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A little thread on hamartia. 
The word hamartia comes from the Greek verb harmatanĹŤ, which means 'to miss the target'.
In the Iliad (e.g. 5.287), the verb is used when a warrior misses someone with a thrown object, e.g. a spear or stone.
The word hamartia comes from the Greek verb harmatanĹŤ, which means 'to miss the target'.
In the Iliad (e.g. 5.287), the verb is used when a warrior misses someone with a thrown object, e.g. a spear or stone.
The word actually appears a few times in tragedy itself.
In Aeschylus' Agamemnon (213), the Chorus (quoting Agamemnon) describes his fear of 'letting down' the alliance.
In Sophocles' Ajax (155), the Chorus talk about how Ajax rarely 'misses' with his spear.
In Aeschylus' Agamemnon (213), the Chorus (quoting Agamemnon) describes his fear of 'letting down' the alliance.
In Sophocles' Ajax (155), the Chorus talk about how Ajax rarely 'misses' with his spear.
In a lost comedy of Sophocles (fr. 565), the verb is used when someone hurls a "stinking pisspot" at someone else but 'misses' (luckily for the intended target).
I've included this because the phrase "stinking pisspot" elicits quite an interesting discussion in Athenaeus.
I've included this because the phrase "stinking pisspot" elicits quite an interesting discussion in Athenaeus.
The word appears in other authors around the same time too.
In Herodotus (1.71) it is used of 'misinterpreting' an oracle.
In Aristophanes' Wealth (961) it is used of 'missing' a turning.
In Herodotus (1.71) it is used of 'misinterpreting' an oracle.
In Aristophanes' Wealth (961) it is used of 'missing' a turning.
What all these uses have in common is that they describe a failure *at a particular moment*.
They do not describe an ongoing character trait.
They do not describe an ongoing character trait.
The distinction can be seen in the Odyssey (9.512), where Polyphemus (one of the Cyclopes) uses the verb to describe *the moment* he was blinded, not his *current state* of blindness.
Blindness is not hamartia, but being blinded is.
Blindness is not hamartia, but being blinded is.
When it comes to tragedy, then, hamartia is not so much a 'fatal flaw' as a 'tragic mistake', e.g. a bad decision, a misinterpretation, a wrong turning, etc.
So you might say that Macbeth's hamartia is not his ambition per se, but (e.g.) his decision to believe the witches, his killing of Duncan, etc. – i.e. a particular bad decision that he makes.
Similarly, Othello's hamartia is not his jealousy per se, but (e.g.) the moment he believes Iago, his killing of Desdemona, etc.
Of course the idea of hamartia as 'fatal flaw' has a very long and important critical history, so I don't want to dismiss that entirely.
But it's interesting, I think, to think about tragedy in terms of what mistakes been made, rather than the 'fatal flaw' of the 'tragic hero'.
But it's interesting, I think, to think about tragedy in terms of what mistakes been made, rather than the 'fatal flaw' of the 'tragic hero'.
Note: there every chance that this thread contains lots of hamartiai, so I would welcome your thoughts!
