Hubris: Difference between revisions

Excessive pride. A concept introduced in Greece, Holman and Harmon state that it is the "overweening pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the [[protagonist]] of a [[tragedy]]."<ref name=Holman">Harmon, William and C. Hugh Holman.'' A Handbook to Literature''. 9th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003. p. 250</ref> Humans who suffer from ''hubris'', or ''hybris'', often believe that they can accomplish more than the universe itself will allow. Roger Fowler defines ''hubris'' as "a man's denial of his own mortality" (198). Indeed it seems that the only way for a person to obtain such pride is to lose all sense of fear for his own wellbeing. After all, if a person has no fear at all, then he may have a perfect pride in himself, and in some ways, may even believe that he is perfect. Baldick asserts that "''hubris'' is the Greek word for 'insolence' or 'affront'," often times making it "the pride that comes before the fall" (260). Even though an overpowering sense of pride is healthy for one's self esteem, others might consider such pride insolence, or a negative trait.

The error of judgment "through which the fortunes of the [[hero]] of a [[tragedy]] are reversed."<ref name=Holman">p. 217</ref>  "Aristotle attributes [[hamartia]] (a tragic flaw or shortcoming) to the tragic [[hero]]" (Barnett-Berman-Burto 112). This "tragic [[hero]] ought to be a man whose misfortune comes to him, not through vice or depravity, but by some error" (Cudden 301). Most tragedies end in the downfall of the [[hero]] due to his ''hubris''. In the most famous examples, the Greek tragedies, a man who is overly confident or ambitious offends the gods. Therefore, they torture him with unfortunate events that eventually lead to his demise.  According to Holman, ''hubris'' is what "leads the [[protagonist]] to break a moral law or ignore a divine warning with calamitous results" (226). For example, in Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'', Macbeth takes matters into his own hands after the first of the witches' three prophecies comes true.  With the strong urging of his wife, he breaks a moral law when he decides to murder King Duncan in his quest to attain the crown. Little does he know, he is starting the chain of events, revealing his transition from good to evil, that ultimately leads to his downfall.  In the case of "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, the man, believed to be a chechaquo, ignores the advice of others, including the "old-timer at Sulfur Creek," and relies on himself to reach a Yukon camp following a less-traveled path in temperatures significantly below freezing.  At the story's end, the man dies as a result of his ignorance and his ''hubris''.