HAMARTIA

Lizbedy Cruz Rosa

Age group: High School
WHAT IS HAMARTIA?
  InGreek drama hamartia is defined as a tragic
flaw.

  It
is futher described as a fatal flaw that leads to
the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.
ORIGINS OF THE WORD HAMARTIA
  The word Hamartia came from the Greek term
hamartanein which means “to miss the mark” or
“to err”.

  It
was introduced by Aristotle when he used it in
his “Poetics” and it means “mistake or error in
judgement.” The term also means “wrongdoings
which may be accidental or deliberate.”
FUNCTIONS OF HAMARTIA
  Hamartia works by invoking a sense of pity and
fear in the audience of readers and spectators of
the tragedy.

  Bywatching a character suffer from his own fatal

flaw, the audience may come to fear the same
thing happening to them if they commit the same
type of actions as the character.
EFFECT OF HAMARTIA

Tragic Flaw Tragic Devastating

Hamartia

Wrongdoing

Results
actions Consequences
HAMARTIA IN GREEK TRAGEDY
  Hamartia usually takes place in Greek tragedy
when the hero or protagonist aims to do
something, but by bad judgement, he achieves
the opposite which leads to disastrous
consequeces.

  According to Aristotle hamartia is not inherent to

the tragic hero, but instead is a kind of human
weakness.
EXAMPLES OF HAMARTIA IN GREEK
THEATER
  Thereare many examples of hamartia in Greek
theater. Some of the most famous include:

  Achilles
  Oedipus
EXAMPLES OF HAMARTIA IN LITERATURE
  Thereare various examples of hamartia in novels
and plays. Some of these examples are:

  Hamlet by William Shakespeare

  Othello by William Shakespeare
  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
REFERENCES
  “Hamartia.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia
Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/art/hamartia.
  “Hamartia - Examples and Definition of Hamartia.”
Literary Devices, 11 Mar. 2015,
www.literarydevices.net/hamartia/.
  “What is Hamartia in Greek tragedy?” Innovateus.net,
www.innovateus.net/innopedia/what-hamartia-
greek-tragedy.
  Gillani, S. N. “Aristotle's concept of ideal tragic hero:
Hamartia.” Engliterarium,
www.engliterarium.com/2008/11/aristotles-concept-
of-ideal-tragic-hero.html.