Is Bill Clinton's life a tragic one? According to Charles Reeves (1952), Aristotle says that a tragic hero is a person "who is eminently good and just, whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty" (pg. 172-188). Using this definition, we can see how Bill Clinton fits as an Aristotelian tragic hero. .
Bill Clinton, a former President of the United States of America was raised by his grandmother, Edith Cassidy and his mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe. After his father's death, he was forced to take responsibility of his life due to his mother's vivacious and fun-loving spirit and as s a teenager, Clinton also showed a passion for politics. While still in high school, Clinton quickly became the brightest protégé of his principle, Johnnie Mae Mackey, who also played a very significant role in his life. Under her mentoring, Clinton was sent to Washington D.C as a delegate to Boys Nation which is a mimicry of the political conventions that was sponsored by American Legion. While there, he got to meet and shake hands with his political idol and at that time president John F. Kennedy. Clinton's mother had always told him that he would someday become the president of the United States. This handshake motivated Clinton to fulfill his mother's prediction.
Based on the Aristotelian theory, a tragedy must also have a hero and that hero must have a flaw. The hero in this scenario is Bill Clinton. Clinton has two sides of his life, the public and the private sides. The public side of Clinton is loved and respected and was elected twice by the American people. His public side is seen as kind, caring and empathic, this is the reason he was loved by the people and these characteristics made him a good leader. However, his private side, which was shown in different reports is someone almost entirely different. This side of Clinton was revealed to be weak and reckless.
