Tragic heroes are found throughout Greek mythology and folklore. They are called “tragic” because their stories are tragedies. The two Greek plays, Antigone and Oedipus, are good examples of tragedy. These plays, written by Sophocles, are very different and yet they share one similarity…tragic heroes. There are certain criteria that must be met for a person to qualify as a tragic hero. He (or she) is usually of noble blood, but not a god. …showed first 75 words of 1800 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1800 total…heroes’ actions and the fact that the characters of each epic have a great common point in terms of their leadership in situations. But they differ in the order of events concerning the requirements of the tragic hero. Their ruinous reigns are the product of their unwillingness to deviate from their self-indulgent, all-consuming omnipotence. In both tragedies, Sophocles concludes that all mortals are fated by the gods, and must render their lives to higher powers.