Tragic Flaw Definition and Examples

In classical tragedy, a tragic flaw is a personal quality or characteristic that leads the protagonist to make choices that ultimately cause a tragedy. The concept of a tragic flaw dates back to Aristotles Poetics. In Poetics, Aristotle used the term hamartia to refer to the innate quality that leads a protagonist towards his or her own downfall. The term fatal flaw is sometimes used in place of tragic flaw. Its important to note that neither tragic flaw nor hamartia necessarily denote a moral failing in the protagonist. Instead, it refers to specific qualities (good or bad) that cause the protagonist to make certain decisions that, in turn, make tragedy inevitable. Example: Tragic Flaw in Hamlet Hamlet, the titular protagonist of Shakespeare’s play, is one of the most-taught and clearest instances of a tragic flaw in classical literature. Although a quick reading of the play might suggest that Hamlets madness – feigned or real – is to blame for his downfall, his true tragic flaw is being overly hesitant. Hamlet’s hesitation to act is what leads to his downfall and to the tragic ending of the play as a whole. Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles internally with whether or not he should take his revenge and kill Claudius. Some of his concerns are explained clearly, as when he abandons a particular plan because he doesn’t want to kill Claudius while he’s praying and thus ensure that Claudius’s soul would go to heaven. He’s also, justifiably, concerned at first about taking action based on the word of a ghost. But even once he has all his evidence, he still takes the roundabout way. Because Hamlet hesitates, Claudius has time to make plots of his own, and when the two sets of plans collide, tragedy ensues, taking down most of the main cast with it. This is an instance where the tragic flaw is not inherently a moral failing. Hesitancy can be good in some circumstances; indeed, one can imagine other classical tragedies (Othello, for instance, or Romeo and Juliet) where hesitating would have actually averted the tragedy. However, in Hamlet, hesitancy is wrong for the circumstances and consequently leads to the tragic sequence of events. Therefore, Hamlets hesitant attitude a clear tragic flaw. Example: Tragic Flaw in Oedipus the King The concept of a tragic flaw originated in Greek tragedy. Oedipus, by Sophocles, is a prime example. Early in the play, Oedipus receives a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother, but, refusing to accept this, he sets off on his own. His prideful refusal is seen as a rejection of the gods’ authority, making pride, or hubris, the root cause of his tragic end. Oedipus has several opportunities to walk back his actions, but his pride will not let him. Even after he embarks on his quest, he could still have avoided tragedy had he not been so certain that he knew best. Ultimately, his hubris leads him to challenge the gods – a huge mistake in Greek tragedy – and to insist on being given information that he has repeatedly been told he should never know. Oedipus pride is so great that he believes he knows better and that he can handle anything, but when he learns the truth of his parentage, he is utterly destroyed. This is an example of a tragic flaw that is also portrayed as an objective moral negative: Oedipus pride is excessive, which is a failing on its own even without the tragic arc. Example: Tragic Flaw in Macbeth In Shakespeares Macbeth, audiences can see the hamartia or tragic flaw grow over the course of the play. The flaw in question: ambition; or, specifically, unchecked ambition. In the earliest scenes of the play, Macbeth seems loyal enough to his king, but the moment he hears a prophecy that he will become king, his original loyalty goes out the window. Because his ambition is so intense, Macbeth does not pause to consider the possible implications of the witches’ prophecy. Urged on by his equally ambitious wife, Macbeth comes to believe that his destiny is to become king immediately, and he commits horrible crimes to get there. If he had not been so overly ambitious, he might have either ignored the prophecy or thought of it as a distant future that he could wait for. Because his behavior was determined by his ambition, he started a chain of events that tumbled out of his control. In Macbeth, the tragic flaw is seen as a moral failing, even by the protagonist himself. Convinced that everyone else is as ambitious as he is, Macbeth becomes paranoid and violent. He can recognize the downsides of ambition in others, but is unable to stop his own downward spiral. If not for his overreaching ambition, he would never have taken the throne, destroying his life and the lives of others.

Color Vs. Crime Racial Profiling - 1662 Words

Color vs. Crime Racial profiling, according to The Leadership Conference, â€Å"refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.† This is a troubling pressing issue in the United States till this day. Racial profiling is patently illegal and violates the U.S. Constitution’s core promises of equal protection under the law to all and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Moreover, racial profiling is ineffective. Although people assume and stereotype others thinking that it would benefit them in certain situations, race will always play prominent a role in America through racial and police encounters with African Americans and Latinos in an unfavorable aspect. Rod Dreher from The American Conservative acknowledged that being racist and racial profiling are two different things. Being racist is judging someone by their skin color, while racial profiling has to do with facts. â€Å"If you re racist, you re not racial profiling; and if you re racial profiling, you re not being racist.† It is proven that some ethnicities do have a higher crime rate. In addition, they stated some countries are full of many terrorist organizations, and you are not harming anyone if you target someone. It is all just an analysis of logic and judgement. Although there are articles and debates that argue on the morality of racial profiling, there’s more evidence concentrated onShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling : An American Trauma921 Words   |  4 Pages2017 Racial Profiling: An American Trauma One of the most imminent threats looming within American society is race relations. America is a melting pot of different races, cultures, and religions, yet the matter of racial profiling still remains prominent today. 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Race and location are the supreme characteristics law enforcement visually examine when engaging in this type of profiling. African-American males are the primary victims of racial profiling in the United States. The phrase â€Å"driving while black† derive from African Americans protesting that they are pulled over by policeRead MoreLaw and Order Injustice1120 Words   |  5 Pagesthe poor streets dirty with a sense of people of color will be placed in poor dangerous neighborhoods with violence and drugs. The news reporters every day file cases of police officers using their power to control and abuse the law by hurting citizens by their image of clothing and color of their skin. In â€Å"A Brother’s Murder† a journalist talks about his experience living in a poor neighborhood and how his br other tragically died in a city of crime. 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Memo Report †Starbucks Free Essays

As you previously requested I have worked out a memo report on; what Starbucks have done in the past, what they are doing now and how we can learn from them. It is very important to notice what competitors do when there are uncontrollable market conditions, so there can be an easier adapting process. Starbucks have 11. We will write a custom essay sample on Memo Report – Starbucks or any similar topic only for you Order Now 000 stores worldwide, and they serve more than 40 million customers each week and even with these enormous numbers Starbucks continues to grow. The reason Starbucks is still growing is that; people loves the products that Starbucks provide, but there is more to it, Starbucks is also a very beloved brand. They have a wide product range and they are very innovative, constantly making new products to keep on being interesting. The clever thing about this is that you never get tired of the brand because it’s constantly developing itself, making it a very effective business strategy. In my opinion there is the possibility of following the example that Starbucks have set, it’s impossible to argue with the logics of a constantly extending product range that is both innovative and high quality. Starbucks meet the customer’s needs before they even know that they need it. They come up with ideas faster than most other coffee places, making it virtually impossible to criticize the depth of their product range as it is constantly expanding. An example of the creative side of Starbucks could be the new â€Å"Instant coffee† that Starbuck have just added in their product range. The product consists of a small packet of coffee that a customer can carry with them and make coffee almost everywhere, all they need is water. It would of course be a great idea to be more innovative at Cafe Nero, as it would satisfy a wider range of customers. However one must have in mind that Starbucks is a gigantic worldwide chain and therefore can afford to have whole departments only created to make new products. It is, therefore, not possible to be as innovative as Starbucks, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying. I suggest that we should look at what Starbucks have done, for example with the â€Å"Instant coffee† but while we do that we also have to remember that our brand name have to remain ours, eaning that we cannot try to copy what competitors do, but that we have to invent our own success. There is another very important aspect; the present consumer trends and the economic downturn that should not be forgotten when we consider how we can be more successful. When people become more afraid of their future economic situation they will be less likely to spend money, meaning that a very logic proposa l would be to lower the prices on our products. Coffee is becoming more and more like a culture, for some even an addiction, some people can’t even start their day before they have had their morning coffee. With this in mind, one could make the easy conclusion that there is a demand for coffee and that we could therefore raise our prices. However, I believe that both our current and future customers would appreciate a lowering of our prices, so in a short-term period it would probably lower our income, but I believe that on long-term it would make more customers and make our current customers happier and more loyal to our brand. When the economy eventually starts getting better, maybe even turning to an economic boom it would be a possibility to slowly raising our prices back to a more normal level because people feel more safe about the future and therefore will be more likely to spend money. When looking at the present consumer trends I think it’s safe to say that consumers love variation and creativity. There isn’t a very large market for regular coffee anymore; consumers want to see different products and experience different flavors. The point of this is that Starbucks adapt to this trend by constantly trying to innovate their brand with new products, but at the same time they stay true to their brand and they don’t compromise on quality; that is what made their success. These things that I have lined up are what I have found that we at Cafe Nero can learn from Starbucks, I personally believe that Starbucks is a good source of inspiration and admiration as they have succeeded in so many ways. But what we also have to remember is that we also have to stay true to ourselves and not become something that we are not. Let Starbucks be Starbucks, and let us be Cafe Nero. How to cite Memo Report – Starbucks, Papers

Its About Time by Jonas Brothers free essay sample

We all know them: theyre the Jonas Brothers. How on earth could you NOT know them? I mean theyre basically the number one boy band in America and all around the world, they have starred in Camp Rock, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, JONAS and JONAS LA, wrote a bestselling book (Burning Up: On Tour with the Jonas Brothers) and have had three hit albums and two world tours. But how many of you knew of the Jonas Brothers BEFORE they were signed to Hollywood Records and joined the Disney family? How many of you knew about them before Hannah Montana? Before The Best of Both Worlds Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus tour? Before sold out arenas and screaming fans throwing bras and underwear on the stage? What about before then? Well, before then we had Its About Time, a limited release album, put out by Columbia Records. It bombed. We will write a custom essay sample on Its About Time by Jonas Brothers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The album hardly sold any copies and, even though it was released a second time with a slightly different track listing, it hardly did any better and was soon after removed from the shelves. Why? Because it was awful. Thats the complete and honest truth, it stunk. If you had picked up the album and listened to it, way back in 2006, you would have cried at how dorky and unprofessional the it was. Only four songs out of the 11/12 tracks would have been hits at all and hardly any of the songs were written by the boys themselves. Two of the songs (What I Go To School For, Year 3000, both with slightly different lyrics) were cover songs from the band Busted (who?), and Six Minutes was a cover from the band LFO/Light Funky Ones (once again, WHO); and I only know of two songs written by the boys themselves and those are Mandy and Please Be Mine. The album, today, is a collectors item. On e-bay you can find it for as little as a dollar and up to $101 on Amazon. Dont expect to find it anywhere in Goodwill since anyone who knows anything about current trends has picked it up and plans on selling it for a pretty penny online. Non-Jonas Brothers fans would never think of listening to the album, but to fans, it has become a classic. While its still dorky and sounds terribly like a kids cd, it is held dear to JoBro fans. They now wish at 7:05, and wish that Nick/Kevin/Joe would Please Be Mine. They no longer worry about 2012, because the Jonas Brothers have gone to the Year 3000 and they wish their name was Mandy. Its a hit. So if youre a Jonas Brothers fan, borrow it from a friend who actually bought it or download it from the internet; if you cant stand the Jonas Brothers, dont listen. It would only give you more reason to not like them. *Its About Time is the name of the album because many of the songs have to do with time (i.e, Year 3000, Time For Me To Fly, Six Minutes, One Day At A Time and 7:05.