The tragic hero is one of the most used (and sometimes abused) characters in literature. The classic definition of a tragic hero is “a person with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. The person is condemned by the Gods or some other supernatural force to destruction or suffering. The hero fights against destiny, but due to a personal flaw, he ultimately fails in the battle against destiny. It is my personal opinion that Brutus, as portrayed in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is a tragic hero by this definition. I came to this conclusion because Brutus shares many similarities with other tragic heroes in literature such as Oedipus, Hamlet, and Ralph from Lord of the Flies. All four characters share two critical traits necessary to be tragic heroes: a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to a tragic downfall. The tragic hero was defined by Aristotle, but the "invention" of the tragic hero belongs to Sophocles. Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus, created the tragic hero. In the play comes a prophecy that the eponymous character Oedipus will kill his father and impregnate his mother. Oedipus tries to avoid doing these things (which, ironically, makes Oedipus the only person without an Oedipus complex, but that's beside the point). One day an old man tries to drive Oedipus off the road with his chariot and in response Oedipus kills him. Next, Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx (here's a hint, it's man), saving the city of Thebes. Oedipus in return is crowned king and receives the widowed queen as his wife. Now everything is fine, until a mysterious plague strikes Thebes. Oedipus consults an oracle that says the plague will continue until the murderer of the previous king is brought to justice. Oedipus......middle of paper......present in all eras of literature. The tragic hero is around almost as long. Hamlet, Oedipus, and Ralph are all tragic heroes. If this is true, then I think it is fair to say that Brutus is also a tragic hero. He shares many character qualities with the other tragic heroes. So, if we say that Brutus is a tragic hero, then we are once again faced with the same question: “What is his tragic flaw?” I would say that Brutus' tragic flaw is his pride. He is too proud as a Roman to let Caesar take control of the empire, too proud to let Antony be killed, and too proud to be taken prisoner. It is because of this pride that he takes his own life, putting an end to the tragedy. Brutus leads the action in the play. Brutus causes the spectacle. Brutus dies to end the show. Brutus is absolutely a tragic hero. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Julius Caesar. Nd Print.