hamartia
1
9.9
- noun
- /həˈmɑːr.ti.ə/
- Literature
:
hamartia
- Hamartia, from the Greek, is the fault or error that entails the destruction of the tragic hero.
Walt's narcissistic ego and the bruising of it is what his hamartia is.
- Walt's narcissistic ego and the bruising of it is what his hamartia is.
- Well, this is human nature like hamartia to miss the mark.
- Aristotle thought that somebody mighty and high has to be brought low through some some flaw, some Hamartias committing some wrong despite not wanting to commit wrong.
Examples
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The character's hamartia was his excessive pride, which caused him great suffering.
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In many tragic plays, the hero's hamartia ultimately leads to their downfall.
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Hamartia is the tragic flaw.
Fiction book (2002) -
There's always a hamartia, isn't there?
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Aristotle defined hamartia as a flaw that brings about the ruin of a noble character.
Synonyms
344
1.7
A fault in a person or thing that makes them less effective
113
3.3
A weakness in a person's character that causes problems
11
6.3
A small but serious weakness in someone or something that can cause failure
1
7.8
A weak part of a main character that causes their ruin in a serious story
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hamartia comes from an old Greek verb hamartanein, which means 'to miss the mark' or 'make a mistake'. A helpful image is a hero aiming at a goal but missing — that inner 'mistake' or character error leads to their downfall, so hamartia means the tragic flaw that causes a hero to fail.