This essay examines the concept of heroism through the lens of tragic flaws, using four iconic literary figures — Don Quixote, Othello, Achilles, and Odysseus — to argue that true heroes are simultaneously brave and flawed. Drawing on works by Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Homer, the paper shows how each hero's blindness to his own weaknesses complicates both his fate and the lives of those around him. The September 11 first responders serve as a real-world frame for this definition of heroism: courage without guaranteed outcomes. Together, these examples build a nuanced portrait of the hero as a fundamentally human figure.
Since the terrible attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the actions of New York City's police officers and firefighters have given us one definition of a hero: they ran into the doomed buildings trying to save people while everyone else ran out. That tragic event illustrated that a heroic person often does not know where his or her actions will lead.
The concept of the tragic hero — brave, idealistic, yet undone by a personal flaw — is one of literature's most enduring frameworks. Don Quixote, Othello, Achilles, and Odysseus each embody this idea in distinct ways, and together they help construct a fuller definition of what it means to be a hero.
Don Quixote would be an example of a hero who courageously enters a dangerous situation without knowing what the outcome will be. Don Quixote was delusional, of course, but he believed in his artificially constructed persona and repeatedly showed no hesitation when charging — sometimes literally — into trouble, with the goal of saving someone or righting some wrong.
His encounter with the windmill demonstrates the kinds of events that typically happen to heroes. Convinced that the windmill is an evil giant, he gallops toward it, gets caught in its blades, and is thrashed quite soundly. Afterwards, he rationalizes that the giant magically turned himself into a windmill, because that is what it would take to defeat such a great knight. Quixote has not anticipated the difference between the ideal battles in his head and the realities of battles with other men.
Othello, in Shakespeare's play Othello, the Moor of Venice, is a more realistic hero. He has been a great general and is held in high regard. It is his status as a war hero that makes it possible for him to marry the beautiful Desdemona. Othello surely recognized his battlefield decisions as important, but it did not occur to him that the question of whom he should or should not promote would lead him to ruin.
Othello has not anticipated the level of jealousy others might feel toward his accomplishments. Cassio, who otherwise would probably have remained loyal to Othello, instead joins a plot to bring him down. Othello, who can read a battlefield well, does not see what is going on around him. It is as if he has believed what others have said about him and has lionized himself. Because of this blindness to the sentiments of those around him, he cannot protect himself within his own home.
"Achilles' arrogance leads to atrocity and ruin"
"Odysseus' hubris delays his return and endangers him"
We will never know what tragic flaws the heroes of September 11 may have possessed, but the four literary heroes discussed here help complete a definition of heroes: while brave and holding high ideals, they are still human. They contain flaws as well as strengths, and their blindness to their own flaws complicates the lives of themselves as well as those around them.
You’re 56% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.