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Question

Difficulty: HardLiterary Genres and Forms

A playwright constructs a drama in which a protagonist of noble stature experiences a catastrophic downfall caused not by external malice, but by an inherent error in judgment or character limitation. Which literary term best identifies this foundational element of classical tragedy?

  1. HamartiaAnswer
  2. B
    Hubris
  3. C
    Catharsis
  4. D
    Anagnorisis

Answer

Hamartia is the term for the internal tragic flaw or fatal error in judgment that leads to a tragic hero's downfall.
Hamartia (derived from the Greek for 'to err' or 'to miss the mark') is the literary term designated in classical dramatic theory for the tragic flaw, vulnerability, or critical error in judgment that leads to a protagonist's eventual downfall.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stem requirements
The question describes a structural convention of classical tragedy where an internal character defect or error in judgment brings about the tragic hero's ruin.
Identifying the target literary term requires distinguishing between general character flaws, specific subtypes like pride, audience reactions, and structural moments of recognition.
2
Evaluate the literary definitions
Aristotle introduced 'hamartia' in the Poetics to define the tragic flaw or misstep. While 'hubris' represents excessive pride (a common form of hamartia), hamartia is the accurate general category.
Hamartia encompasses any intellectual error, miscalculation, or moral weakness leading to tragedy.

Key Concept

Hamartia as the Tragic Flaw in Classical Drama
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Topics

Literary Genres and Forms

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