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What constitutes a Tragic Hero/ine according to Aristotle’s Poetics?I use the Poetics as a reference for tragic conditions that set the Tragic Hero. We have also used this before in class in Oedipus Rex.
• Character must be of noble stature and must embody virtue as a part of his/her character
o Blanche is clearly depicted to have been of a high status, once having owned several servants and living in a prestigious place (Belle Reve). She also has a higher education, carrying a job as an English teacher, a contrast to the more working class men around her.
o William’s adds a twist to this condition of the Tragic Hero. By the time of the play Blanche had lost her noble stature, and was far from virtuous. Yet, throughout the play, she pretends to be the model of virtue, and carries delusions of grandeur.
• The tragic hero should be great, but cannot be perfect. The reader/audience should see themselves in the tragic hero/ine.
o Blanche is not a “great” or a “perfect” person. She is far from being a girl scout- at least the version of Blanche we know from the play who is sexually promiscuous, manipulative, and snobbish- not knowing much about Blanch before her arrival to New Orleans, other than the fact that she was a very delicate person.
o She does have plenty of flaws as noted above, most of which stem from her insecurity as a person. Her promiscuity comes from her insecurity, which stems from her fading looks, and the events following the discovery of her husband’s homosexuality.
• The characters downfall should come from his/her faults, and not due to some supernatural occurrence. The tragedy is triggered due to some specific flaw known as hamartia: the tragic fault.
o Blanche’s downfall is not like Oedipus’s where the reveal of one mistake causes him to become blackened. It is rather a series of mistakes, which were all triggered due to her fatal flaw: insecurity.
o The suicide of her husband takes away the “light from her” and along... Read Full Essay Anti Essays offers free essay examples to help students with their essay writing. Sign Up for free to view this essay on Blanche as a Tragic Heroine.Submitted by: snarkie on May 25, 2013Category: English Length: 1,004 wordsViews: 13
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