tragic figure
4
7.2
- noun
- /ˈtrædʒɪk ˈfɪɡjər/
- Literature
:
figura trágica
- In the play, the protagonist becomes a tragic figure when his ambition leads him to betray his closest friends.
The Caesar that we usually think of, the Caesar that we know and love, the tragic figure, the dictator who reached too far, the colossus.
- The Caesar that we usually think of, the Caesar that we know and love, the tragic figure, the dictator who reached too far, the colossus.
Examples
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As for Mary, the article casts her as a tragic figure that, in the vein of Romantic writing, ends up isolated and rejected by society because of her pursuit of self-fulfillment.
Academic text (2015) -
He was already becoming a tragic figure of sorts, ditched abruptly by his flighty, good-for-nothing wife.
Fiction book (1999) -
I alone understood that Daddy was a hero, a tragic figure.
Fiction book (1997) -
Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure.
-
Moira does get to be seen as a tragic figure for this.
Blog text (18) -
They are beautiful, tragic figures, and much of the writing is about them.
Academic text (2010) -
Rachel Alexandra is proving to be the tragic figure, through no fault of her own.
Blog text (18) -
My point is, Achilles was a tragic figure for he gained a deeper understanding of the world through calamity.
-
The last Soviet leader, Gorbachev, can be considered operationally the Grand Miscalculator and historically a tragic figure.
Academic text (1992) -
Abu Wahhab is a tragic figure—following organizational rules, receiving little support for his efforts, and shunned by his relatives.
Academic text (1994)
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently built from 'tragic' (relating to tragedy) modifying 'figure' (a person or character), so it literally denotes a person/character characterized by tragic qualities leading to downfall. This adjective+noun composition is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Tragic figure comes from old plays where an important figure makes a serious mistake and then falls from power. That's why it means a character whose own fault brings about their 'downfall'.