Tragic Hero

Tragic Hero: A protagonist whose fatal flaw drives their downfall despite noble qualities.

The tragic hero lets a writer stage a moral argument as a character arc: we admire the figure, see the flaw working, and watch the fall feel both chosen and inevitable.

Tragic Hero examples

• "His hubris drives him to hunt the killer who turns out to be himself, and he gouges out his own eyes."

  — Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

• "His obsessive pursuit of wealth and a lost love leads him to his death."

  — The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

• "His impulsiveness leads him to marry within a day and ends in both lovers' deaths."

  — Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

• "His ambition pushes him to murder his way to the throne and then to ruin."

  — Macbeth, Shakespeare

• "His jealousy, fed by Iago, drives him to kill his wife and then himself."

  — Othello, Shakespeare

• "His rigid honor leads him to trust the wrong people and costs him his life."

  — Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin

Want a full walkthrough? Read our long-form guide: Tragic Hero examples, explained.

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