Question

To what extent does Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart fit Aristotle’s definition of a “tragic hero”? In supporting your argument use direct quotations, both from the play, and from Aristotle’s Poetics.

Answer 1

Aristotle's the author describes the hero of the poem as a Tragic hero.

Step-by-step explanation:

As per the poet a Tragic hero is one who evoke a sense of pity and fear in the mind of the audience.The hero is called a Tragic hero because he has encountered a tragedy due to a error in the judgement.As per the author a individual cannot become a hero until he has seen a downfall in his life

Okonkwo is the most admired and respected man of his tribe.He is considered a great wrestler(among all the Nine -village).He is said to be wealthy farmer ,who has two barns full of yams, and he has 3 wifes. he is also said to be very powerful because he has won two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars.

Okonkwo is said to be trageic hero because of his negative qualities like being Violent and over Masculine.

The tragedy in Okonkwo life that has led to his negative quality is his father who he considered to be weak and feminine.