Hamartia

If asked about Greek literature, many works come to mind, yet most of them are a tragedy. Literary tragedy is well known in classic Greek plays and literature as well as the trademark of many famous Greek play righters. Though tragedy is a literary element, other elements contribute to the tragedy found in Greek works such as Oedipus the King. Three common elements that support tragedy specifically in Oedipus the King are hubris, dramatic irony, and theme. One common literary element found in…

king continues to question the prophet. “You do your motherland/No kindness by withholding information” (312-313) Oedipus explains falsely, for if the comment had not been said, for lack of better words, the deadly can of worms symbolizing Oedipus’s hamartia would never have been opened. “This is what I think;/ You helped contrive the plot – no, did it all/ Except the actual killing. If you had/ Your eyesight I should say you did that too” (136-139) accuses Oedipus, causing Tiresias to more or…

When one thinks about a hero, oftentimes what comes to mind is a large, brooding man with hulking muscles and a beautiful girl on his arm. However, Greek tragedian Sophocles imagined a different breed of hero that was later defined by Aristotle. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a highborn person who, as a result of some tragic flaw or shortcoming in his personality, makes a mistake in judgement which brings about misery, a loss of moral dignity, great sorrow, and suffering. In Sophocles's…

Had Gloucester not been blind towards the truth concerning his sons, and had he not “stumbled when I saw,” then perhaps Edmund never would have been able to set his plan in motion. However, here Gloucester’s hamartia comes into play, namely that even when he could see, he was blind. As with Lear, it is not until he loses his sight that he truly sees, which can be noticed in Act 4, scene 5 when Gloucester says: “Methinks y’are better spoken” to Edgar disguised…

great king after he ascended to the throne. Beowulf, however, faces a moment of obliquity when he decides to fight the dragon “for the glory of winning” (Beowulf 93), this being the “fatal flaw” that will ultimately cause his death. Regardless of his Hamartia, the events in the poem, such as the fights and his ability to be good king, can serve to support the idea that Beowulf is indeed worthy of being called a…

(I.iii.28-32) With these lines, Casca proves himself to be an exemplary foil to Caesar. He is cowardly where Caesar’s bravery is undying; he is cruel and selfish where Caesar is for the good of the people. He is also, conveniently, the first of the conspirators to stab Caesar. Shakespeare, in this event, creates a greater degree of sympathy for Caesar in his audience. A third character developed and utilized well as a result of prophecy would be Cassius. Unlike Caesar and Casca, Cassius…

Crucible takes place during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, when hysteria spreads among the townspeople and mass, unjust murder occurs. John Proctor, the main protagonist and tragic hero, has “unrealistic” ends and “impractical” means. John realizes his hamartia in desiring to keep his good reputation too late and suffers a catastrophe resulting in death; his respectable actions that justify the title of “tragic hero” prove that humans are not always motivated by self-interest but instead by…

The movie High Noon portrays the elements of a Greek tragedy. In High Noon, we see a very close relationship between what Aristotle described as the essential elements to a tragedy and what we see unfold throughout the movie. We see all of the six elements; plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and song, shown in some form throughout the movie, although, Aristotle says that plot and character are primary, so those will be the two elements of focus. In exploring plot and character, the…

friends around me, this side and that, used all persuasion to restrain me: ‘Head-strong man, why need you provoke this savage further? (Book IX, Page 111). His total neglect of his comrades wishes to avoid death presents his hubris as his ultimate hamartia and thus challenges the epic structure. The climax of Odysseus characterisation is represented through Shewring’s blunt translation: but my heart was proud…I called out again with rage still ranking: ‘Cyclops, if anyone among mortal men should…

Death of a Salesman follows a very specific plot line, starting with order. The beginning of the play starts with Willy Loman driving his car with music playing. You can notice happy vibes during his trip. In the plot line, following order comes hamartia. This is when all of his mistakes come back to haunt him and therefore putting him in a sense of confusion, anger and sadness. This demonstrates that he is losing his mind. Another event that would play a major part in Willy’s life that is…