to help. When Daisy does show up, Gatsby ends up knocking over Nick’s mantle clock, but luckily, “the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at the the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers and set it back in place. Then he sat down, rigidly, his elbow on the arm of the sofa and his chin in his hand.” This clock represents time lost with Daisy and Gatsby’s attempt to making the time up with her. The clock also is trying to tell us that time will be lost if you try to make up for the time that you lost with someone. No matter how much you try the things that used to be in your life will have moved on and the only way that you will be able to be happy is if you move on too and accept the way that things are right now. Gatsby didn’t learn this lesson fast enough because he spent a chunk of his life trying to get back someone that he never really had. Another example of anagnorisis was later on in the day when Gatsby invites Nick and Daisy over to his house where Daisy points out that her house is right across the bay from Gatsby’s. Gatsby then talks about the green light on Daisy’s dock and how it meant something to him, but“now it was again a green light on a dock. And his count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.”

The disappearance of the meaning of the green light gives of a very sad mood. Gatsby was so used to thinking that he was so close to Daisy, that when he was finally with Daisy it was hard to let go of the concept of the green light. The green light represented all that he had once had and all that he will soon have again. Gatsby’s tragic realization was that he had dreaming about being with daisy for so long that he had totally forgotten how she actually was because in his dream he pictured everything about her to be perfect and enchanted but really in real life she was a self absorbed person that never really cared what happened to other people. Another example of anagnorisis was when Nick told Gatsby that he, “ought to go away”. Gatsby knew on the inside that he should go but he still stayed because he still had a little hope that Daisy would call him and they would run away together. If he hadn’t done this maybe he could have ended up as epic hero instead of a tragic one. Fitzgerald used nemesis and anagnorisis show that Gatsby was a tragic hero. The author was trying to tell the reader not to get stuck in the past and to live in the future to be successful. Tis idea matters because it is idea that has been there for a long time and many people that the idea is very true.

In my essay I am going to be writing about who is responsible for the downfall of Macbeth and how far does he fit the role of a tragic hero. During the play we see how Macbeth’s attitude changes. For example, at the beginning of the play, when he meets the witches, it is the witches want to meet him, “There to meet with Macbeth,” When he first meets them he talks in mannered voice. However after he becomes a king, he goes back to meet the witches and he is more demanding. In my opinion, there are many people responsible for , Lady Macbeth, the witches and Macbeth himself. I am going to be discussing how they individually responsible and how they contribute to his downfall. For the second part of my essay I have been asked to discuss how far he fits the role of a tragic hero.

A tragic hero is the main character who at the beginning is good, brave and noble but who changes because of a fatal flaw. A fatal flaw is a kind of mistake that is very dangerous. It could lead to lots of people suffering. I think Macbeth does fit the role of a tragic hero. He was born of Noble blood. At the begging he is a brave man, known as a noble man, and would do anything for his country and his king. “For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name,” This tells us that people at the beginning people thought that he was brave.

However, at the end becomes bad and kills the king, his friend Banquo and Macduff’s family. The fatal flow of Macbeth is his ambition and desire. His ambition and desire made his country and himself suffer. “My way of life is fallen into the sere.” This shows that he has realized his mistake, which is another thing related to the title ‘tragic hero’. At the end the tragic hero realizes their mistake. In my essay I will be discussing who is responsible for his downfall which leads him to become a tragic hero.

Macbeth was based in the 16th century. Supernatural belief during the 16th Century was a huge part of the resulting deaths of thousands of innocent people. Many years ago, people couldn’t find any evidence to what caused the natural things like lightning in the sky, rain, birth and death. Because of this, they believed that natural things were controlled by the witches. They believed that witches can do various things, for example, they can control the weather, they can predict the future, they could fly, they could swim and also mostly they were women. Some women were put in the witch test. They would drop somebody in the water and if they can swim, they were witch and they would be punished to death. If they can’t swim, they would drown and die.

In my opinion, the first people who could be held responsible for Macbeth’s downfall are the witches. At first Macbeth was a noble and a loyal man who would never even think about killing his king. However, the witches gave him the idea of becoming king. They prophesied his future. The prophecies were:

1 WITCH: “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”

2 WITCH: “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”

3 WITCH: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!”

These prophecies were saying that he is the Thane of Glamis; he will become the Thane of Cawdor and would eventually become the king. At first Macbeth didn’t believe in them. However, as soon he found out that he was the Thane of Cawdor, “He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor.” He started to think about the prophecies again. “This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion?” On the other hand, the witches never told him to kill the king. They never told him he had to do anything. He could become the king like he became the Thane of Cawdor. In my opinion, we cannot really say they are entirely responsible for his downfall. God gave free will so he could have chosen not to listen to the witches.

I think Macbeth could have ignored the witches’ prophecies like Banquo. Banquo was also given prophecies. The prophecies for Banquo were:

FIRST WITCH: “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.”

SECOND WITCH: “Not so happy, yet much happier.”

THIRD WITCH: “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.”

Macbeth went on to not only kill the king; he also killed his friend Banquo and Macduff’s family. He did this because he thought that Banquo’s children would become the king and that the witches had placed a “barren sceptre” in his hand. So he tried killing Banquo’s son but was failed to kill him. He wanted his children to become the king after him.

Also the witches were involved in giving him the idea of killing Macduff’s family. After he became the king of Scotland, he went back to the witches to find out more. They gave him three more prophecies, these prophecies were given by the witches’ master, and they were:

FIRST APPARITION: “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware

Macduff; Beware the Thane of Fife.”

SECOND APPARITION: “Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for no one given birth to by a woman shall harm Macbeth.”

THIRD APPARITION: “Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.”

After hearing these prophecies, Macbeth felt invincible. He thought everyone is born of women so why should he be scared of Macduff, “Then live, Macduff. What need I fear of thee?” He also, after hearing the third prophecy, said “That will never be. Who can impress the forest, bid the tree unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements, good! Rebellion’s head, rise never, till the Wood of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth.” These prophecies led him to kill innocent people, the Macduff’s family.

I also think that Lady Macbeth can also be held responsible for her husband’s downfall. The witches gave Macbeth the idea of becoming the king but Lady Macbeth persuaded him to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth urged her husband to commit murder and it was this action that led to Macbeth’s downfall but she did not know that he would go on to kill again and again. Nevertheless, she was just responsible for the murder of King Duncan but after he decided to kill more people, like Banquo and even Macduff to hide his sins.

After Lady Macbeth receives the letter about how one of the prophecies from the witches came true, she calls upon the evil spirits. “Fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty.” She knows that Macbeth is a good person and he would not kill Duncan, “Yet do I fear thy nature: it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” In Shakespeare’s time women weren’t treated equal as men. She would’ve have had more powers because if Macbeth becomes the King, then she can become the queen. Macbeth, on the other hand, does not like the idea at first of having to kill his king to take his position. He gives lots of reason to not to kill the king, “First as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself.”

He also says that Duncan has been a good king. “…Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will please like angels.” Lady Macbeth becomes aware of her husband’s weakness, and persuades him, allowing his ambitions get the better of him, and believed that it was her responsibility to guide Macbeth to being king. She accuses him of being coward and not a man. “And live a coward in thine own esteem,” here she says that is she living with a coward. Also she says what she would do if she promised something, “How tender ‘t is to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I sworn as you have done to this.” This shows that she would have done anything she promised, although she is a woman, so he should do as he has promised to be a man.

Macbeth tries to make Lady Macbeth understand the possible consequences for killing the king. He always tries to back down, “We will proceed no further in this business: he hath honoured me of late; and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people,” but she is always calling him coward and says he is not a man. He is scared if somebody finds out. He is ready to take on the consequences of the hereafter but he is afraid of the consequences of this life. “But, in these cases, we still have judgement here,” this confirms that he knows he is going to get punished on earth, which he is scared of.

The final thing that is responsible for Macbeth’s downfall is Macbeth’s ambition. Macbeth could not control his urges to be King. He followed his ambitions without regard to humanity or the affects his actions would have on the people around him. He carried on and listened to his wife and the witches. Macbeth had a choice but he picked the bad choice and chose to kill the king and then later decided himself to kill again and again. “I have done this deed.” Lady Macbeth only manipulated him to kill the king, but the decisions to kill and Banquo and the Macduff family were his own.

He decided to kill these people listening to the prophecies of the witches. He killed Banquo, and tried to kill Banquo’s son, because he didn’t want Banquo’s children to be the king. He decided to kill Macduff because of the prophecies that were given by the witches the second time. Evidence that shows that he wanted to become the king is he wrote the letter to his wife. He wanted support from his wife. He should not have written the letter to his wife and not let her know about the prophecies. He chose to let her know and chose to let her persuade him to kill King Duncan. Writing the letter to his wife informing her about the witches and their prophecies shows that becoming king was initially in his mind. Macbeth was not weak but his ambitions made him morally weak.

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was described as a brave warrior who was loyal to his king. The king also liked him, “And, when he reads thy personal venture in the rebels’ fight, his wonders and his praises do contend,” but like any other person, he had his fatal flaw. His fatal flaw was he had ambitions “vaulting ambition”.

In conclusion I think that it was the witches and Lady Macbeth who are responsible for the start of his downfall. If the witches had not given him the idea of becoming a king then he probably would not have thought about becoming the king. If Lady Macbeth had not influenced him, then he probably would have stopped. However, Macbeth did listen to the witches and Lady Macbeth. Then he is the one who is actually responsible for his downfall. He is the one made the final decision and he is the one who led him self into the role of tragic hero. He made himself suffer, “My way of life is fallen into the sere.”

Let it be known that Hamlet spent every single act of Hamlet, give or take a few scenes, attempting to justify a reason to follow through with killing his uncle. He suffered through a brutal, miserable, and more-than-slightly ridiculous period of time where his indecision tirelessly tore him to emotional shreds. Throughout the play, Hamlet’s actions (and inaction) were dictated by intense opposing factors of the id, ego, and superego factors of the mental human psyche. Hamlet’s id reflected his burning desire for a sexual relationship with his mother, the ego was characterised by the grueling lengthy time period Hamlet spent trying to finalize his decision, and the superego was defined by a constant ongoing battle between the ghost of King Hamlet giving Hamlet directions on what to do and Hamlet’s own person conflicts with procuring the death of his Uncle Claudius.

Hamlet Feels Things

In Freudian psychology, the id is the impulsive part of human psyche that consists of all biological personality traits; also known as “it.” It can be referred to as “the pleasure principle,” the idea that every impulse should be satisfied immediately. It instinctively decides what a being truly wants and is strongest in a person when they are an infant, and seek attention at their every basic need. As it is not affected by reality or consequences, it must be greatly repressed to keep a being from making mistakes (McLeod). In context of Hamlet, Hamlet’s id is his unresolved, tauntingly conflicting feelings for his mother, Gertrude. This Oedipus Complex allows for the physical representations of Hamlet’s id, which thus intensifies his already burning desires for a sexual relationship with Gertrude as Hamlet has a palpable release for his urges (Chiu).

Her character causes further conflict as she seems to consciously provoke excessive anger and passion from Hamlet, most evidently as she so quickly angers Hamlet from her “incestuous deeds” in Act 3, Scene 4 (and because of this, shows how she herself is affected by the Oedipus Complex and retaliates the feelings that her son has for her). Gertrude is the focus of the anger and passions of not only Hamlet, but the two other main male characters in the play as well — Hamlet’s father and his brother, Claudius. Her strong physical and sexual appetites are brought to life in popular film representations of Hamlet, specifically Laurence Olivier’s version. In his portrayal of the closet scene, Hamlet furiously throws Gertrude on to her large, central canopied bed and continues of to verbally assault her while having her in an uncomfortably close embrace all the while.

G: Have you forgot me?
H: No, by the rood not so. You are the queen, your husband’s brother’s wife, and (would it were not so) you are my mother. G: Nay, then I’ll set those to you that can speak.
H: Come, come, and sit you down; you shall not budge.
You go not till I set you up a glass
Where you may see the (inmost) part of you. (III. 4. 18-25)

Olivier’s film, as others similar to it, portray a deceitful woman that uses her sexuality to arouse strong responses and powerful reaction in men, as well as to obtain an advantage over them. This gives readers and audiences a clearer view of Gertrude’s character and allow a view of what affects Hamlet’s emotions. (Smith)

Claudius himself also physically represents Hamlet’s id. As Claudius is the man that so rapidly replaced King Hamlet, Hamlet is able to direct negative, murderous thoughts towards him without repression. Hamlet wants to and is even directed to take Claudius’ life, and Hamlet’s grief over his father pushes him to do so. (Tuohy)

Hamlet is Conflicted, As Always

The ego is the sector of the human psyche that develops to mediate conflict between the unrealistic id and conflicting superego. In contrast to the how the id works through impulse and desire, the ego operates by the “reality principle,” finding ways to realistically attain the wishes of the id. This, however, often leads to delayed satisfaction. “The id is the horse and the ego is the rider,” compared Freud in one of his researches. The submissive ego is often dominated by the controlling id, constantly attempting to meet the needs of the id while taking reality into account. (McLeod)

The ego in Hamlet is simply his indecision and the immense amount of time it takes him to make his decision. Hamlet frequently plays a mental mind game with himself, trying to justify finally killing his uncle but always finding a reason to put it off. Hamlet’s task is only to kill Claudius, but that also means killing the man who is living the life he wants, the man who embodies his childhood fantasies. The loathing that should drive him to kill is replaced by self-reproaches that remind him that he himself is no better than the sinner whom he is to punish. (Schaeffer)

One other factor that kept Hamlet from acting was that if he did kill Claudius, he would then be king, and he did not take interest in that position. “O God. I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infantile space, were it not I have bad dreams” (II. ii. 248-250). If he were king, Hamlet would gladly ignore his public office. He wouldn’t be able to, though, because his conscious would bother him and force him to take care of his responsibilities. (Walsh) Hamlet’s internal battle with himself is probably the most dominant representation of ego in the play. He is torn with emotions: pity and outrage for his father, shame and scorn for his mother, and guilt over his reluctance to follow through with his orders, his responsibility than he inwardly repudiates. (Walsh)

Hamlet Has Morals, Who Knew?

The superego part of the human psyche incorporates the values and morals learned from an early age. The main function of the superego is to control the id’s impulses, especially those that society looks down upon such as sex and aggression. It also has the power to persuade the ego towards moral solutions instead of just realistic ones. The superego is the most complex sect of the psyche as it is made up of two parts: the conscious and the ideal self. The conscious is responsible for the emotions felt after a decision is made, which is guilt more often than anything else. The ideal self is an imaginary, made up picture of how a person ought to be. It represents career goals, how one ought to acts towards others, and how to become a functioning human being in society. These two parts combine to form the superego and to aid in the attempts of hindering the id. (McLeod)

In context of Hamlet, there are multiple conflicting superegos that hinder Hamlet in his decision to kill Claudius. The ghost of King Hamlet is the primary superego in favor of killing Claudius. “Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive / against thy mother ought. Leave her to heaven. / And to those thoughts that in her bosom lodge / to pick and sting her.” (I. v. 85-88) Hamlet is extremely conflicted, because his father’s ghost found him, and specifically ordered Hamlet to avenge his death.

This unwelcome paternal superego exacts the killing of Claudius even as it forbids Hamlet to kill himself. In his request, King Hamlet reveals that because Gertrude fell so quickly to Claudius, the King feels emasculated. King Hamlet engenders sexual confusion in Hamlet as he asks him to identify with his feminized self. Claudius killed King Hamlet, and thus King Hamlet “is in the feminine position of being penetrated by the man who has already penetrated his wife,” according to Stone. The King impedes the son’s mind by saying that Claudius “won by lustful sin, the heart of my most seeming virtuous queen.” (I. v. 53)

By highlighting Gertrude’s fickleness and shallowness in this quote, the ghost characterizes her as a damsel that Hamlet needs to save. Hamlet feels as if he’s morally obligated to complete the task for his father, and to “save” his mother from such a monster, and these intense feelings supplement as a secondary superego in favor of killing Claudius. There were many other minor superego factors opposed to killing Claudius, however. Some were simple, such as the law, religion, and Hamlet’s own morals.

The law simply forbid murder, especially in Hamlet’s case as he was the Prince of Denmark and having the prince kill the king would be an abomination. Hamlet’s religion held him back from his task because Hamlet was taught that killing was a sin, therefore it should not be committed and vengeance should be left to God and God alone. Hamlet’s own morals also stood in his way, as he had firm beliefs that killing was wrong. (Stone)

Claudius himself, though he is a facet of Hamlet’s id, is also a representation of Hamlet’s superego. Hamlet’s loyalty to his father breaks down into subconcious identification with the brother who murdered him; and is “the brother” now possess exactly what Hamlet desires: Gertrude. Because of this, Hamlet is engrossed in a subconscious rivalry with Claudius, as he constantly battles him for Gertrude’s attentions. (Walsh)

In the End

Ultimately, Hamlet’s refusal to make a decision became his decision. “My fate cries out!” (I. iv. 58) He is in turmoil for so long, he becomes mad with despair. His despondency seems more focused on his mother’s remarriage than it does on his father’s death, even after the revelation of his uncle’s crime. There were countless opportunities to kill Claudius, but Hamlet always found excuses to avoid it. The real reason why Hamlet never killed Claudius: killing Claudius would mean that Hamlet would also be killing a small part of himself; the part that loved Gertrude..

Things soon change, however. After Gertrude dies in the final scene, Hamlet no longer has a need to repress his sexual desires. His strength returns, and thus he is finally able to kill Claudius. After Claudius’ death, Hamlet no longer struggles, and can therefore finally rest (die peacefully). (Tuohy)

The factors that arise from Hamlet’s inability to make the decision to kill Claudius or not arise from his id, ego, and superego. The id being his desire for an Oedipal relationship with his mother, the ego being the time it took to follow through with a decision, and the superego being many factors, dominantly the ghost of King Hamlet. The id was a stronger force than the the super ego, which was the reason behind all of Hamlet’s emotional outbursts. Hamlet was only able to find inner peace and kill Claudius after Gertrude died, which takes the possibility of his desires away. After he had completed his mission and he did not have to live for Gertrude anymore, he could finally die in peace.

Willy as Tragic Hero in Death Of A Salesman Willy Loman is indeed a pathetic and tragic hero of Death of a Salesman. His problems stem from his own delusions, the American Dream turning sour, and misunderstanding his job and family. All of this tells the story of everyday people in American society. His environment is changing faster than his beliefs which is why he is in the dilemma that he is in now. His own delusions are a result of his failure to succeed in life. He still believes he is popular, respected and good looking. But at age 63, he is none of these. Nobody liked him that much since very few people came to his funeral.

His delusion was that there would be people across the country coming to the funeral. However, in those moments that he begins to realize the truth, his wife Linda while understanding his situation, supports his delusion. She say to him that “you’re the best looking man in the world”. But the truth is that being popular and good looking is not how you would succeed in the world now. It would be through hard work and perseverance. The American Dream has long turned sour for him. At the beginning of his life, he remembers traveling in a wagon going westward. His parents conquered the new frontier and succeeded.

His brother Ben went “into the jungle at 17 and came out rich at age 21”. For a while, the American Dream was alive in Willy too. He helped stake out new territory by selling his goods, his son Biff was going to go to university with a scholarship and he had a home with no apartments closing on him. But now, he was forced to work on commission at an old age and was fired later by his godson. His favored son Biff had wandered about the country doing odd jobs for many years, his friend’s son Charlie was successful and his home was now surrounded by apartment buildings which blocked out the sunlight.

He was not a success in selling , he failed to raise his sons and his beliefs were just delusions. Only through hard work and perseverance would he achieve his goal of success but he decided to go along the lazy route and failed. Willy Loman misunderstood his family and job with profound reprucssions. He totally misunderstood his occupation by trying to sell himself than the products. He could not hope to succeed because there was virtually nothing to advance on him. People could buy into him because there was nothing to sell in the first place. Because of t his, he eventually lost his job.

His family was something he equally misunderstood. His wife and two children did not let him know that they knew the truth about him. They would tell him t hat his beliefs were wrong and that they knew he was trying to kill himself. They did n ot always support him. As Biff was leaving the restaurant, he told Happy to take care of his father. Happy rejected him and he told the 2 girls he had picked up that Willy was not his father but was “just a guy”. Willy left the restaurant very humiliated. His son Biff no longer had the same ideals as Willy or respected him much after his affair with Miss Francis.

He had instilled the idea along with Linda that they had the ability to save him but they didn’t. He later dies to escape the repercussions of the problems he has caused himself. The pathetic and tragic hero of Death of Salesman is Willy Loman. He had a bright future but later got lost along the way. This is the story of the “Low Man”. Many believe in ideals like Willy’s, many have had the American Dream fail and many did not see that their family lost their way because of them. It is a tragedy that a man with so much potential lost everything by believing in the wrong things and never realizes his situation.

Kevin Durran Ms. Bural ENG3U1-02 November 27, 2011 Macbeth, the Progression of a Tragic Hero “In tragedy people are tested by great suffering and must face decisions of ultimate consequence. Some meet the challenge with deeds of despicable cruelty, while others demonstrate their ability to confront and surpass adversity, winning our admiration and proving the greatness of human potential” (Aristotle). The character Macbeth is an archetypal paragon in Shakespearean literature; he truly embodies the title of the tragic hero.

The aspects that lead to the Protagonist’s downfall are countless; three major factors contribute to his progression to the tragic hero. The first being the prophecies from the witches, Lady Macbeth’s malicious influence that disoriented his counsel and lastly his ambition to achieve greatness by becoming King. Curiosity and tragedy have gone hand in hand throughout history; the aphorism “Curiosity killed the cat” can be personified through Macbeth’s demise as his curiosity is remedied by the witch’s prophecies.

The witch’s vague foretelling only lead Macbeth to curiosity, by stating the two titles he does not have “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! ” (I, III, 49-50) inciting Macbeth’s confusion to be solved from the counsel of his wife. While each prophecy is said his level of curiosity increases. Another example of Macbeth’s curiosity is shown through his hallucinations as he goes forth with the murder of Duncan, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?

Come let me clutch thee… a dagger of the mind, a false creation… Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear” (2, I, 41-42, 46, 65). The quote projects . Macbeth tends to format his ideal future by using false prophecies which in turn rid him of his worries and concerns for these prophecies prophesised that he will stay king. To assuage Macbeth’s curiosity he wanted the prophecies to make him what he wanted to hear. The definition of Emasculation is to make a man less of a man through verbal influence; such examples of this are shown from the character Lady Macbeth, who contributes to Macbeth’s downfall.

Lady Macbeth has shown countless times why she is such a large factor to Macbeth’s demise; she is portrayed as a manipulative prick. By ultimately forcing Macbeth to go along and murder Duncan she introduces him to the beginning of his tragedy, because of her planning out the murder she ultimately distorts his judgement. After the shaky Macbeth assassinated his dear king, the audience will notice a change in character as regret as a noble Macbeth turns into a depressed and confused King.

Duncan’s murder was just the beginning, to maintain his authority and reign over Scotland he continued to kill because murder at the time seemed to ensure his title. Lady Macbeth is considered a large factor in the progression of Macbeth an honourable nobleman to the tragic hero; she relayed the concept of murder to him initiating his fulfillment of his deep dark desires. Macbeth’s ambition is minor factor in his progression towards him being the tragic hero. His ambition alone was never such a striving force, Lady Macbeth’s emasculation magnified/provoked thoughts of Duncan’s murder.

His ambition was never so great that he would actually assassinate his king but the medleys of the prophecies which added to his level of curiosity awakened his dormant aspirations. The emasculation he received from his wife added to his ambitions, as almost he was challenged to murder the king, this shows a great example of his fall from loyalty to the tragic hero. With these new factors adding to his ambition, greed, lust, violence combines to a malicious power hungry tyrant. “Tragedy occurs when noble or great persons are led, through pride or a secret flaw in their personalities, to suffering that changes their fortune.

The tragic hero must begin in a high position and end in death or some sort of degraded role”. The whole play inevitably showed character change, of not only Macbeth but others around him influence by the acts he committed. His ambition, emasculation, the witch’s prophecies and excessive ambition lead to his demise. The character Macbeth is an archetypal paragon in Shakespearean literature; he truly embodies the title of the tragic hero. Quotes: EMASCULATION: Macbeth says of his wife: “undaunted mettle should compose/ Nothing but males. ” (I, vii, 73-74).

He notices his wife’s unnatural, unwomanly strength and ambition, and he feels that only men should have such power. Lady Macbeth says: “… unsex me here,/ And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty” (I, v, 41-44). She is calling for the strength to cast away the guilt of the crime, and she realizes she needs to suppress all femininity in order to pull through. She also says: “make thick my blood,/ stop up the access and passage to remorse. “(I, v, 43-44). and: “Come to my woman’s breasts,/ And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers. (I, vii, 47-48). She needs to suppress her femininity to chalk up the strength to conquer her conscience. Curiosity: act 1 scene 2 All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! |  |  50| Second Witch | All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! |  | Third Witch . “Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife! ” and “The power of man, for none of woman born/Shall harm Macbeth” and then finally “Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until/ Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinaine Hill/ Shall come against him. Read more: http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_was_the_three_witches_prophecy_to_Macbeth#ixzz1eg86iOxiAMIBTION| All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! | | Quote #1BANQUO […] My noble partner You greet with present grace and great prediction Of noble having and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal. To me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear Your favors nor your hate. (1. 3. 2)|

After hearing the witches predict that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, Banquo notes that his friend is “rapt withal,” suggesting that Macbeth is consumed or entranced by the prophecy. Banquo is eager to hear what the witches have in store for him and we can see that Banquo is ambitious – he’s pleased as punch when he learns his heirs will be kings (even though he will never wear the crown). Yet, Banquo never takes drastic measures to gain power for himself or his heirs, which makes him a foil to Macbeth who, eventually, will stop at nothing to secure his power.

Macbeth’s tragic flaw is excessive ambition; ambition by itself is not a bad thing. But Macbeth’s ambition gets the best of him, and he begins to feel “bulletproof” — no man born of woman can kill him and he will come to ruin when Birnam Wood doth come to high Dunsinane Hill. How can a man NOT be born of woman? And how can a wood move? But Macbeth’s undoing comes when he allows Fleance to escape. He returns with the army disguised as trees that move toward Dunsinane and Macduff was “untim’ly ripped from his mother’s womb. ” Fleance’s escape is the beginning of his undoing. Quote #2MACBETH

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is But what is not. (1. 3. 9)| After the weird sisters predict that Macbeth will be king, his thoughts turn to “murder,” which the sisters have said nothingabout. Could it be that the witches’ prophesy awakens within Macbeth a murderous ambition that was there all along? Quote #3MACBETH [Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.

The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1. 4. 4)| By the time Malcolm is proclaimed Prince of Cumberland and heir to the throne of Scotland, Macbeth is willing to push all morality aside. He knows that killing Duncan in order to become king is wrong, which is why he says it’s necessary to hide his “black and deep” desires. Here, ambition is portrayed as something dark and ugly. 33   Is this a dagger which I see before me, 34   The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. 35   I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. 36   Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible 7   To feeling as to sight? or art thou but 38   A dagger of the mind, a false creation, 39   Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? > ACT 2, SCENE 1, LINE 33-39 Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear 58   Thy very stones prate of my whereabout, 59   And take the present horror from the time, 60   Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:   61   Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. (Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee… a dagger of the mind, a false creation… Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear) 33-34, 38, 57)