Modern Day Tragic Hero

Bradley Chen

Mr. Smith

College Comp II

April 10, 2011

OJ Simpson: A Modern-Day Tragic Hero

Like the Shakespearean heroes Prince Hamlet and King Oedipus, many times greatness ends with a tragic downfall. Likewise, Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson was at the top of the world, when a tragic flaw of his personality took over and led to his descent. In his article, “Oedipus, Achilles, and O.J.—Lessons from Antiquity for Our Time,” Michel Baur believes that Americans considered O.J. Simpson a hero because the world of sports is still an area where we look to find heroes in this day. His story is tragic because of the fact that he had so many things going for him but he forfeited them all by his decisions. True heroes exemplify the high qualities of human greatness and when they fall, it becomes a tragedy. There are a number of characteristics described by Aristotle in his book “Poetics,” that identify a tragic hero. Three such characteristics are that a tragic hero had to be someone with influence that had the potential for something great, someone who was not entirely bad, but also not entirely good, and someone who had a character flaw that made his downfall inevitable. Based on Aristotle’s criteria, and the fact that his transformation from triumphant to tragic is clear, O.J. Simpson can be considered a modern-day tragic hero.

Originally, O.J. Simpson was best known for his great accomplishments on the football field. He was a legendary player who was touted as being one of the best running backs to ever play the game. His football accolades include being a Heisman trophy winner while at the University of Southern California in 1968, playing professional football for both the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers, holding a record for rushing over 2000 yards in one season, being selected as the NFL MVP in 1973, and being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Even after football, he was an actor in several movies as well as a popular...