Formal In-Class Essay – Oct. 16 & 17
Aristotle’s Theory of Modern Tragic Hero
Assignment Description
You will write a formal, in-class essay
applying Aristotle’s theory of the tragic hero
to a modern tragic hero. You will draw on
your knowledge of Aristotle’s theory,
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, and the
biography of your modern tragic hero. (Use
Aristotle’s theory to prove Oedipus and your
hero have elements of a tragic hero).
 Re-read Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy to
select your tragic hero. Should be a
person within the last 20 years. Be very
careful when selecting a modern tragic
hero – check your elements of a tragic
hero to be sure you’ve correctly chosen
your modern hero (example: Terry Fox is
not a Tragic Hero. Why not? – check
elements of a Tragic Hero)
 Remember that Oedipus Rex is a
character in a play not a real person/the
person you select should be a real person,
not a character
 You require quotes from Oedipus Rex and
quotes from your modern hero choice
 Literary works always written in present
tense/but with your modern hero, you can
write in past tense if required
 Do not use block style, use ping pong
style (go from Oedipus to your modern
hero to compare)
Your finished essay will:
a) explain and use essential elements of
Aristotle’s theory of the tragic hero
b) include quotations from the play, Oedipus
the King text
c) include quotations from the biography of
your modern hero (from articles, newspapers,
etc.)-remember that quotes can be anything,
not just what the person says
d) adhere to MLA format
During the in-class writing period, you may
use only your Oedipus the King text (mark
your quotes) and the biographical
notes/articles, etc. about your hero (please
highlight the quotes in the article).
 Absolutely no outlines or notes about
what a tragic hero is.
If you prepare thoroughly, your essay will
demonstrate insightful ideas, strong
supporting evidence and quotes, clear
organization, excellent word choice, and
accurate writing mechanics.
Other Important Notes:
 To be considered complete, you must
submit the following: rubric, essay, Works
Cited, research on modern hero.
 Come to the essay writing class with a
complete and correct Works Cited (this
should be done on your own time)
 3-4 foolscap pages
At the end of first day, leave papers with Mrs.
McCabe (Jacob you will print yours out).
Take it the next day and continue working on
it.
On the second day, Mrs. McCabe will come
around and sign off on each students’ essay.
You may take it home, and the only thing you
can change is the spelling.
Entire package for marking:
 Essay
 Works Cited
 Rubric
 Research on Modern Hero (articles,
clippings, etc.)
Aristotle’s
Theory
Quotes
Oedipus Rex
(play)
Quotes
Modern Hero
(real person)