literary term hero that has one flaw?

Answer 1

Aristotle coined the term in his Poetics (hamartia=Greek for tragic flaw). It has been used as a literary term to describe the cause of a tragic hero's downfall ever since. The class example is Oedipus Rex. Oedipus's hamartia=tragic flaw is his pride, though some critics argue that a cruel fate led him to his undeserved downfall. However, his pride does lead him to kill his father (unknown to him) and marry his mother (also unknown to him). Then he casts a curse on the one whose behavior has brought the kingdom into despair, not knowing that the curse would fall on himself.

Critics always try to explain tragedies in terms of the main character's tragic flaw, and usually it works; e.g., Hamlet's indecisiveness; Othello's jealousy; Willy Loman's self-centeredness; Hedda Gabler's unfilfilled passion; most characters in Tennessee Williams, self-deception and sexual inhibitions. But in a true tragedy, the flaw almost always has an element of pride, even arrogance, and blindness growing out of one's self-indulgence in one way or another.

Answer 2

A hero that has a flaw is human. If however, this one flaw is fatal and eventually brings the hero to some kind of downfall, the character is referred to as an antihero or a tragic hero.

Answer 3

Traditionally this is called a "tragic hero." This idea of a tragic hero comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's writing on tragedy called "The Poetics."

Many of Shakespeare's well-known characters (Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello) are considered to be tragic heroes.

See above for a more complete answer.

Answer 4

In a actual duel - Cruella DeVille and Elle Woods Verbal duel - Voldemort and Snape As a pair - Alex Krycek and Fran positive Cake baking competition - Jafar and Spencer Shay

Answer 5

That would be a tragic hero. Shakespeare's Othello is one of the best examples of this kind of hero.

Answer 6

That's what's called the hero's Achille's Heel, based on the myth of Achilles. Achilles was a man who had super-strength that drained away when the tendon in his heel was cut.

Answer 7

Look at Shakespeare - all heros have one flaw that is their downfall - MacBeth's was his ambition.

Answer 8

a tragic hero. he or she means well but their single flaw brings their ruin.

Answer 9

Brutus in Julius Caesar.