Could Judas ever be viewed as a tragic hero in the story of Jesuss betrayal and crucifixion?
As you placed this in the writing category, and not a religion one, I’d say sure. A tragic hero is a character whose tragic flaw leads to his inevitable downfall. I would say the Judas’ tragic flaw would be his greed (a very common tragic flaw, at that). Judas fits the definition of a tragic hero because he: Was born into a (moderately) noble class Starts off honored Has the tragic flaw of greed Falls from his position of honor Recognizes that his fate is due to his own behavior and accepts his death. The only aspect wherein one might argue against a strict Aristotelian tragic hero position is the fact that he does not suffer more than he should, according to most people. Many would say he got only what he deserved and no more. Caveat: I do not necessarily hold to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Macbeth, for example, is commonly listed as an example, and I think that’s crap. But that’s a long sermon for another day. 🙂 Answer originally posted in response to
