Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Joe Keller is a tragic hero, who has many qualities and one flaw.In the play 'All My Sons', Arthur Miller creates the character Joe Keller

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Joe Keller is a tragic hero. Discuss. Drama originates from the plays of the Greek, in which a tragedy occurs. In these plays the tragic hero (protagonist) commits an offence. He must then find out what he has done wrong, suffer the consequences of his actions and perhaps in the end, die. The Greeks saw the death of the tragic hero as being a way to show that the gods are being fair and the moral order of the universe is restored. A tragic hero according to the Aristotelian Unities is a person who has many outstanding qualities but one tragic flaw. Joe Keller is a tragic hero, who has many qualities and one flaw. In the play 'All My Sons', Arthur Miller creates the character Joe Keller. Joe seems to be an ordinary person, though in the play he represents a man of 'class'. ...read more.

Middle

Joe Keller is not a bad man. This effectively makes us see him as a superior man. He loves his family but does not see that the universal "family" has a higher priority. He may think he has got away with his crime, but everyday in his mind, he is troubled by the thought of it. He has this guilt locked up inside him. He has compartmentalized it to avoid feeling guilty. He relies on his wife Kate, not to betray his guilt. The central character of this tragedy is Joe. Arthur Miller shows this in the play because the play is about a tragedy. In this play the tragedy evolves around Joe because he is the one who has committed the tragic mistake. Therefore we always refer back to him. As a result making, Joe Keller the central character of the play. ...read more.

Conclusion

Then later on in the play, when we find out about the broken cylinder heads, we see Joe as a different person. Now Joe Keller is a person who escaped a period of time in Jail. He did this by accusing his friend, partner and neighbour, of the crime that he actually was guilty for. So now we see Joe not as such a high figure, but rather a man who has a major flaw. Now throughout the poem we see him with this one flaw that changes his whole character. This one flaw is what makes Keller a tragic hero. Like a tragic hero, in the end Joe Keller, dies because he committed suicide. The reason he killed himself is because he could no longer live with this guilt and that he wanted set the 'order of the universe' straight, once again. In conclusion, Joe Keller fits the persona of a tragic hero. ?? ?? ?? ?? Zain Khan Y11-4 ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

3 star(s)

This essay begins strongly but then becomes repetitive and too superficial and neither the play nor the character are ever really analysed in any depth. When making points make sure to explain them and relate them back to the title and topic of the essay.

3 Stars

Marked by teacher Laura Gater 26/07/2013

Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related GCSE Arthur Miller essays

  1. Marked by a teacher

    The Crucible act one

    3 star(s)

    John proctor stays away from the church because he believes that Parris no longer preaches about God, but is interested in the churches layout and what objects it has. 14. What evidence is there that Parris is unhappy with the way he is treated by his congregation?

  2. The Crucible - Act 1 – Abigail Diary.

    She is evil. She is going to have seventy-two people killed within the next week, if that! People that have never even stepped a foot in her way. Never done anything to hurt anyone. Oh Elizabeth. If only you knew how much I love you, and how sorry I am.

  1. Why and How Does Eddie Carbone Change As The Play Progresses? What Leads to ...

    Beatrice knows there is this sense of jealousy. "If it was a prince came here for you it would be no different" There is definite discomfort, now in Catherine as well as Beatrice, although more hidden. This mirrors how they act towards him and each other. Eddie needed help deciding how to get rid of Rodolpho, so turned to Alfieri, his father's lawyer.

  2. 'Is John Proctor A Tragic Hero?'

    However, at the end of Act3 Abigail is more powerful than ever. In this sense, the events in the courtroom also contribute his downfall. Proctor is distraught at the thought of forcing his wife to lie, after previously saying 'she is a good woman, and would not lie.'

  1. Discuss the importance of LOYALTY in Millers,'A view from the bridge' Loyalty is ...

    Like when he comes home sometimes you throw yourself at him like when you was 12 years old!" This shows that Beatrice is really trying to tell Catherine that she has to stop acting like that in front of Eddie, because she isn't 12 years old anymore, she is nearly 18 years old.

  2. Proctor, hero or Villain?

    Hale: twenty-six times in seventeen month, sir. I must call that rare. Will you tell me why you are so absent? Proctor Mr hale, I never knew I must account to that man for I come to church or sty at home.

  1. What is The Crucible within the play, and how does it bring about change ...

    In order to fully understand The Crucible, we must first understand some of the plays background and history. The term "Witch-hunt" was first used to describe the searching out and persecution of a religious minority, or a political group with ideas different to the majority of the population.

  2. Compare and contrast the personalities, behaviour and attitudes of the two brothers in A ...

    Rodolfo gains the respect of the other characters via completely different means. As a character Rodolfo is young spirited, he is a dreamer who likes to sing and make everyone laugh, and it is his good spirited nature that people (excluding Eddie)

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work