What are the main traits of the Tragic hero?

In my opinion I see that the Tragic Hero develops new self-knowledge as result of his or her downfall.

We have two types of tragic heroes. The first type is the one by the ancient Greeks and Shakespeare in which the Tragic hero belongs to the upper strata of the society-normally a King or a Prince. He is basically a good person but falls due to his Hamartia- his tragic flaw which varies. In the modern definition by Arthur Miller, Tragiic hero can be any common man and he also has a tragic flaw.But in both cases, the tragic hero loses his battle against the cosmic forces, trying to retain his dignity and honour. 

The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness. She or he must occupy a "high" status position as well as exemplify nobility and virtue as part of his/her innate character.Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently great, she or he is not perfect. This is partially because we would be unable to identify with the tragic hero, something we must do in order to experience catharsis. We should see in him or her someone who is essentially like us, although perhaps elevated to a higher position in society.The hero's downfall, therefore, is partially his or her own fault, and thus the result of free choice, not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malevolent fate. In fact, the tragedy is usually triggered by some error in judgment or some character flaw that contributes to the hero's lack of perfection noted above.The hero's misfortunate is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the crime.The fall is not pure loss. There is some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge, some discovery on the part of the tragic hero.

thanks a lot.

he dies at end of the play and recognizes his fault when it`s too late

Qualities of an Aristotelian Tragic Hero

1. The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness.  Must ALSO embody nobility and virtue as part of his/her innate character.
2. Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently great, he/she is not perfect.  Otherwise, the rest of us–mere mortals–would be unable to identify with the tragic hero.
3. The hero’s downfall, therefore, is partially her/his own fault, the result of free choice, not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malignant fate. In fact, the tragedy is usually triggered by some error of judgment or some character flaw that contributes to the hero’s lack of perfection noted above.  This error of judgment or character flaw is known as hamartia and is usually translated as “tragic flaw” (although some scholars argue that this is a mistranslation).  Often the character’s hamartia involves hubris (which is defined as a sort of arrogant pride or over-confidence).
4. The hero’s misfortune is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the crime.
5. The fall is not pure loss. There is some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge, some discovery on the part of the tragic hero.
6. Though it arouses solemn emotion, tragedy does not leave its audience in a state of depression. Aristotle argues that one function of tragedy is to arouse the “unhealthy” emotions of pity and fear and through a catharsis (which comes from watching the tragic hero’s terrible fate) cleanse us of those emotions.  It might be worth noting here that Greek drama was not considered “entertainment,” pure and simple; it had a communal function–to contribute to the good health of the community. This is why dramatic performances were a part of religious festivals and community celebrations.

• The hero discovers his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.
• The hero sees and understands his doom, and that his fate was revealed by his own actions.
• The hero’s downfall is understood by Aristotle to arouse pity and fear.
• The hero is physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death, or a fate worse than death.
• A tragic hero is often of noble birth, or rises to noble standing (King Arthur, Okonkwo, the main character in Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart.)
• The hero learns something from his/her mistake.
• The hero is faced with a serious decision.
• The suffering of the hero is meaningful.
• There may sometimes be supernatural involvement (in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Caesar is warned of his death via Calpurnia’s vision and Brutus is warned of his impending death by the ghost of Caesar).
• The Shakespearean tragic hero dies at some point in the story, for example Macbeth. Shakespeare’s characters show that tragic heroes are neither fully good nor fully evil.

http://intensecogitation.info/2010/07/29/qualities-of-an-aristotelian-tragic-hero-english-notes/

here is the definition in another site

Tragic hero as defined by Aristotle

A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. In reading Antigone, Medea and Hamlet, look at the role of justice and/or revenge and its influence on each character’s choices when analyzing any “judgment error.”

Characteristics

Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." An Aristotelian tragic hero must possess specific characteristics, five of which are below[2]:

1) Flaw or error of judgment (hamartia) Note the role of justice and/or revenge in the judgments.

2) A reversal of fortune (peripeteia) brought about because of the hero's error in judgment.

3) The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own

actions (anagnorisis)

4) Excessive Pride (hubris)5) The character's fate must be greater than deserved.

Initially, the tragic hero should be neither better or worse morally than normal people, in order to allow the audience to identify with them. This also introduces pity, which is crucial in tragedy, as if the hero was perfect we would be outraged with their fate or not care especially because of their ideological superiority. If the hero was imperfect or evil, then the audience would feel that he had gotten what he deserved. It is important to strike a balance in the hero's character.

Eventually the Aristotelian tragic hero dies a tragic death, having fallen from great heights and having made an irreversible mistake. The hero must courageously accept their death with honour.

Other common traits

Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero:

 Hero must suffer more than he deserves.

 Hero must be doomed from the start, but bears no responsibility for possessing his flaw.

 Hero must be noble in nature, but imperfect so that the audience can see themselves in him.

 Hero must have discovered his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.

 Hero must understand his doom, as well as the fact that his fate was discovered by his own actions.

 Hero's story should arouse fear and empathy.

 Hero must be physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.

 The hero must be intelligent so he may learn from his mistakes.

 The hero must have a weakness, usually it is pride

 He has to be faced with a very serious decision that he has to make

 -Nobility -brave good manner