"Tragedy, then, is a process of imitating an action that has serious implications, is complete, and possesses grandeur; by means of language that has been made sensually attractive , with each of its varieties found separately in the parts; enacted by the people themselves and not presented through the narrative through a path of pity and fear that completes the purification (catharsis) of such emotions." (Aristotle) ​​The “tragic hero” is a tireless staple in all literary mediums. Although the defining characteristics of the term have morphed since its initial creation by Aristotle many millennia ago, the main idea has survived. To be a tragic hero you need to meet several requirements. The formula begins with a character that possesses noble and admirable qualities. Then come the imperfections that make him appear human and believable, and finally the tragic hero is completed when he experiences an equally tragic fall, partly his fault and disproportionate to his crime (Aristotle). In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald successfully creates the main character Jay Gatsby as such a figure. By modeling his protagonist in the shadow of such a literary icon, Fitzgerald's hopes of introducing the classic American novel to the public are realized. Through analysis of the novel, the claim that Jay Gatsby was created as a tragic hero is irrefutable. Before the reader even considers an investigation into the novel's binding, Gatsby is firmly established in the reader's mind as having an indefinable, indescribable aura of intrinsic goodness. By including “awesome” in the title, Fitzgerald imposes a bias on everyone exposed to the work. Regardless of whether you take a fleeting glance at the cover, or hear about the classic from a ri... middle of paper... it would be influential and financially successful. By following such a basic formula, Fitzgerald knew he would emerge victorious. And with admirable qualities, sensitive imperfections, and an unfortunate downfall, Gatsby embodies the tragic hero and Fitzgerald sees success. Like all great literary figures, Jay Gatsby teaches an important lesson for all humanity. We must be practical and realistic in our actions and our lives, because when we waste our lives chasing beautiful lights that enhance our interests, we too become tragic heroes, forever lost in the annals of history. Work cited Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. SH Butcher. The Internet Classics Archive. Web Atomic and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, September 13, 2007.‹http://classics.mit.edu/›.Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner, 2004.