Hardy himself seems unclear about the nature of Henchard's hamartia when he quotes Novalis: "Character is fate"--certainly a useful aphorism for a Victorian novelist, though something about which Aristotle in The Poetics does not address. ... Though modern usage of the word "hero" indicates a nobler persona, at its roots a hero is simply the main character of any story, and not necessarily a knight in shining armor. A tragic hero's sad story comes from his own flaws, and Michael Henchard was certainly not lacking in faults and poor judgments. ... Thomas Hardy has been quoted as compa...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate