This document defines key literary terms - tragedy, tragic hero, and hamartia. It states that a tragedy is a serious work that ends in disaster for the protagonist. A tragic hero evokes pity and fear, is of higher moral worth than ordinary people, and makes an error in judgment (hamartia) that leads to their downfall. Examples of hamartia given are Hamlet's delaying, Faustus' hubris, Othello's rash actions, and the biblical figures' disobedience to God. Oedipus' hamartia was said to be hubris and moral frailty.

1. Name : VISHVA GAJJAR
ROLL. NO: 45
EMAIL ID: vishvagajjar27@gmail.com
SMT. S.B.GARDI DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Bhavnagar University
Paper - 3
Literary Theory and Criticism : Western – 1
Selected Critical terms and its reflection on
cherry picked literary texts

2. DEFINITION OF “TRAGEDY”
• The term is broadly applied to literary,
and especially to dramatic,
representations of serious actions which
is eventuate in a disastrous conclusion
for the protagonist.
(M. H. ABRAMS)

3. “TRAGIC HERO”
• Accordingly, Aristotle says that the tragic hero
will most effectively evoke both our pity and
terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor
thoroughly bad but a mixture of both; and
also that this tragic effect will be stronger if
the hero is “better than we are,” in the sense
that he is of higher than ordinary moral
worth.
(M. H. ABRAMS)

4. “HAMARTIA”
• A tragic hero is exhibited as suffering a
change in fortune from happiness to
misery because of his mistaken choice of
an action, to which he is led by his
hamartia- his “error of judgment” or, as
is often though less literally translated,
his tragic flaw.
(M. H. ABRAMS)

5. hamlet : his Hamartia – thinking & delaying

6. Doctor faustus : his Hamartia – hubris

7. Othello : his Hamartia – action without thinking

8. Adam& Eve : Their Hamartia – disobedience to God

9. Oedipus : his Hamartia – hubris and moral frailty