Ahab As a Trgic Hero

Ahab As a Trgic Hero

Is Ahab a Tragic Hero? A Debate
Being of sound mind and judgment, we believe that Ahab is in fact a tragic hero. The definition of a tragic hero embodies many different qualities, with these nine being the main points:

„« The figure has one major flaw that causes his or her downfall.

„« The figure has a combination of good and bad.

„« The figure demonstrates excessive pride, or ¡§hubris.¡¨

„« The character goes through a reversal of fortunes, often from high to low.

„« The main character flaw may take the form of an obsession.

„« The character has consistency of personality traits.

„« He or she makes a decision on something that he or she has thought about for a long time.

„« The character has the gift of persuasion.

„« The figure's death is often through actions that are inspiring or noble.

Of these nine main traits of the definition of ¡§tragic hero,¡¨ Ahab embodies every one. The first one, ¡§the figure has one major flaw that causes his or her downfall,¡¨ is obvious in the character of Ahab. His one main character flaw is his obsession with killing the whale Moby Dick.

The second point, ¡§the figure has a combination of good and bad,¡¨ is also easily fitting. Ahab is portrayed as a violent, insane man; but

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The fourth characteristic of a tragic hero is that the character experiences a reversal of fortunes. Ahab was once a healthy man with a wife and children, but his life is suddenly interrupted when he loses his leg to Moby Dick during one particular whaling voyage. This man does certainly go from having an almost perfect life to losing his leg and having his pride injured. This is certainly an example of reversal of fortunes.

The fifth trait is that the character's flaw may take the form of an obsession. In Ahab's case the applicability of this trait is inarguable; his lust for revenge definitely becomes an obsession. He is driven by nothing else but to take down Moby Dick...