Schaffer, 1

Miranda Schaffer
Mrs Rutan
AP Literature and Composition
31 March 2015

Tragic Heroes Transcend Time

Great myths and tragedies have tragic heroes. Myths are typically believed as
true, usually sacred, set in the distant paths of other worlds or parts of the world, and
with extra-human, non-human, or heroic characters (Mougolick). Of course students
and scholars alike will all agree that Sophocles' Mythical Theban Plays and
Shakespeare's dynamic works feature tragic heroes, but what about tragic heroes and
myths in the realms of our pop-culture? Could the modern space saga of Star Wars
utilize the tragic hero element so essential to classic works?

According to the definition above, Star Wars is a myth for our time. It takes place
is a galaxy far, far away, with human characters, alien characters, and the force; an
energy that connects all things. Myths are usually sacred (Magoulick), but they dont
have to be, so Star Wars still fits (although the biggest fans might argue that it IS
sacred!). But what about a hero? The easy answer is Luke; but what about a tragic
hero, one parallel to Greek mythology? There is in fact a tragic hero in George Lucas
famous film, Star Wars, and its not who you might think.

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Let's look at the evidence:

Aristotle compiled a checklist of sorts for establishing a tragedy and a tragic hero. The
first of which is that a tragic hero must be noble in two ways, birth and personality.
Sophocles famous work, Oedipus the King, is renowned for its classic tragic hero,
Oedipus Rex. Oedipus is of noble birth, son of King Laius, and of personality; he is
more or less a good person, making for a flawed, but relatable character. The next
quality is a hamartia. This is a greek word that typically translates to tragic flaw.
However, it could better be described as a fatal mistake. The flaw cannot be a central
part of the character, or else they would elicit to no pity or respect from the audience.
Instead the flaw has to be somehow more imbedded into human nature which causes
something to go awry and spiral out of control.

Oedipus flaw is lack of knowledge. He knows of the prophecy:

Now Laius--so at least report affirmed--Was murdered on a day by

highwaymen, No natives, at a spot where three roads meet. As for the child,
it was but three days old, When Laius, its ankles pierced and pinned
Together, gave it to be cast away By others on the trackless mountain side.
So then Apollo brought it not to pass The child should be his father's
murderer, Or the dread terror find accomplishment, And Laius be slain by
his own son (Sophocles, 715-722).
However, he does not know that the specific actions he and the people around
him took caused these things to happen, like his parents leaving him to die and

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he leaving Corinth to avoid his murder. This is symbolic of a humans inability to

escape fate.

The Star Wars saga character of Anakin Skywalker also exhibits the
aforementioned qualities. He is of noble character, trying to help others from a
young age, like by building droids to help her around the house. He is also noble
by birth, deemed by Obi-Wan as the Chosen One, destined to bring balance to
the force. Anakins hamartia is one all humans can identify with, fear. He feared
for those close to him, like Obi-Wan and Padme, and feared for the clones placed
under his command.

The next step to being dubbed a tragic hero according to Aristotle is that
they must go through peripeteia, or a major downfall or reversal of fortune.
Anakins experience is reminiscent of good old Oedipus. As a prominent military
leader, Anakin is scarred and angry about the deaths of his comrades,
subordinates, and lover, Padme Amidala. These are catalyzing events that mark
his reversal from good to evil. Oedipus also falls from grace as the classic tragic
hero when the messenger provides the last piece of the puzzle by telling Oedipus
that Polybus and Merope were not his biological parents, and signals his
spiraling decline.

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Both characters also realize that they both have an inescapable fate,
called nemesis (Aristotles Tragic Terms), shortly preceding their death.
Darth/Anakin brings balance to the force by killing the evil Palpatine and saving
his son Luke, while Oedipus marries his mother and kills his father, just as the
prophecy described. This leads to catharsis and redemption. Oedipus purges his
emotions (catharsis) through several lengthy monologues. He then gouges out
his eyes because he was figuratively blind to the situation:
Come, oh, come
To these your brothers hands, which but now tore
Your fathers eyes, that once were bright to see,
Who, O my children, blind and knowing naught,
Became your fatherhow, I may not tell (Sophocles, Line 1524-1529).
Anakin handles his situation a bit differently. He mostly exhibits redemption. Luke
knows there is good in his father yet, and this is displayed at the end of Episode
Six. Darth/Anakin saves his son from the corrupt emperor Palpatine, knowing
that this will result in his own certain death. By turning toward the light in the
moments just before his death, Anakin experiences redemption. Also, with killing
Palpatine and saving Luke, Anakin does in fact bring about his fate of restoring
balance to the force.

Conclusion? George Lucas painted the Star Wars saga with a greek
brush. He knew that by making the storys central villain an extended tragic hero,

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the audience would have a more favorable response and reaction to the end of
the series. A tragic hero evokes pity, even when the character has really messed
up, because audiences and readers alike all see a little bit of ourselves in them.
Oedipus and Anakin werent bad people, instead, they are would-be heroes who
let a human tendency destroy them.

Works Cited
Storr, Francis. Oedipus Trilogy Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus &
Antigone.
Auckland, N.Z.: Floating, 2008. Print.
Magoulick, Mary. What is Myth. What is Myth?. Web.
<http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm>
"Aristotle & the Elements of Tragedy: English 250." Aristotle's Tragic
Terms. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.