ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The word ‘tragic flaw’ is taken from the Greek concept of Hamartia used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Poetics. Shakespeare’s tragic hero Hamlet’s fatal flaw is his failure to act immediately to kill Claudius, his uncle and murderer of his father.

Detailed explanation-2: -hamartia, also called tragic flaw, (hamartia from Greek hamartanein, “to err”), inherent defect or shortcoming in the hero of a tragedy, who is in other respects a superior being favoured by fortune.

Detailed explanation-3: -In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo’s tragic flaw is his impulsiveness. This flaw leads to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. He exhibits this tragic flaw when he marries Juliet, when he kills Tybalt, and when he commits suicide. Firstly, when he decides to marry Juliet, he is being impulsive.

Detailed explanation-4: -Due to his lack of determination, Hamlet starts to reevaluate himself as a coward as slowly he starts to lose sanity due to his failures and the depressing feeling of self-pity. Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to avenge his father’s death because he hasn’t been able to conquer himself in his internal conflict.