A Modern ConceptA Modern Concept

It was Aristotle who first described the

elements of a tragic hero in the classical Greek tragedy plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides 2500 years ago.

The definition of an anti-hero can be subjective. He is usually the protagonist or a key character.

Definition

Generally, an anti-hero will have the following qualities:

• it is clear that he has human frailties; he has flaws

• he is more accessible to readers because he is more "gritty"

Additional Qualities

he is often disillusioned with society, or increasingly becomes so .

he often seeks redemption or revenge for his own satisfaction, and sometimes for the greater good of society.

unlike the classical tragic hero, he doesn't always think about what the right, moral thing to do is- he often thinks about what's right for him.

Additional Qualities

he is often misunderstood by others in his society

he could perhaps be called a noble criminal or a vigilante

qualities normally belonging to villains - such as amorality, greed and violent tendencies - are tempered with more human, identifiable and even noble traits

Additional Qualities

• their noble motives are pursued by breaking the law; a.k.a. "the ends justify the means"

• increased moral complexity and rejection of traditional values

Examples, anyone?

Information for this presentation was found on http://english.learnhub.com/lesson/7614-anti-heroes-in-

literature.