Being orphaned at such a young age should be proof enough that Harry's backstory is tragic, yet his entire origin story before Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, commonly shortened to Hogwarts, is a fictional British school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
What makes Harry Potter a tragic hero?
A tragic hero is a protagonist who gets nothing but suffering and eventually is defeated, killed, or denied what he desperately wants, usually partly due to their own flaws or ignorance. Harry is however a sympthaetic hero; for the first 10 years of his life he lost his parents, abused by his family,...
Who is an example of a tragic hero?
If Harry Potter is the perfect example of a hero, then the sullen potions master of Hogwarts school, Severus Snape, can be considered as an example of a tragic hero.
Is Snape a tragic hero in Harry Potter?
► Severus Snape. Severus Snape is a new-age tragic hero of the Harry Potter Series, who holds similarities with the Aristotelian tragic hero. A mistaken choice becomes his tragic flaw, which is also the reason for his downfall.
What is the story of Harry Potter?
Harry Potter is the famous series written by Joanne Kathleen Rowling telling about the wizarding world. Besides Harry Potter as the main character, other characters also take part to the story, especially Severus Snape who holds many secrets. Due to the mistake he made, he has to live a secretive life that lead him into his tragic ending.

What type of hero is Harry Potter?
In his initiation stage, a second taxonomic system can be included in defining Harry Potter as a hero. Harry belongs in the category of underdog, an important hero-type in Franco, Blau, & Zimbardo's (2011) taxonomy of heroism. He is in a world where everyone exceeds him in knowledge and experience.
What is an example of a tragic hero?
In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Montague, the male protagonist, is an excellent example of a tragic hero. Romeo comes from noble birth and has the tragic flaw of being impulsive and having a fair share of hubris. His fast decisions lead him to marry Juliet after meeting her 24 hours earlier.
Is Voldemort a tragic hero?
Using these concepts concerning good and evil in an objective manner, we are able to further understand Lord Voldemort's character from a psychoanalytic approach in order to justify him as being a tragic hero, enabling us to make links between The Dark Lord and other villains, and perceive him as Tom Riddle; the boy ...
Why is Snape from Harry Potter a tragic hero?
Severus Snape is a tragic hero because he is flawed, he is making mistake, he is too proud of himself (excessive pride) but despite it all, he is a special character due to his truest and purest love towards people he really loves.
Who was the first tragic hero?
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to define a "tragic hero." He believed that a good tragedy must evoke feelings of fear and pity in the audience, since he saw these two emotions as being fundamental to the experience of catharsis (the process of releasing strong or pent-up emotions through art).
Is Darth Vader a tragic hero?
Anakin Skywalker is Considered to be a “Tragic Hero” Anakin solidified himself as a respected member of his intergalactic society that tied him to high-powered government officials. As per his upbringing, he finds himself working his way from living in poverty to pursuing his ranking as a Jedi Knight.
What is Snape's tragic flaw?
As we see, when his whole story is shown to us, is that Snape's tragic flaw was his love for Lily Potter. He met Lily Potter as a young child, before either of them attended Hogwarts. He was instantly in love with Lily. This love didn't go away when they arrived at Hogwarts and Lily's story began to part with his own.
Was Voldemort abused?
Not surprisingly, the one person who always seemed to see through the act was Dumbledore. Dumbledore had seen the true Tom Riddle when they first met: the boy who tortured, stole, and completely abused his powers.
Why is Lord Voldemort a villain?
Personality. Rowling described Voldemort as "the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years". She elaborated that he is a "raging psychopath, devoid of the normal human responses to other people's suffering", and whose only ambition in life is to become all-powerful and immortal.
Was Snape a hero or a villain?
Severus Snape is an antagonist turned anti-hero of the book series, Harry Potter. He was portrayed by the late Alan Rickman in all eight Harry Potter films.
Is Snape an anti-hero or anti villain?
Severus Snape was what we call an Anti-Hero. An antihero is basically a protagonist who lacks typical heroic qualities such as idealism, courage or morality.
How is Sirius Black a tragic hero?
Thus, Sirius Black is the very image of a tragic Greek hero, He was born to a noble family, one he later feuded against. He found a new family but sadly lost them through a grievous betrayal. In a fit of reckless loyalty, he pursued the traitor, but failed to catch him, and was banished to the Underworld.
Who is a tragic hero in real life?
Heros/HeroinesSusan B. AnthonyBanskyRachel CarsonMartin Luther King Jr,MalalaNelson MandelaChrista McAuliffeMarilyn MonroeRosa ParksSylvia PlathEdward SnowdenTupac ShakurSelena QuintanillaSophie and Hans SchollAnne Sexton8 more rows•May 10, 2019
Who are some modern tragic heroes?
Professional AthletesPoliticians“Celebrities”Pete Rose – BaseballJohn RowlandKurt CobainMike Tyson - BoxingTed KennedySyd BarrettOscar Pistorius- TrackGen. G. A. CusterLance Armstrong – CyclingJames Dean17 more rows
What are the 5 characteristics of a tragic hero?
Characteristics of a Tragic HeroHubris. Out of all the potent flaws possessed by tragic heroes, hubris is the most classically heroic. ... Hamartia. ... Peripeteia. ... Anagnorisis. ... Nemesis. ... Catharsis. ... The Protagonist From Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. ... Creon, from Sophocles' Antigone.More items...•
What defines a tragic hero?
A tragic hero is a character in a dramatic tragedy who has virtuous and sympathetic traits but ultimately meets with suffering or defeat.
Who is Minerva from Hogwarts?
Minerva is the daughter of a witch and a Scottish Presbyterian minister, who reacted poorly to his wife's magical background. Reluctant to repeat history, Minerva called off her own wedding to a Muggle and married a colleague from the Ministry, only for him to die from a Venomous Tentacula bite three years into their marriage. Living at Hogwarts ever since, Minerva's repeated heartbreak explains a lot about her tough exterior.
Is Sirius a Death Eater?
As a young, wealthy Pure-blood, Sirius could easily have become a Death Eater. Instead, he chose the more difficult path, clashing repeatedly with his family's elitist beliefs. He befriended James, Remus, and Peter, and ran away from home to live with the Potters.
Is Harry Potter's origin story tragic?
Being orphaned at such a young age should be proof enough that Harry's backstory is tragic, yet his entire origin story before Hogwarts remains pretty miserable. Bullied by the Dursleys and his classmates, for 10 years of his life he is deprived of love. It's impressive that love remains his greatest power, as most would struggle to recover from this kind of childhood.
Is Voldemort's mother in Harry Potter?
Voldemort's mother is one of many characters left out in the Harry Potter films, which is a big mistake considering how vital she is for understanding the villain. In the books, readers learn that she comes from a long line of dark Pure-blood wizards. Raised in a crumbling shack, she was the victim of abuse from her father and brother and struggled to effectively use magic.
Is Harry Potter dark?
For something that's filled with magic and splendor, the world of Harry Potter is actually pretty dark. Just when it seems like the series can't get much more tragic than opening on a recently orphaned infant, each installment introduces increasingly heartbreaking details about the life of its characters.
Is Neville the same as Harry?
As the other potential child of the prophecy, Neville's backstory is nearly the same as Harry's. While Voldemort may not have targeted his family and killed his parents, in a way, the consequences were worse. Tortured by Death Eaters in the wake of Voldemort's disappearance, Frank and Alice Longbottom were driven to insanity.
Did Hagrid's father die in the series?
Despite being one of the most loyal and friendly characters in the entire series, the world has never treated Hagrid kindly. His mother left when he was just three, and his beloved father died when Hagrid was in his second year.
Who is the tragic hero in Harry Potter?
The discovery of truth cannot be handled by Othello, and he kills himself. ► Severus Snape. Severus Snape is a new-age tragic hero of the Harry Potter Series, who holds similarities with the Aristotelian tragic hero. A mistaken choice becomes his tragic flaw, which is also the reason for his downfall.
What is a Tragic Hero?
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragic play who experiences a reversal of fortune from happiness to misery because of his own tragic flaw.
What is the most important characteristic of a tragic hero according to Aristotle?
This tragic flaw is the most important characteristic of a tragic hero according to Aristotle. A flaw in the noble protagonist helps the audience identify themselves with him. The identification leads to catharsis, which means evoking pity and fear among the audience.
What is the flaw in Aristotle's personality?
However, he should not be perfect. He should have at least one flaw in his personality. Aristotle named that flaw as Hamartia, which could mean error of judgment or a wrong choice of action.
What does Aristotle say about a tragic hero?
Therefore, for Aristotle, an ideal tragic hero should evoke pity and fear in the audience. 4. A tragic hero should be consistent in his behavior throughout the play. He should not deviate from the way he speaks and acts.
What is the ideal tragedy of Aristotle?
In Poetics, Aristotle notes the characteristics of an ideal tragedy and its elements. He defines a tragedy as the imitation of a serious action of magnitude. However, to carry out such actions, the play needs a large character. That character appears in the form of a tragic hero.
Is Snape a hero?
If Harry Potter is the perfect example of a hero, then the sullen potions master of Hogwarts school, Severus Snape, can be considered as an example of a tragic hero. A hero with a flaw, is predominant in tragedies since the olden Greek playwrights.
What is a tragic hero?
Tragic hero is, a person of exalted position who, on account of some errors or flaw, suffers a ‘total reversal of fortune’, arousing a feeling of ‘pity and fear’. The calamities befalling him are ‘exceptional and unexpected’, and generally lead to his death (Aristotle as cited in Misra, 1992, p.1).
Who is the hero in Harry Potter?
SEVERUS SNAPE AS THE TRAGIC HERO IN HARRY POTTER SERIES BY J.K ROWLING
What is Sophocles's main concern with drama?
Among the classical dramatists, it is Sophocles who was much concerned with drama as an art form. His main preoccupation is that of art as verisimilitude. This is clearly demonstrated by his play, King Oedipus, one of a trilogy of Theban plays. In this play, one can find the best example of the Greek classical order. The ingenuity of the dramatist lay in his skill at arranging the plot to present the best tragic situation, based on the existing myths and legends. Sophocles however, took the fundamental Greek concept of law, crime and punishment into consideration. In a sense, the tragic drama in ancient Greece was an enactment of a ritual (Yeboah, 2012, p. 10). Tragedy is a concept that has been analyzed as a literary genre and justified as a philosophy. The story of Oedipus the King also fulfills the Aristotle’s idea about hamartia of the classical period. The third related study is taken from a research paper that is related to Severus Snape in Harry Potter series. The title is Severus Snape: The Complexity and Unconventional Heroism of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter Booksby Gustafsson (2016). This paper focuses on Severus Snape for his complexity and heroism behavior using the theory of endings and plot twists by Frank Kermode. Severus Snape is known for his allegiance for both Voldemort and also Dumbledore. Being a secret or undercover agent for both side makes his character seems complex to the readers. His complexity sometimes confused the readers whether he is evil or maybe a hero. Readers always expect something for the ending of the book; it can be happy ending (mostly) or good ending for one character. In Harry Potter, readers are served by a character named Severus Snape who is mysterious, dark, but loyal. From the beginning, Snape is portrayed as the one who hates Harry Potter because he is resemble his father that Snape hates so much. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
How does the author describe a character?
In personal description, the author usually describes the character through its physical appearance such as clothes. The author also can tell the details; the skin, eyes, body, face. Through this description, readers can develop the imagination of the character (Murphy, 1972, p. 161). PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Why do tragic heroes evoke pity?
Tragic heroes are effectively evoking the reader’s pity because the character is the mixture of bad and good (Abrams, 1999, p. 322). However, the bad side can evoke the terror. This dark side, or usually called hamartia or the fatal flaws that leading to the downfall of the heroes or heroine.
How does the author reveal the past life of a character?
The past life can shape a person’s character. It can be revealed through the author, the person’s thoughts, the conversation, and another character’s thought (Murphy, 1972, p. 166).
What is the name of the house that Harry Potter hates?
He plays an important roles in the story as the head of Slytherin House and a master of Potions in Hogwarts. He is known for his dislike towards Harry Potter and his friends, for his cruelty toward others, and for his abiding love for his own friend, Lily Potter.