- tragic flaw
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the character defect that causes the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy; hamartia.[1950-55]
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Universalium. 2010.
tragic flaw
Look at other dictionaries:
tragic flaw — n. a flaw, as pride, in the character of the protagonist of a tragedy, that leads to that protagonist s downfall … English World dictionary
tragic flaw — noun the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall • Syn: ↑hamartia • Hypernyms: ↑flaw … Useful english dictionary
tragic flaw — noun Date: 1913 a flaw in character that brings about the downfall of the hero of a tragedy … New Collegiate Dictionary
tragic flaw — trag′ic flaw′ n. lit. sbz a character defect that causes the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy • Etymology: 1950–55 … From formal English to slang
tragic flaw — noun less technical term for hamartia … English new terms dictionary
tragic — (adj.) 1540s, calamitous, disastrous, fatal, shortened from tragical (late 15c.), modeled on L. tragicus, from Gk. tragikos of or pertaining to tragedy, lit. of or pertaining to a goat, and probably referring to a satyr impersonated by a goat… … Etymology dictionary
tragic — adjective 1 a tragic event or situation makes you feel very sad: Lillian Board s death at 22 was a tragic loss for the world of British athletics. 2 (only before noun) connected with tragedy in books or plays: a great tragic actor | tragic hero ( … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
tragic hero — noun A hero who suffers from a tragic flaw that eventually causes his downfall. See Also: tragic heroine … Wiktionary
Tragic villain — A tragic villain is a character, usually an antagonist, that does not truly intend to be a villain. They are perhaps misled or not entirely in control of their feelings and/or actions, or pursuing morally ambiguous logic. This archetype… … Wikipedia
Character flaw — This article is about the literary concept. For ethical shortcomings in real people, see Vice. In the creation and criticism of fictional works, a character flaw is a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character … Wikipedia
