C THE TRAGIC HERO

Do Now We’ve spent a good deal of time speaking about Antigone’s and Creon’s flaws. What do you think your greatest flaw is when it comes to academics (or personal matters, if you feel comfortable sharing )?

Tragic Hero Today, we’re going to spend some time talking about tragic heroes.

Modern Examples: Katniss’ Flaw Modern literature also has many characters with evident tragic flaws. For example, The Hunger Games trilogy follows the main character Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is just a regular teenage girl living in a desolate post- Apocalyptic world where once a year children are forced to fight to the death. Katniss would have continued to live a tedious, normal life if not for her tragic flaw: over protectiveness. She feels responsible for her younger sister Prim, so when Prim gets selected for the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She is determined to protect her sister at all costs. In the first novel, Katniss's tragic flaw is centered on her sister, but throughout the final two novels you can see it spread. In the second book, Katniss insists she must protect her friend Peeta, determining to give her life in order to save his. In the final book, her tragic flaw spreads further to protecting her own district and then the entire country. Unfortunately, her actions lead to all-out war, resulting in many dead. All in all, Katniss changes the world in the trilogy through her tragic flaw of protecting those around her.

Modern Examples: Guessing Tris’ Flaw In another series, the Divergent trilogy, the main character has a similar tragic flaw to Katniss. These books center on Tris and her struggle to overthrow the confining structure of her society. However, Tris has a tragic flaw. She believes she is not really anything special and is willing to give her life for the greater good. In the first novel, her boyfriend has been brainwashed and is trying to kill her. She defeats him and has him at gunpoint. However, she drops the gun and allows him a chance to kill her. She sacrifices herself trying to save his life. Guess: What is Tris’ tragic flaw?

Can You Think of Any Examples? Can you think of any example of tragic heroes in literature, television, or film? How does he or she fulfill the requirements of a tragic hero?

Who Is Our Tragic Hero in Antigone? Students will be put into groups of 3 First, skim through the questions on the worksheet. Determine who the tragic hero is based on who gets the most “yes” answers for each question. Then, fill out the sheet, providing textual evidence to support your claim.

Creating Your Own Tragic Hero As a group, create your own tragic hero. Provide a very brief synopsis of your character and the experiences your character has had. Make sure they meet most, if not all, of the qualities on the tragic hero/tragic flaw checklist