The first reading of Euripides' Hippolytus generates an irresistible urge
             to see Hippolytus as the tragic protagonist. After all, he was the one who
             suffered all his life under the stigma of being an illegitimate child and
             died believing his father was a just and kind man though he was not. And on
             top of that, he met a very tragic death and was accused of something he
             never did. In short, Hippolytus had some major traits of a tragic hero
             including the fact that the people he loved killed him for a sin he had
             never committed. But on second and a much closer reading, it appears that
             while Hippolytus is no doubt a tragic figure, he isn't the tragic hero
             because he lacks the basic tragic flaw that actually brought on the
             downfall of our major tragic protagonists in literature.
             From Brutus to King Lear to Willy Loman, every tragic hero had a tragic
             flaw responsible for his downfall. But Hippolytus' character had that one
             flaw missing. So in many ways he was like Julius Caser who suffered
             immensely when his own friend conspired against him and accused of
             something that he had not done. But then Caesar was not our tragic hero; it
             was Brutus who qualified for that role since he had the tragic flaw that
             resulted in his tragic collapse and demise. So Hippolytus was definitely a
             tragic figure but not our real tragic protagonist of the play. In fact the
             actual tragic protagonist was his father Theseus who is victim of blind
             passion and lacks the ability to be patient and wise.
             Theseus of Euripides is probably the best version of him we get from
             ancient literature. According to most other versions, Theseus was a cruel
             king with tales of his philandering widely known. But in Euripides, he is
             depicted as a faithful even a little cold, distant, reticent father who
             suffers in the end as he loses his son to his own hastiness and flawed
             judgment. His tragic flaw is his lack of patience and thus an inab...