People are so fixated on the "Tragic hero Karna" trope that they miss out on the true tragic hero of Mahabharata, Yudhisthira. Here's a hero who almost always tried to do the right thing (Debatable on Dyut) but always got the wrong side of the deal.
1. He kept silent on Duryodhana and Karna trying to kill Pandavas repeatedly in hopes his brother will change (Perceived as weakness now)
2. He forgave Duryodhana, Karna and Kauravas for Lakshagrih and moved on with his life (Perceived as idiotic now)
2. He forgave Duryodhana, Karna and Kauravas for Lakshagrih and moved on with his life (Perceived as idiotic now)
3. He tried to keep up his mother's word by marrying Draupadi (Perceived as misogynistic now, even though it's a literally boon from Mahadev)
4. He warned Keechak to stay away from Draupadi (Morphed to show him as a coward by TV serials)
4. He warned Keechak to stay away from Draupadi (Morphed to show him as a coward by TV serials)
5. He tried to stop a bloodbath by compromising his rights asking for a truce (Perceived as weakness now)
6. His valor and worth as a warrior is reduced to someone who chucks a spear and was beaten by Karna and spared by TV serials
6. His valor and worth as a warrior is reduced to someone who chucks a spear and was beaten by Karna and spared by TV serials
7. After everything he did to secure his rights, he got to know that he actually killed his elder brother to do it and has to live with the guilt for the rest of his life
In contrast, Karna never forgets that Arjuna was his nemesis only because Arjuna was a better archer than him in childhood, never forgave anyone for even slight affronts, never hesitated to do even the most heinous of acts, lied, acted like a coward on multiple times etc.
Karna never struggled in his life, never did penance for his acts, never tried to choose to be better than a lackey of evil. So why is he a tragic hero? Why not choose Yudhisthira?
