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Best examples of tragic heroes in cinema/television

Omar 382

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A tragic hero is a literary character, typically the protagonist the story, who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.

They are one of my favorite characters in cinema, outside of maybe the classic anti-hero. If you want, list some of your favorite tragic heroes in film/television.

Seth Brundle from The Fly. A classic tragic hero who starts out as a loner, and somewhat eccentric scientist, who thinks he is going to change the world with his teleportation device, but accidentally messes up, and transforms into a deranged species.
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Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2. Easily my favorite. Also a scientist who comes up with a device that he thinks will improve mankind, until the experiment goes wrong and he is fused with AI tentacles and becomes a villain
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Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise. *Spoilers* Tries to save and protect Harry through his love for Harry's mother, but ends up being killed at the hands of Voldemort. He could also be characterized as an anti-hero, as I don't believe it is clear that he is 100% moral (well, no one is, but his intentions at least) by the end of the story. After all, if Dumbledore's plan worked, Harry, Voldemort, and Dumbledore would all be dead; with Snape alive to be in charge of the wizarding world. What a great character
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Sara Goldfarb in Requiem For a Dream. Wants to lose weight so she can be on television with her son, her life-long dream, so she goes to a doctor who prescribes stimulants to help her lose weight and depressants to help her sleep. She quickly becomes addicted, and begins to go through stimulant psychosis (@Bojack_Horseman must love this movie), and ends up being confined all by herself to a mental hospital. I won't post a picture of her, but the final scene from the movie, where she dreams of her dream coming true and appearing on television with her son. Perfect ending to a very sad movie.
 

Ojb81

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Requiem for a Dream is one of those movies where, when it's over, you just look around at the others in the room and say "what in thee FUCK....?", and you can't get the movie out of your head for the rest of the day.
 

Payton

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Walter White...
 

Omar 382

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Requiem for a Dream is one of those movies where, when it's over, you just look around at the others in the room and say "what in thee FUCK....?", and you can't get the movie out of your head for the rest of the day.
I couldn't eat the rest of the day
 

SlinkyRedfoot

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Ben Sanderson and Chris McCandless come to mind for me.

I'm not into the kid's shit from the OP.
 

Omar 382

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Walter White...
I thought about including him, but I don't think he counts. He consciously chose to sell meth, as opposed to someone who had different/somewhat pure intentions who resulted in a tragic downfall.
 

soxfan1468927

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Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise. *Spoilers* Tries to save and protect Harry through his love for Harry's mother, but ends up being killed at the hands of Voldemort. He could also be characterized as an anti-hero, as I don't believe it is clear that he is 100% moral (well, no one is, but his intentions at least) by the end of the story. After all, if Dumbledore's plan worked, Harry, Voldemort, and Dumbledore would all be dead; with Snape alive to be in charge of the wizarding world. What a great character
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But you would have to ignore the previous 14 years from Lily dying to Dumbledore being cursed. Snape had no idea that Harry or Dumbledore had to die when he first turned spy. I also think you miss THE critical point in him being a tragic hero. Lily only died because Snape gave Voldemort the information from the prophecy.
 

whiskey

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Snape was also a creepy, lustful stalker. He wasn't even an anti-hero. He had a hate-boner for another dude's wife, and there's actually something really fucked up about that.
 

Payton

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I thought about including him, but I don't think he counts. He consciously chose to sell meth, as opposed to someone who had different/somewhat pure intentions who resulted in a tragic downfall.

His intentions were "good" though initially. He was diagnosed with cancer and sought away to quickly build a nest egg for his family to survive on when he was gone... Spiraled out of control very quickly, but...
 

Clayton

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One of the core themes of Game of Thrones is the idea that the principles that makes every character unique is almost always what gets them killed. Im not sure I could pick an individual character but I figure Ill just nominate a Song of Ice and Fire
 

Omar 382

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His intentions were "good" though initially. He was diagnosed with cancer and sought away to quickly build a nest egg for his family to survive on when he was gone... Spiraled out of control very quickly, but...
No, they really weren't, and this is a common misinterpretation of Breaking Bad IMO. Walter's intentions were never about his family, they were always about himself. When he was sitting in his living room in the pilot watching the meth seizure, all he saw was the money. The show even drowned out the news report and his family talking to focus singularly on Walter staring at the money. And then at the end of the show, he says this:


I told @Clayton, I have few, if any other, understandings/interpretations of TV shows/cinema that I hold as inherently true. This is one of them. He sold meth singularly for himself. To feel alive again, after being stepped on and over his entire life.
 

SlinkyRedfoot

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Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise. *Spoilers* Tries to save and protect Harry through his love for Harry's mother, but ends up being killed at the hands of Voldemort. He could also be characterized as an anti-hero, as I don't believe it is clear that he is 100% moral (well, no one is, but his intentions at least) by the end of the story. After all, if Dumbledore's plan worked, Harry, Voldemort, and Dumbledore would all be dead; with Snape alive to be in charge of the wizarding world. What a great character

But you would have to ignore the previous 14 years from Lily dying to Dumbledore being cursed. Snape had no idea that Harry or Dumbledore had to die when he first turned spy. I also think you miss THE critical point in him being a tragic hero. Lily only died because Snape gave Voldemort the information from the prophecy.

Snape was also a creepy, lustful stalker. He wasn't even an anti-hero. He had a hate-boner for another dude's wife, and there's actually something really fucked up about that.

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Oh my fuck.
 

Omar 382

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But you would have to ignore the previous 14 years from Lily dying to Dumbledore being cursed. Snape had no idea that Harry or Dumbledore had to die when he first turned spy. I also think you miss THE critical point in him being a tragic hero. Lily only died because Snape gave Voldemort the information from the prophecy.
Good find. This plays into it for sure. And I haven't seen/read the HP series in a while, but you are right that Snape did not know that Harry and Dumbledore would have to die for the wizarding world. Nonetheless, when he did find out at the climax, it may have given him some motivation for all actions for Voldemort in the 7th book.
 

Omar 382

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Snape was also a creepy, lustful stalker. He wasn't even an anti-hero. He had a hate-boner for another dude's wife, and there's actually something really fucked up about that.
He is an anti-hero. He did bad seemingly bad things (killing Dumbledore, being a Death Eater), for a noble and pure reason- his love for Lily. And he's undoubtedly a tragic hero.

One of the best characters ever conceived, IMO.
 

SlinkyRedfoot

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No, they really weren't, and this is a common misinterpretation of Breaking Bad IMO. Walter's intentions were never about his family, they were always about himself. When he was sitting in his living room in the pilot watching the meth seizure, all he saw was the money. The show even drowned out the news report and his family talking to focus singularly on Walter staring at the money. And then at the end of the show, he says this:


I told @Clayton, I have few, if any other, understandings/interpretations of TV shows/cinema that I hold as inherently true. This is one of them. He sold meth singularly for himself. To feel alive again, after being stepped on and over his entire life.

His initial motivations were not for himself. At all. Obviously, it turned into that, but he did not first walk down that road because he wanted to be rich and powerful. He was dying and had nothing to leave his family.
 

Omar 382

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4118796_o.gif


Oh my fuck.
Don't lie Slinky. We all know about your laser surgery tattoo removal of that lightening bolt on your forehead a couple of days before your wedding
 

Omar 382

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His initial motivations were not for himself. At all. Obviously, it turned into that, but he did not first walk down that road because he wanted to be rich and powerful. He was dying and had nothing to leave his family.
 
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