hamartia

American  

[hah-mahr-tee-uh] / ˌhɑ mɑrˈti ə /

noun

1. tragic flaw.

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hamartia British  

/ həˈmɑːtɪə /

noun

1. literature the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy

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Etymology

Origin of hamartia

First recorded in 1890–95; Greek hamartía “failure, fault,” derivative of hamartánein “to miss the mark, fail, err” + -ia noun suffix; see -ia

Explanation

The word hamartia refers to a flaw or mistake that leads to a fictional character's downfall. Classical tragedies revolve around the main character's hamartia, the tragic flaw that sets a series of disastrous events in motion. Achilles’ heel was his hamartia – his fatal flaw. Most tragedies couldn’t exist without hamartia. It’s in the tragic plays of the ancient Greek writer Aeschylus to works like Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare, examples of hamartia are Hamlet's indecisiveness and Juliet's blind loyalty to Romeo. Hamartia comes from a root meaning "to miss or fail."

Example Sentences

Do forgive the remote diagnosis but it’s clear by now that Maria Sharapova has tested positive for hamartia.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2016

If you’re unfamiliar with hamartia, it may sound like the sort of medication your family doctor would prescribe to ward off a series of colds or a massive coronary.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2016

Pretty much ever since, critics have spent a lot of time arguing whether hamartia means a moral flaw or a tragic error.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2016

An instance is provided by Aristotle's famous saying that the typical tragic hero is one who falls from high state or fame, not through vice or depravity, but by some great hamartia.

From Aristotle on the art of poetry by Bywater, Ingram