Final answer:
Hardy's characters often achieve tragedy, which is in line with the traditional archetype of a tragic hero defined in Aristotle's Poetics. The tragic hero's downfall is typically due to a personal error or frailty, leading to catharsis in the audience.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hardy's characters typically achieve tragedy through endurance, heroism, or simple strength of character. This aligns with the traditional understanding of a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle's Poetics.
A tragic hero is a character who, while not perfectly virtuous, faces a reversal of fortune (peripeteia) due to a personal error or frailty (hamartia). This character often experiences anagnorisis (recognition of their error) and ultimately a catharsis (the purging of emotional tension).
In the context of classic tragedies, characters like Oedipus and Creon exhibit traits that lead to their downfall, which results not from depravity or vice but from an inherent flaw.
This elicits pity and fear from the audience, who can see parts of themselves in the hero's plight. The ultimate purpose of such a narrative is to impart a moral lesson that transcends personal gain and relates to the commonwealth of the greater community.