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    English Literature IGCSE

    Tragic Hero

    What Tragic Hero means in English Literature IGCSE, as defined for Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel.

    Definitions of Tragic Hero

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    A protagonist of high status who is brought to ruin by a fatal flaw (hamartia) and an inability to adapt.
    Cambridge International · Things Fall Apart (study guide)
    A protagonist of noble stature who possesses a fatal flaw (hamartia) leading to their downfall.
    Cambridge International · Antony and Cleopatra (study guide)
    A protagonist who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to their own destruction.
    Pearson Edexcel · A View from the Bridge (study guide)

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    Using Tragic Hero in the exam

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