Even if you don't watch it, you've heard some sort of buzz about the critically acclaimed TV show Breaking Bad. The show consisted of five seasons, originally airing from 2008 to 2013 on the AMC network, and was created and executive produced by Vince Gilligan. It is widely considered one of the best television shows of all time and has won numerous awards, including 10 Primetime Emmys. The series' plot focuses on Walter White, a middle-aged high school chemistry teacher who struggles to make ends meet to support his pregnant wife and teenage son who has cerebral palsy. In the very first episode, he is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and given only a short time to live. Hearing about the grandiose amounts of money that can be made in the meth business from his DEA agent brother-in-law, Hank and already being a chemical genius, Walt decides to start making his own meth to secure the financial future of his family. He teams up with former student and drug dealer, Jesse Pinkman, and together they manufacture and sell the purest meth in New Mexico. Even after the many encounters that showed how dangerous and potentially deadly drug trafficking is, not only for him but also for his family, Walt continues to take pride in his work and wants to elevate his status as a drug lord . This is what brings about the downfall of Walter White – and this downfall can be compared to that of famous Greek tragic characters such as Oedipus in Oedipus the King and Creon in Antigone. Breaking Bad is a modern-day Greek tragedy and Walter White is the tragic hero. Aristotle provided an overview of the qualities a tragic hero must possess, and most of them can be applied to Walter White. His tragic flaw is what led to his downfall, and after...... middle of paper ...... are present in today's modern culture. Breaking Bad is probably the closest modern example we'll have to Greek theater these days, and I think Vince Gilligan is a masterful exploiter of it. Walter White will go down in history alongside Oedipus, Hamlet and Jay Gatsby as a tragic hero swallowed up by pride. But whether you hate him or love him, you'll remember his name. Works Cited Gilligan, Vince. “Felina.” Break the bad. AMC. September 29, 2013. Television. Kearney, Dutton. “The Tragedy of Breaking Bad.” The imaginative curator. The Imaginative Conservative, August 13, 2013. Web. May 8, 2014.Thompson, Don. “The Characteristics of an “Archetypal” Tragic Hero.” Pepperdine University, nd Web. May 7, 2014. VanDerWerff, Todd. “How Breaking Bad freed itself from the problem of the mechanical universe.” The AV Club. Onion Inc., August 7, 2013. Web. May 8 2014.