LITERATURE QUESTIONS
LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Tragic end of the tragedy
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Working of fate against the hero
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A weak trait in the character of the hero
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A strong quality in the character of the hero
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Detailed explanation-1: -Hamartia arose from the Greek verb hamartanein, meaning “to miss the mark” or “to err.” Aristotle introduced the term in the Poetics to describe the error of judgment which ultimately brings about the tragic hero’s downfall. As you can imagine, the word is most often found in literary criticism.
Detailed explanation-2: -Origins of Hamartia Aristotle’s portrayal of hamartia sets the bar for tragic characters in that the flaw is often excessive and blatant. Think of the classic literary term hubris; disproportionate pride topples the tragic hero’s life around them.
Detailed explanation-3: -Anagnorisis (Recognition) is a change from ignorance to knowledge, leading either to friendship or to hostility on the part of those persons who are marked for good fortune or bad. Hamartia is a mistake or error of judgment, sometimes translated as “tragic flaw” – but for Aristotle it is not a moral defect.
Detailed explanation-4: -Hamartia is a literary device that refers to the tragic flaw of a main character in a story, which ultimately leads to the character’s downfall. Errors of judgement or specific character traits like excessive pride, greed, or jealousy can be a character’s fatal flaw or lead to a reverse of fortune.