In tragedies, the tragic hero is a noble character but has a fatal flaw that causes him to undergo a reversal. In an inversion, the tragic hero goes through many events that not only make him suffer, but also disturb the natural order of things and cause pity and fear in the audience. Before the tragic hero dies, they must come to recognize their fatal flaw, which restores order and makes the audience experience catharsis. A Greek philosopher, Aristotle, observed the tragic hero and picked up his conventions. In tragedies, the tragic hero must meet all the conventions to be considered a tragic hero. In King Lear by William Shakespeare, these conventions were integrated into the main tragic hero, Lear. However, although Lear is the tragic hero of the play, Shakespeare rejected the norms of a tragedy by adding a secondary tragic hero, Gloucester. Gloucester can be considered a secondary tragic hero as he powerfully manifests Aristotle's conventions of nobility, fatal flaw, reversal, and suffering, while failing to fulfill the conventions of disturbing the natural order and recognition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Gloucester can be considered a secondary tragic hero because he is a noble character who suffers from a fatal flaw. There are two ways in which one can be considered noble: noble by birth and noble by character. Gloucester is noble by birth, hence his title, "Earl of Gloucester", but it can be argued that Gloucester is also noble by character, meaning he is a relatively virtuous person. Gloucester's nobility is evident during the opening of the play when Gloucester explains to Kent in dialogue that he loves Edmund as much as Edgar. As Gloucester states, "who yet is not dearer in my opinion," he explains that although Edmund is a bastard son, he loves him no less than he loves Edmund's older legitimate brother, Edgar. Gloucester's nobility is evident in his selfless duty to accept Edmund, regardless of the consequences of being known as the father of a bastard child. However, despite his noble appearance, Gloucester suffers from a fatal flaw. A fatal flaw is an exaggerated personality trait that causes the tragic hero to be unbalanced. In the same dialogue between Gloucester and Kent, Gloucester brazenly reveals his fatal flaw of adultery, after Kent asks Gloucester if Edmund is his son. Gloucester observes, “a son for her cradle before she had a husband,” confessing her sin of adultery by claiming to have had Edmund before marriage. This act of adultery is Gloucester's fatal flaw that produces an imbalance in his character and leads to his reversal. Therefore, Gloucester can be considered a secondary tragic hero as he is a noble character by accepting Edmund but still suffers from his fatal flaw of adultery. Gloucester can also be considered a tragic hero because he goes through a reversal from his fatal flaw, which then causes him to suffer. In a tragedy, a reversal occurs when the tragic hero turns to the opposite state of affairs, from positive to negative experiences. In Act 3, Scene 5, Gloucester's reversal is evident when he loses the title "Earl of Gloucester". After Gloucester leaves to help Lear, Edmund informs the Duke of Cornwall of Gloucester's assistance to Lear and that Gloucester has received an incriminating letter from the French regarding an invasion. This information makes Gloucester a wanted criminal. Furthermore, as Cornwall states, "you were made Earl of Gloucester". (3.5.18), Edmund is promoted and takes the title of Gloucester. Gloucester's turnaround is clear whenhe went from being a ruling nobleman to a wanted criminal. Gloucester's social class reversal was caused by his fatal flaw as he was the product of his adultery, Edmund, who was cheating on him. This reversal of social class is what makes Gloucester suffer. In a tragedy, the tragic hero must suffer physically or emotionally for something he typically does not deserve. In Act 3, Scene 7, Gloucester is in great pain as Cornwall gouges out his eyes. Since Gloucester is now a wanted criminal, the servants take him back to his castle for interrogation. In the interrogation, Gloucester explains that he was simply trying to protect Lear from what Goneril and Regan might do to him in the future. In response to this, Cornwall states, "upon these eyes of thine I will set my foot" and painfully forces Gloucester to put out his eyes. Although Gloucester's physical suffering is evident, he also suffers emotionally as he does not deserve this cruel punishment and there is no one to help him. After all, Gloucester only intended to protect Lear from Goneril and Regan. Therefore, Gloucester can be considered a secondary tragic hero as he undergoes a social class reversal when Edmund takes his title, which leads him to suffer both physically and emotionally. Although Gloucester can be considered a secondary tragic hero, he is not a primary tragic hero. hero in that he does not manifest all Aristotle's conventions of a tragic hero. Gloucester does not manifest the conventions of disturbing nature and recognizing a fatal flaw, unlike the main tragic hero, Lear. In a tragedy, the tragic hero's fatal flaw and reversal cause natural and social systems to go from order to chaos. Unlike Lear, Gloucester's reversal does not disturb the natural order at all. An example of the discrepancy between Lear's reversal and that of Gloucester can be found in act 3, scene 2, where Lear's anger and desperation cause a storm, effectively disturbing the natural order. Lear is angry because Cornwall has put his servant Kent in shackles. Regan and Cornwall then explain to Lear that he doesn't need servants at all. Lear then begins to break down as he tries not to cry. As he shouts, “this heart will break into a hundred thousand flaws or else I will cry,” a storm begins. We see a pathetic fallacy come into play as the storm resembles Lear's anger. Lear's anger was so powerful that it disturbed the natural order by causing a storm. This is a convention that Gloucester does not display, making him a secondary tragic hero. Furthermore, Gloucester fails to follow the convention of acknowledging a fatal flaw, further demonstrating that Gloucester is not a primary tragic hero. In a tragedy, the tragic hero must come to the recognition of his fatal flaw before dying. Unlike Lear, Gloucester never comes to recognize that it is his fatal flaw of adultery that has caused him all his problems. Gloucester's self-ignorance is demonstrated in Act 3, Scene 4, when Regan claims that Edmund was cheating on him. As Gloucester has his eyes removed, he asks for Edmund's help. Regan then explains that Edmund was cheating on him. While Gloucester cries, “Oh my follies! Then it was Edgar who was abused. Good gods, forgive me and let him prosper. Pray for Edgar's well-being. Gloucester realizes that Edmund was cheating on him, but fails to recognize that it was his act of adultery that caused his downfall. If Gloucester had not committed adultery, Edmund would not have been a bastard son, preventing his evil plan. Therefore, Gloucester is not considered a primary tragic hero because he does not manifest Aristotle's conventions of disturbing the natural order and recognizing a flaw..