Hamartia

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Definition of Hamartia

Hamartia is a literary device that reflects a character’s tragic or fatal flaw, or mistake in judgment, that ultimately leads to their downfall. 

This term originated with Aristotle as a means of describing an error or frailty that brings about misfortune for a tragic hero. Hamartia, as a concept, is closely related to and interchangeable with the term tragic flaw, as they both lead to the downfall of a protagonist in a tragedy. 

However, hamartia can also be interpreted as a mistake based on outside circumstances rather than a character’s personal frailty. For example, in Oedipus The King by Sophocles, Oedipus is considered a classic tragic hero and his hamartia is complex. Most people agree that Oedipus displays the tragic flaw of
hubris, and that his stubborn, impulsive, and arrogant nature cause him to make wrong decisions that lead to his downfall. However, it is also a lack of knowledge and information about his identity and that of other characters that leads Oedipus to his tragic fate. Therefore, the outside circumstances that cause errors in judgment have as much to do with
Oedipus’s tragedy as any flaw in his character. 

Common Examples of Hamartia as Character Traits

As a literary device, hamartia does not reflect a character’s general weakness. Instead, hamartia is a specific character trait, flaw, or vice that results in a literary character’s serious
misfortune or fall. Here are some traits that are common examples of hamartia: 
• pride or over-confidence
• aggressive ambition
• blinding passion
• arrogance
• vanity
• rebellion
• jealousy
• greed
• anger
• hypocrisy
• spitefulness
• selfishness
• dishonesty
• possessiveness
• lustful feelings
• stubbornness
• vengefulness

Examples of Hamartia in Shakespearean Tragic Heroes

Nearly all of William Shakespeare’s tragedies feature a character with hamartia. The tragic hero in Shakespearean tragedy is brought to ruin or even death by a tragic flaw. Here are some examples of tragic heroes in Shakespeare’s works and their corresponding hamartia: • Hamlet–fear of direct confrontation
• Macbeth–violent ambition
• Romeo and Juliet–impatience, adolescent passion
• Othello–extreme jealousy
• King Lear–stubborn pride, anger
• Julius Caesar–excessive pride, quest for power
• Brutus–blind idealism, poor judgment • Coriolanus–egocentric, inability to connect with others
• Cressida–unfaithfulness
• Timon–inability to recognize true natures of his friends

Difference Between Hamartia as a Character Flaw or Error in Judgment

Hamartia, as a literary device, can be interpreted in two ways. It can be an internal weakness or trait in a character such as greed, passion, hubris, etc. However, it can also refer to a mistake made by a character that is based not in a personal failure but on circumstances
outside the protagonist’s personality and control.

 Aristotle first used the term hamartia in his work Poetics as a means of describing the catalyst that results in a central character’s reversal of fortune. Hamartia is derived from the word hamartanein which takes place when an archer misses a target. Therefore, hamartia can be interpreted as a character’s error or mistake in achieving their goal which brings about their downfall. However, this error often originates from a personal or tragic flaw within the character, allowing them to determine crucial judgments that result in mistaken actions and lead to
eventual downfall. 

Therefore, hamartia is best understood to be a protagonist’s error and/or flaw that leads to actions in the story that result in a reversal from happiness or success to ruin or disaster. The flaw may be an internal character trait that is tragic and leads to wrongdoing. The error may be one of misjudgment or ignorance in terms of information or other story elements. Ultimately, both internal and external forces can lead to a tragic character’s
downfall, and it is often the complex blend of these forces that make up hamartia.


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