Explain How Ahab is a Tragic Hero in Moby Dick

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Ahab, a Tragic Hero
A tragic hero in a play, film or novel is the leading character in a dramatic tragedy and is destined for downfall or defeat. Captain Ahab, in Moby Dick, is a tragic hero. Ahab exhibits intelligence and leadership skills; however, he has fatal flaws that make him fall from his greatness. In this case, the become the cause of his sad life towards the end of the narrative. In this context, the paper discusses Ahab’s pride and ego, and defiance as the reason behind him being a tragic hero in Moby Dick.
Captain Ahab is full of pride and ego. After losing his leg, Ahab declared himself a prophet and prophesized that he will “dismember, Moby Dick, his dismemberer” (Melville 161). Moreover, he had confidence that he will kill the white whale. His pride and ego made him trust his dangerous and illogical plan. Eventually, his pursuit of Moby Dick due to arrogance and failure to reason led to his downfall.
Additionally, Ahab is defiant. Starbuck, his crewmate, advised him against killing Moby Dick. However, Captain Ahab defied and did not heed to his advice. Ahab claimed that Moby Dick dismasted him and that he would hunt the white whale (Melville 156). Despite his lower rank, Starbuck offered logical and sound advice; yet, Ahab defied him. Furthermore, when Captain Ahab encountered a big storm, he did not sail away from the storm but instead challenged nature and decided to go through the storm. Eventually, his defiance to nature and Starbuck’s advice led to his downfall.

In summary, Ahab is a great character in the story; however, his tragic flaws such as pride and defiance leads to his downfall and suffering towards the end of the narrative. He is a character with great potential, but his tragic flaws predestine his fate. His pride makes him confident that his dangerous plan of killing Moby Dick will go as planned. Unfortunately, he is in a situation where he cannot win, and the actions due to his tragic flaws result to his tragedy.

Work Cited
Melville, Herman. “Moby-dick.” Medicine and Literature, Volume Two. CRC Press, 2018. 161-156.