A Hero of Another Kind The tragic hero is usually not like an everyday person that is seen on the street. According to Aristotle's book, Poetics, four characteristics establish the essence of a tragic hero. This is very helpful in understanding why the tragic hero is a mediocre type of person. First of all the hero must belong to a distinguished family. Secondly he must be a-better-than average person. Next the hero must suffer from a flaw in his character or in his judgement otherwise known as hmartia. Finally he must undergo a transition of happiness to misery called peripeteia. In Euripides' tragedy, Medea, Medea can be classified as an atypical tragic hero.
To follow Aristotle's four characteristics, Medea fits the first one. She does come from a well-distinguished family. Her father is King Aeetes. Medea is also a better-than-average person. With her great deception she can fool many people.
The Hero Trilogy (Funker Vogt)
English: Jason and Medea by John William Waterhous...
Medea MegadethFor example she killed her own brother and duped her father. Another example would be that she caused Pelias' own daughters to murder him. She deceives Jason by telling him she would like to make amends for their past. Medea says," Surely you can afford to forgive my bad temper: after all there has been much love between us."(p.320) She continues to tell true lies to Jason. Also Medea is very crafted in poison. She sends gifts to the princess that poison her.
Medea had a tragic flaw that resulted in how she reacted to Jason's betrayal. Her tragic flaw was her self-will and excessive pride. Some quotes from the book reveal how Medea recognized this. " Now I see how my passion is stronger than my reason."(p.325) Her passion and self-will could not let Jason go unpunished. " Am I willing to let my...