<P> Creon of Sophocles' Antigone is another notable example of a tragic hero . Polyneices and his brother, Eteocles, were kings, and the former wanted more power, so he left and assembled an army from a neighboring city . They attacked and the two brothers killed each other . Through Creon's law forbidding the burial of Polyneices, Creon dooms his own family . Other examples provided by Aristotle include Thyestes . </P> <P> Therefore, the Aristotelian hero is characterized as virtuous but not "eminently good," which suggests a noble or important personage who is upstanding and morally inclined while nonetheless subject to human error . Aristotle's tragic heroes are flawed individuals who commit, without evil intent, great wrongs or injuries that ultimately lead to their misfortune, often followed by tragic realization of the true nature of events that led to this destiny . This means the hero still must be--to some degree--morally grounded . The usual irony in Greek tragedy is that the hero is both extraordinarily capable and highly moral (in the Greek honor - culture sense of being duty - bound to moral expectations), and it is these exact, highly - admirable qualities that lead the hero into tragic circumstances . The tragic hero is snared by his or her own greatness: extraordinary competence, a righteous passion for duty, and (often) the arrogance associated with greatness (hubris). </P> <P> The influence of the Aristotelian hero extends past classical Greek literary criticism . Greek theater had a direct and profound influence on Roman theater and formed the basis of Western theater that continues into the modern era, deeply influencing a wide variety of arts throughout the world, in diverse mediums such as literature, music, film, television and even video games . Many iconic characters featured in these genres follow the archetype of the tragic hero . Examples of such characters include Anakin Skywalker from George Lucas' Star Wars films, Okonkwo from Nigerian author Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, Arthas Menethil from the video game franchise Warcraft, and Stannis Baratheon from George R.R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and the HBO television series adaptation Game of Thrones . Some film historians regard Michael Corleone of The Godfather a tragic hero, although using traditional literary conventions, the character would more closely fit the role of villain, not tragic hero . </P>

A tragic hero is a character who comes to misfortune through a fatal character flaw