Question

What is hamartia?

• A. A tragic flaw or error in judgment
• B. A moment of recognition
• C. A reversal of fortune
• D. A cathartic experience

Answer 1

Answer:

A. A tragic flaw or error in judgment

Hamartia:

This word translates almost directly as "error," though it is often rendered more elaborately as "tragic flaw." Tragedy, according to Aristotle, involves the downfall of a hero, and this downfall is effected by some error on the part of the hero. This error need not be an overarching moral failing: it could be a simple matter of not knowing something or forgetting something.