Hamartia: Difference between revisions

The tragic [[protagonist]]’s flaw that precipitates his/her [[peripeteia | fall]] from a position of good fortune to bad fortune, often associated with his/her overweening [[hubris]], and integral to [[tragedy]]. <i>Hamartia</i> is a term taken from archery, meaning “falling short of the mark,” but it also suggests “sin,” “trespass,” “fault,” “mistake,” “error,” etc. Hamlet’s ''hamartia'' may be said, then, to be his uncertainty in the face of action; Oedipus’ is his arrogance and faith in his reasoning that blinds him to obvious facts; and Medea’s is her pride as a foreign princess vis-a-vis her position as an outcast in Corinth. Therefore, ''hamartia'' has much to do with the character’s disposition, or nature, when approaching his/her dilemma — a nature that he/she cannot overcome, and thus leads to the tragic outcome.