Said - Tragic Hero

A tragic hero can be described as the main character facing difficulty, starting at a high point and leading towards a tragic death. A tragic hero is an archetype derived from the Greek theatre. In “The Thief & The Dogs”, Mahfouz portrays Said as a tragic hero, throughout subtly exposing him to have the certain characteristics of a tragic hero, such as hamartia, hubris, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and nemesis.

Firstly and most importantly, every tragic hero has a tragic flaw (hamartia), which is a weakness in personality which usually the reason for their downfall. With Said it is his need for revenge on all of those who have betrayed him. This is seen in the very beginning of the novel, upon finally leaving the prison in chapter one, we see a soliloquy where he addresses two of the three betrayals he has experienced, from his ex-wife, Nabbawiyya, and her new husband, Illish. “Nabbawiyya. Ilish. Your two names merge in my mind. For years you will have been thinking about this day, never imagining, all the while, that the gates would ever actually open. You’ll be watching now, but I won’t fall into the trap. At the right moment, instead,.” A
s seen within this particular quote, Said admits to planning their encounter and described how he will ‘strike like fate’, indicating that he will seek revenge on them.

A second term that is commonly used amongst the Greeks in cooperation with a tragic hero is hubris, which is defined as excessive pride, which is usually but not always, the tragic hero’s hamartia. In Said’s case it is not his tragic flaw, but it is present throughout his character. This is seen where even at the end of the novel, Said still seizes to realise his own mistakes. Even upon being arrested for a crime that he did in fact commit, he forced blame on others. An example of this is seen in chapter two, with the conversation between him and the Sheikh in whom he seeks refuge. “It wasn’t thanks to any sweat by the police that I was arrested.” Said went on, the veins in his forehead pulsing with anger. ”

Another crucial aspects of any tragic hero’s journey is the peripeteia, also a Greek word), which describes the point of the plot where there is a reversal of circumstances which begins the downfall of the hero. The turning point. In terms of Said, the peripeteia is the point where Said, aiming to kill Illish, actually murders the innocent landlord. This event is his turning point and is the beginning of Said’s major downfall.

One aspect of the tragic hero that Said does not possess is the anagnorsis. The anagnorsis is the point of the story in which the tragic hero realises that the events that have occurred are due to his own choices. Yet Said does not seem to experience this specific tragic hero trait, Even towards the end of the novel Said has yet to have that moment where he comprehends that this was his own doing, relating back to the note of fate versus freewill, which is a very recurring theme in a tragic hero’s story.

Usually with a tragic hero they are faced with a greater fate than they deserve, which the audience picks up on and tends to sympathise with the character, implementing the idea that tragic hero’s are incorporated for the sake of catharsis and pity. In terms of Said, while he was committing all the crimes he committed, in his head he thought his actions were justified, by the way he was brought up, he was taught