DefinePK

Abstract

The current research seeks to highlight the characteristics of a tragic hero in Iqbal’s A Spider and A Fly, with a particular focus on the poet's use of hamartia in the hero’s character as a vehicle for disseminating didactic messages within society.  Aristotle (1907) guides the analysis of the article, especially the guidelines for a tragic hero. The current scholarship on Iqbal’s poetry mostly overlooked the elements of a tragic hero in Iqbal’s fable. Therefore, this research addresses the characteristics of a tragic hero in Iqbal’s fable A Spider and A Fly. It is concluded that Fly plays the role of a tragic hero because it exhibits a greater alignment with the defining elements of a tragic hero than any other character in the poem. Iqbal tries to teach the Muslim population, especially children, against the spin doctors in the political circuit, particularly colonizers who use the tool of manipulation to divert the minds of the Indians from their freedom struggle.