Samson as a Tragic Hero
Samson as a Tragic Hero Samson, the protagonist of the play, "Samson Agonistes" by John Milton, is a tragic figure who was a Hebrew by birth. At his birth it had been prophesied that he would perform some noble deeds for the deliverance of his people. Therefore, he was made a Nazarite, that is to say a person whose life is dedicated to the service of God and his chosen people. He was a man of superhuman power and strength but he fell down from his high position and ultimately died for making a mistake and thus he was made a tragic hero. Whether Samson is a tragic hero or not, can be evaluated from the oldest theory of tragedy and tragic hero. These things are given below:- A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who commits an action or makes a mistake which eventually leads to his or her defeat. The idea of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Aristotelian tragic hero: Aristotle once sai...