Maeglin - Tragic hero?

[Morris]

I've been reading a lot about the Fall of Gondolin recently, and the more I do the more I find Maeglin to be one of the more interesting characters in the whole Silmarillion. He gets a bad rap because Tolkien foreshadows heavily that Maeglin is going to be the ruin of Gondolin, but I'm not sure he really deserves it. Maeglin lives in Gondolin for nearly 160 years without even a hint of treachery. He is Turgon's chosen regent during the Dagor NÃ*rnaeth Arnoediad and refuses in order to accompany Turgon into battle.

The Silmarillion says that Maeglin 'spoke ever against Tuor in the councils of the King...', but this was before Tuor had even become a rival for Idril's affections, so it seems unlikely to me that this could have been driven by malice. Maeglin is described as being 'wary', so it seems a lot more likely that he argued against Tuor in good faith, because abandoning the strongest and most secret fortress in Beleriand seemed like a bad idea.

Idril finds Maeglin's regard unpleasant because of their close relationship, but Idril also seems to be more foresightful even than is normal among the royalty of the Noldor and quite a bit of her dislike may be due to premonition of the role he will eventually play.

Given that Maeglin is laboring under the death-curse of his own father, as well as the Doom of Mandos, I have a hard time seeing him as anything other than a tragic hero in the vein of Beowulf or Hamlet. He is cursed by circumstances beyond his control and is doomed from the beginning through no real fault of his own.

This is more speculative on my part, but it would fit well with the story if Maeglin and Tuor had been friends initially. Both are orphans, both are strangers among those who are not quite their own kind, both are wise, insightful, and valiant. This would make the betrayal and hate all the stronger when Idril and Tuor fall in love, because it would be a very personal betrayal instead of just a loss of the object of his affection.

Am I the only one who likes this guy?