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Since the late 4th century BC when Aristotle developed the model of the tragic hero, authors have been creating novels patterned after this intriguing order of events. In the novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy develops Henchard's character as he passes through each stage in the archetypal heroic pattern. In this novel, each principal stage of the heroic pattern shapes Henchard’s ever-changing character, principally through his rise, his climax, and his demise. As …

…the archetypal pattern of a tragic hero. He rises from his lowly position as a hay trusser to the highly esteemed position of mayor and head of a thriving grain business. Then Henchard falls to his eventual demise because of his tragic flaw of uncontrolled drinking. Through this rise and fall the reader sees a changing character who passes through all the steps, both dire and blessed, which make him a true archetypal tragic hero.