hamartia
Hero's fatal misstep
Hamartia is the fatal flaw or error that leads to a tragic hero's downfall—the pride that blinds Oedipus, the ambition that consumes Macbeth.
The term comes from Aristotle's analysis of tragedy, where he argued that the best tragic heroes fall not through villainy but through some mistake or weakness in their character.
His hamartia was trusting the wrong people.
Defect causing protagonist's downfall
- hubrisRuinous excessive confidence
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- blindnessAbsence of vision
- misjudgmentFaulty evaluation of something
overreach · weakness · error · shortcoming · deficiency · fault · frailty · imperfection
Predetermined course of events
- doomUnavoidable grim fate
- inevitabilityQuality of being unavoidable
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
- downfallSudden loss of power
ruin · destruction · undoing · demise · catastrophe · providence · predestination · kismet
Greek founder of formal logic
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
- mimesisArtistic imitation of reality
- protagonistStory's central figure
- tragic heroCharacter whose flaw causes ruin
Greek drama · dramatic structure · literary analysis · character · motivation · ethos · pathos · mythos
tragic flaw
Defect causing protagonist's downfall
- hubrisRuinous excessive confidence
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- blindnessAbsence of vision
misjudgment · overreach · weakness · error · shortcoming · deficiency · fault · frailty · imperfection · failing
destiny
Predetermined course of events
- doomUnavoidable grim fate
- inevitabilityQuality of being unavoidable
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
downfall · ruin · destruction · undoing · demise · catastrophe · providence · predestination · kismet · fortune
Aristotle
Greek founder of formal logic
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
- mimesisArtistic imitation of reality
- protagonistStory's central figure
tragic hero · Greek drama · dramatic structure · literary analysis · character · motivation · ethos · pathos · mythos · lexis
Oedipus
Tragic Greek king
- MacbethAmbitious thane's downfall
- OthelloVenetian military commander
- HamletDanish prince's revenge tragedy
Creon · Antigone · Medea · Agamemnon · Lear · Coriolanus · Brutus · Ajax · Prometheus · Phaedra
hamartiaarete
Sharp glacial ridge
saving grace · virtue · moral excellence · heroic virtue · prudence
hamartiagrace
Effortless beauty of motion
redemption · salvation · righteousness · sanctification · absolution