Ambition Kills Alfred Tennyson, a British poet, once wrote, “Ambition is like the sea wave, which the more you drink the more you thirst… it drives you mad.” This idea can be represented by the overwhelming ambition experienced by many tragic heroes as their overwhelming flaw. In tragedies, the slow loss of control is what leads to the downfall of the hero. As the plots progress, the characters seem less and less like the true heroes that are dreamed of. Medea by Euripides, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare explore aspect of hamartia in tragedies through the development of hamartia in their main characters. All three works support the idea that unregulated ambition and ego ultimately lead to failure. One aspect of hamartia is the most prevalent tragic flaw that all tragic characters possess. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe develops excessive pride in the main character, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s pride is mainly connected to his upbringing as a whole. However, his pride became more …show more content…
He was afraid of being thought weak” (p. 61). The author’s use of short, concise sentences provides the effect of making Okonkwo’s actions seeming more defined. The phrases used show just how little thought went into his immediate decision, which displays Okonkwo negatively. In order to assert his hierarchical dominance among other members of the clan, he kills Ikemefuna, a boy that he had treated like one of his own. Moreover, phrases such as “cut” and “machete” are used in order to disseminate fear within the reader. Yet, the reader still feels a level of pity for Okonkwo. The pity is not only because of his tribe being whittled away to nothing, but also for the reality of what Okonkwo has become. His hamartia has consumed him up to the point where he is led to kill those closest to him without the slightest hint of
The novel "Thing's fall apart" by Chinua Achebe is a complex work that masterfully establishes and develops characters through their experience with cultural collision. The way that Achebe accomplishes carefully weaving his implicit claim throughout the work is such a beautiful subtlety that it deserves to be analyzed. The Igbo's pride is constantly challenged by the colonizers as they gain increasingly more power in Africa. The idea of pride is constantly developed throughout the thoughts and actions of the novels protagonist Okonkwo. His response to the colonizers is influenced by his own views on pride and is used by Achebe to illustrate his own opinion on pride.
In the Ancient Greek tradition, a tragedy includes Hamartia which is, Peripeteia, Nemesis and Hubris. Hamartia is the hero’s tragic flaws. Peripeteia is when the hero has a reversal of their fate, nemesis is the consequences of the hero’s actions and hubris is an overwhelming pride. An example of a tragic hero would be Walter White from Breaking Bad. Walter White goes from loving family man to a drug kingpin in a short couple of years, showing his ultimate undoing and demise.
The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.
Achebe writes, “ Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 63). Many other members of the tribe would have let their son be killed because of the unwavering faith many have in their religion and the decisions of the elders. However, not many would do it themselves. This scene truly showcases Okonkwo’s fears.
Human ambition is a powerful force that can drive individuals to achieve their goals, but it can also lead to their downfall. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and William Shakespeare's Macbeth are two literary works that explore the theme of ambition and its consequences. In this essay, unchecked ambition will be explored through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and Macbeth to demonstrate how human ambition must be controlled. Through the examination of the theme of ambition in Frankenstein and Macbeth, it becomes certain that unchecked ambition can lead to corruption, moral decay, and tragic outcomes for the characters involved. Both Frankenstein and Macbeth show the excitement that ambition holds for Victor Frankenstein and Macbeth.
Okonkwo’s values are restricted to physical strength, power, and prosperity, and when the Europeans suddenly arrive, the cultural convergence prompts Okonkwo to respond with even more violence. While the majority of his tribe, including his son Nwoye, is open to considering
They had broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned fright in that tumult. He heard voices asking: “Why did he do it?” (Achebe 143). When Okonkwo was faced with his enemies, he makes a rash decision and kills the messenger.
Okonkwo’s aggressive ways caused Nwoye to rely on Ikemefuna, A boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village, as an older brother who teaches him a more gentle form of masculinity. The bond between Nwoye and Ikemefuna was stronger than the bond between Nwoye and Okonkwo ever was because of Okonkwo’s refusal to demonstrate affection towards his son as it could make him appear weak. However, because of the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye fears having to return to the harsh values of his father. Okonkwo’s stubborn ideas of masculinity ruined his relationship with his son beyond repair. Okonkwo’s refusal to show emotion towards his family pushed them apart which shows that Okonkwo is not willing to give up his stern values and reputation to be emotionally committed to his family.
In the beginning of the story, Okonkwo was a very vigorous man who everyone loves. One day a killing happened leaving Okonkwo with a wife and a son, Ikemefuna. He grew to like the young boy, where he is different from his other children, On a fateful day, Okonkwo murders Ikemefuna. Okonkwo had a load of guilt for killing his adoptive son, Ikemefuna.
In conclusion, Okonkwo is a tragic hero because, in the beginning of “The Things Fall Apart”, there is a rise in the action of Okonkwo and sets the climax. After that it is observed that there is fall in his action, where Okonkwo commits a crime by killing 16 year son and this lead him to suffer. Moreover, it is seen that Okonkwo realizes his mistakes and at the end of the novel, he commits suicide. Considering all the reasons, there is no doubt that Okonkwo is a tragic hero like Hamlet or Oedipus, is typically a man consequence brought down by an insuperable conflict, or through his own
In the book “Things Fall Apart“ Okonkwo is a very strong man and from time to time he starts showing his true self. He has a lot of responsibilities and other things he has to do around the living environment and interact with lots of people. Okonkwo changes from being that strong man, to a man who feels like his tribe is not with him when he wants to go to war with the missionaries. For someone like Okonkwo a lot of people looks up to him and while in the tribe Okonkwo beats his wives and children. Not good behavior for someone who is supposedly looked at as strong.
Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe. In the novel there is a main character called Okonkwo. He lived in Umuofia where he was also known throughout many of the nine villages around Umuofia. In the beginning of the story we see his overwhelming hatred towards his father Unoka. His father died about ten years ago and had not taken any title and was very much in debt.
Okonkwo hates change, and he feels that the missionaries have brought about change through their religion, which has started to affect other aspects of traditional Igbo life and its people. He feels that the men have gotten weaker, hence him feeling proud when the warriors start acting like warriors again in his mind when the village agrees some violent action must be taken against the white man. When the village crier announces that there will be a meeting to discuss what to do about the foreigners following Okonkwo and the other prisoners getting released, Okonkwo is very excited. However, once the meeting gets interrupted by court messengers during a speech about how the white man is desecrating their gods and ancestral spirits, things take a turn for the worst. As soon as the head messenger tells the crowd to disperse “Okonkwo drew his machete.
The post colonial novel, "Things fall apart" by Chinua Achebe depicts its protagonist Okonkwo as great person who falls into the world of chaos to find his own place through his strength and achievements. Okonkwo in few parts of novel touches the traces of epic hero while in other parts touches the tragic hero characteristics. However Okonkwo 's suicide in the end turns the table to reader to view him through different lens than epic hero or tragic hero. According to Aristotle in his poetics, the tragic hero is an intermediate person who is filled with tragic flaw(hubris /hamartia)
Despite the fact that his status in the Umuofia tribe was high-ranked, his masculinity seems to bulldoze over the qualities that humanize him. In a section of Psychology & Behavioral Health Vol.2 about fear, the author states, “Fear is an unpleasant emotion that occurs in response to an immediate and identifiable threat, usually of an external nature ” (Moglia). While faced with conflict Okonkwo detects a threat and reacts. In several instances these reactions have caused him immense losses such as the death of his adopted son. Okonkwo's temper always manages to shine through, Things Fall Apart depicts this perfectly by stating, “It is not only Ikemefuna who feels fear… every nerve in Okonkwo tells him this is wrong, but when the moment comes, he kills his adopted son.”