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Hamartia

Concept
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A tragic flaw or error in judgment leading to the downfall of a hero

Detailed Definition
Hamartia: In poetic drama or narrative, the tragic flaw or error in judgment that leads a protagonist to downfall; derived from Aristotle’s Poetics, it humanizes heroes and underscores moral complexity within poetic tragedy.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hamartia: In tragic poetry, the hero’s flaw—e.g., Macbeth’s ambition: “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition…”
Additional Notes
Fatal flaw in tragic hero. Aristotelian term. Applied to poetry: speaker's/character's tragic weakness. Related: tragedy, dramatic poetry. Study: how flaw drives poetic narrative or revelation.
Also Known As
Tragic flaw Fatal error Moral weakness Character defect
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