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Hubris: Difference between revisions
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"Hubris" 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]]" (250). 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. | |||
==Hubris in | ==Ancient Greece== | ||
In | |||
== | The error of judgment "through which the fortunes of the [[hero]] of a [[tragedy]] are reversed" (Holman 217). "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.''' Rainer Friedrich,''' in his article ''The Hybris Of Odysseus'', provides a [[narrative]] of ''hybris'' in the ancient Greek sense, using the tragic [[hero]] Odysseus as the model. Rainer insists that the "epic character" Odysseus exhibits hubris against [[Zeus]] when he suspects the God disapproves of his sacrifice.<ref name="Rainer"> ''Friedrich, Rainer. "The Hybris Of Odysseus." Journal Of Hellenic Studies''pg. 111.(1991): 16. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 </ref> Moreover, ''hubris'' in its truest definition was an indictment against an individual and considered a violent act committed against another for the sole purpose of shaming them. <ref name="Hubris">''Encyclopedia Britannica, research starters'', Ebscohost, viewed 13 April 2014 </ref> '''Loukas Papadimitropopous''', argues in his work ''Xerxes' hubris and Darius in Aeschylus' Persae'', that Xerxes suffers the wrath of the Gods for his hubris in seeking not only victory over the entire Greek armies, but complete annihilation and thus a shameful defeat.<ref name="Loukas"> ''Papadimitropoulos L. "Xerxes' hubris and Darius in Aeschylus' Persae"''. Mnemosyne [serial on the Internet]. (2008, July), [cited April 18, 2014]; 61(3): 451-458. Available from: Academic Search Complete.</ref> | ||
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==In The Bible== | |||
The Bible is replete with moral lessons and [[allegory]] that warn against mans over indulgence in himself and the importance of good moral character and humility. Even some of the "chosen" favored of God, i.e., Moses, Solomon and David, were not immune from having at one time or another, engaged in behaviors frowned upon by God and thus put through trials,tribulations, and punishments comparable to characters in a Greek [[tragedy]]. The story of the '''Tower of Babel''' is a perfect example of the fallible human being, so wont to exalt himself to the level of omnipotent deity, only to be punished by God and made to atone for his hubris. <ref name="Marlowe, W. Creighton"> ''"The Sin Of Shinar (Genesis 11:4)." European Journal Of Theology'' 20.1 (2011): 29-39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Apr. 2014</ref> | |||
==In More Modern Times== | |||
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''. | |||
'''Napoleon''',is often cited as a perfect example of how power and over confidence can cloud judgement as his ill fated attempted Russian conquest of 1812 suffered him not only a humiliating defeat, but cost him his empire and entire army as well.<ref name="Kroll"> ''Kroll, Mark J., Leslie A. Toombs, and Peter Wright. "Napoleon's Tragic March Home From Moscow: Lessons In Hubris." Academy Of Management Executive'' 14.1 (2000): 117-128. Business Source Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2014</ref> In his work '' Napoleon's Tragic March From Moscow: Lessons In Hubris'', '''Mark J. Kroll''' draws on the example of Napoleon and correlates his Imperial hubris with business executives that make unwise, risky, decisions fueled by hubris which eventually lead to their own corporate demise along with the company.<ref name="Kroll" />. | |||
==references== | |||
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==Works Cited== | |||
*Baldick, Chris. from ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms''. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. 260 p. [http://lionreference.chadwyck.com/searchFulltext.do?id=R00792748&divLevel=0&queryId=../session/1139527324_19169&trailId=108B6A61A91&area=ref&forward=critref_ft] | |||
*Barnett,Sylvan, Morton Berman, and William Burto. ''A Dictionairy of Literary, Dramatic, and Cinematic Terms''. 2nd ed. Little, Brown and Company(Inc.) 1971. | |||
*Cuddon, J. A. ''A Dictionary of Literary Terms''. Revised ed. Penguin Books, 1979. | |||
*Fowler,Roger ed.''A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms''. Rouletage & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1973. | |||
*Harmon, William and C. Hugh Holman.'' A Handbook to Literature''. 9th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003. | |||
*Holman, C. Hugh. ''A Handbook to Literature''. Ed. Addison Hibbard and William F. Thrall. Revised ed. New York: The Odyssey Press, 1960. | |||
==External Reading== | |||
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubris definition of hubris | |||
*http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hubris definition of hubris | |||