Hamartia
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Hamartia (Ancient Greek: ἁμαρτία) is used in Aristotle's Poetics, where it is usually translated as a mistake, flaw, failure, fault, or sin. The "tragic hero" attempts to do the "right thing" in a situation where the right thing cannot be done.
In Greek, the word hamartia is rooted in the notion of missing the mark (hamartanein) and covers a broad spectrum that includes accident and mistake[1], as well as wrongdoing, error, or sin.[2] Even an accident may be considered an appropriate translation of hamartia, since "in both cases one may end up missing the target."[3] In Nicomachean Ethics hamartia is described by Aristotle as one of the three kinds of injuries than man can commit to another man. Hamartia is an injury committed in ignorance (when the person affected or the result are not what the agent supposed they were).[4]. This implies that the character makes one fatal mistake based on an incomplete self knowledge. For example Oedipus's hamartia was killing his father because, although he knew he was committing murder, he did not know the man was a king and his father. He "missed the mark" in the killing, because he meant to kill a stranger and killed someone of whom he was intimately acquainted.
[edit] Hamartia within the Hero
In Greek tragedy it is the protagonist who commits hamartia. It is through hamartia that the audience experiences catharsis. Because the hero does not deserve his downfall, the audience feels pity for him. Because the hero is similar to the audience, the audience feels fear that the same situation might come upon them. Experiencing the events of the play vicariously through the hero creates pity and fear within the audience member; however they are then purged when the play is finished and the audience comes to the realization that it was only an imitation.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. V.8 1135b12-20.
- ^ Bremer. Hamartia
- ^ Sherman, Nancy. "Hamartia and Virtue".
- ^ Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. 1135b
