Hamartia is a Greek word. It is used in Aristotle's Poetics, where it is usually translated as tragic mistake or tragic flaw. It is translated in religious works (e.g. the Bible) as sin. Aristotle, marble copy of bronze by Lysippos. ... Aristotles Poetics aims to give an account of poetry. ... The Bible (sometimes The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material... Sin has been a term most usually used in a religious context, and today describes any lack of conformity to the will of God; especially, any willful disregard for the norms revealed by God is a sin. ...

There is debate as to what exactly hamartia means in Aristotle's Poetics. The word literally means something like "missing the mark" and refers to the mistakes made by the hero of a Greek tragedy. gszdgdegsd gdsffdfsd fdsf sdfdsf dfsd fd A tragedy may be defined loosely as any work of fiction in which the protagonist suffers a fall in his or her fortunes, and ends in a worse state than that in which they began. ...

Traditionally, it has been interpreted as referring to a 'tragic flaw' in the character of the protagonist (the tragic hero). More often than not, the tragic flaw is hubris, for example in Antigone and Oedipus Rex. Shakespeare's King Lear is another famous tragic hero whose flaw is hubris. An example of a protagonist with a tragic flaw in modern literature would be Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. A more subtle example would be the fictionalized Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. The protagonist is the central figure of a story, and is often referred to as a storys main character. ... A tragic hero is a protagonist who is otherwise perfect except for a tragic flaw, also known as fatal flaw, which eventually leads to his demise. ... Hubris or hybris (Greek ύβρις), is, according to its modern definition, exaggerated pride or self-confidence often resulting in retribution. ... A painting of Antigone by Frederic Leighton There were two women named Antigone (like her ancestors) in Greek mythology. ... Oedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Rex and Oedipus Tyrannos, Oι̉δίπoυς τύραννoς in Greek) is a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles around 427 BC. The play was the second of Sophocles three Theban plays to be produced, but comes first... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... A tragic hero is a protagonist who is otherwise perfect except for a tragic flaw, also known as fatal flaw, which eventually leads to his demise. ... Death of a Salesman is a play by Arthur Miller. ... Cover to Penguin Group book Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by Arthur Miller, his most famous and commonly revived work. ... Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (August 18, 1750 – May 7, 1825), born in Legnago, Italy, was a composer and conductor, as well as one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. ... Peter Shaffer (born May 15, 1926) is a English dramatist, author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed. ... Amadeus is the title of both a stage play and a film written in 1979 by Peter Shaffer, both loosely based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. ...

It has been suggested by some that the modern idea of the "tragic flaw" is a mistranslation of the Greek. An alternative translation is "tragic mistake". This translation implies that the character makes one fatal mistake based on an incomplete self knowledge. Those who prefer this interpretation argue that the Greek tragedies contain no clearly identifiable tragic flaws, and have been twisted to fit the supposed 'tragic flaw' theory.

Regardless of what Aristotle actually meant, the term "tragic flaw" and the ideas behind it are firmly ensconced within traditional literary criticism.

See also

• tragic hero
• Victory disease