What is a tragic hero? What makes them tragic? What makes them heroic? Aristotle once said that “a tragic hero causes us pity because, not being a wicked man, his misfortune is more than he deserves; but it also makes us fear, because we recognize similar possibilities for error in our own lower, fallible selves,” but this changes from story to story. What Aristotle did not realize is that tragic heroes live among the people. They walk the streets, they have jobs, they have families, and most importantly, they have huge hearts. These people and characters also often bring out the “good Samaritan” among countless ordinary people. We tend to want to have as much impact as them without tragedy, leaving only a hero effect on society. Often in literature, the hero usually belongs to a high class of society, which gives him a greater chance of falling hard. On the other hand, real people usually come from nothing, peak, and then fall. Then there are the atypical cases where the character comes from nothing, or the real person comes from wealth. Three examples of each of these tragic heroes are Macbeth, Malcolm X, and Frankenstein's Creature. In Greek plays, there are two genres: comedies and tragedies. Tragedies end with the death of the majority of the characters; meaning the tragic hero must die at some point to increase the pity of the readers or viewers. Of course, to achieve dramatic effect, the playwright had to generate a major fall in the hero's greatness, as well as a major mistake in his life. Although Shakespeare was not a Greek playwright, The Tragedy of Macbeth was very analogous to Greek beliefs. In the play, Macbeth is approached by three witches and tells her of his future. These witches were the dungeon... middle of paper ... point of view that worked in some cases and failed in others. Just like the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” tragic heroes live in the mind of the individual. The question remains: what is a tragic hero? Works Cited “SparkNotes: Frankenstein: Important Quotes Explained.” SparkNotes: Today's most popular study guides. Np, and Web. December 13, 2011. "SparkNotes: Macbeth: Important Quotes Explained." SparkNotes: Today's most popular study guides. Np, and Web. December 13, 2011. "SparkNotes: The Autobiography of Malcolm X: Important Quotes Explained." SparkNotes: Today's most popular study guides. Np, and Web. December 13. 2011. .