Is Henchard a Tragic Hero?

A tragedy is a combination of fate, and gods who are acting against the hero ; who has achieved greatness but through a weakness or flaw in his character, who falls into the depths of misery and followed by death. Moreover, in Greek tragedies, a chorus is present, commenting on the actions of character, just as the rustic chorus in Mayor of casterbridge.

The changes in time also give a dramatic tone to the story, as it may appear as if there were scenes in the novel, such as Henchard's wake in the morning from a drunken state.

Henchard completely fulfills his role as a tragic hero through his own character.

As a tragic hero, Michael Henhard has the qualities and the moral strength to endure the tragic events that happen to him.

Indeed, Henchard has physical qualities, he is a strong man, which is proved many times in the story, for instance with the bull, as he manages to stop and control it. In addition, his health and resilience, as he never fell down with any disease, whereas, « everyone auround [him] is dying ». His strength and resilience may link Michael to Herculis, a greek tragic hero.

In addition, Henchard's capacity to respect his oath during twenty-one years shows his determination to make amends for the past. Then, his intellectual curioosity, as he philosophies about external forces that would be manipulating him, could make reference to Ulysses who struggled against the gods. Henchard has also a sense of generosity : his act with Abble Whittle's mother were very noble, which makes his down fall even more tragic. He presents great bravery, as he fights Farfrae, but tied his arm, which also underlines his sense of justice, that he showed when does not deny the furmity woman accusations, he tragically accepted them. Henchard, as a tragic hero is highly ambitious and self-confident, which will make his downfall even greater.

As every man and hero, Henchard knows many weaknesses that will lead him to his own down fall.

He is victim of hubris many times in the novel, and cannot bear competition, for instance, for the public rejoicing he wished to show his superiority over Farfrae. Henchard is such a proud man that instead of accepting his mistake of selling his wife and daughter, he blames the liquor he drank in the furmity-woman's tent for this cruel act. He is an impulsive man, indeed the narrator confesses it : « But the momentum of his character knew no patience » ; the incidents with the royal personnage and Abble Whittle clearly highlight his lack of reflexion about the consequences of his act , and that he cannot control his emotions.

Henchard's tendency for self-desctruction makes of him a great tragic hero, as he tries to do good deeds, but never achieves to overcome and accept his past. We can see his self-destructive nature as he took the decision not to drink alcohol for twenty-one years, following the tragic sale of his wife, he cannot understand that he has to let go of past mistakes and live his life as it is in the present : guilt keeps him moving towards self-destruction. Another example of this nature is his insistence of competing with Farfrae, which eventually ruined him. What is impressive in Henchard's self-destruction, is his reliance in dealing with pain and loss, as he constantly imposes to himself to live in suffering.

In the world of The Mayor of Casterbridge, it seems that characters have very little control over their own personalities. It is clear that almost all of Henchard's misfortunes are caused by his own mistakes. But at the same time, how much control does he have over his mistakes ?

What appear as coincidences that happen to Henchard, are actually events controlled by external forces. These sequence of misfortunes begins at the very beginning of the novel, as Henchard sold his wife because the furmity-woman mixed his drink with rum. Eighteen years later, Henchard had decided to hire Jopp, but Farfrae, the man who supplanted his past employer romantically, socially and politically arrived just one day before Jopp.

Then,