In Poetics, Aristotle describes what he means by the term "tragic hero." He tells us that a tragic hero is someone "who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience." This character is someone who encounters tragedy due to an error in judgement or character. Aristotle states that "a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his downfall."
This is the case of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. In the book, we learn that Okonkwo is an admired and respected man in his tribe. Achebe tells us that "Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars. And so although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the greatest men of his time."
However, Okonkwo is an example of a tragic hero. Although he had all the elements necessary to be the hero of his own story, he also has some negative qualities that lead to his downfall. Okonkwo is greatly terrified of being like his father, who he considered to be weak and feminine. This great fear leads him to be overly masculine and violent. These negative and dictatorial emotions ultimately lead to his destruction.
