By participating vicariously in the grief, pain and fear of the tragic hero or heroine, the spectator, in Aristotle's words, experiences pity and fear and is purged. ... Chaucer used the word to signify little more than the turn of the wheel of fortune, against whose force no meaningful effort of man is possible.This reminds us of how Aristoteles defined tragedy, as a drama which concerns better than average people (heroes, kings, gods) who suffer a transition from good fortune to bad fortune, and who speak in an elevated language. In the professional playhouses of the Renaissance and ...

• Word Count: 1396
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, we discover that Macbeth is a tragic hero. ... At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare defines Macbeth as a hero very clearly. ... Since he overcomed his good nature, he no longer needed to be with his friend Banquo. ... He is not a criminal; he has no criminal tendencies. ... His conscience is numbed so that he escapes the domination of fears, and such a consummation may indeed be called a sort of peace. ...

• Word Count: 2254
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate