Hubris, Greek for “insolence,” is a protagonist’s tragic flaw of overbearing pride, and leads to his or her reversal of fortune or downfall. Terrible consequences befall the tragic hero when hubris causes the violation of a moral code, the neglect of a warning from an authority figure or god, or an attempt to overstep normal human limits.

A classic example of this overbearing pride is Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama of the same name. Macbeth allows his hubris, in the form of excessive ambition, to lead him to kill Duncan in order to take the throne of Scotland. His action, a violation of moral and divine law, leads to his own destruction.

King Creon, in Sophocles’ play Antigone, also suffers from hubris. He ignores the warnings of the prophet Tiresias that he will die if he continues to condemn Antigone. Convinced that his law trumps the laws of the gods, he continues his persecution of his niece, and ultimately brings about the suicides of his wife and son, as well as Antigone’s death. Again, hubris leads to the destruction of the character due to his violation of divine and moral codes.

Hubris is not always considered to be a negative flaw in the character, rather it is just the impetus for the character’s tragic mistake, and the resulting circumstances. For example, courage or jealousy can equally be the trait that causes the protagonist’s error in judgment or downfall.

The hubris of characters in literature and pop culture continues to the present day. Paul Theroux’s character, Allie Fox, from the 1982 novel and 1986 movie The Mosquito Coast, suffers from hubris based on his idealism and disdain for American culture and religion. His determination to create an ideal community in the jungles of Honduras eventually leads him to become unbalanced and bring about his own destruction. While the courage, determination, and idealism that Allie possesses can be seen as positive character traits, they ultimately lead to his downfall.

The term hubris is mostly closely associated with the term “tragic flaw.” The term “tragic flaw” is often considered to be synonymous with the term hamartia; however, the error of hamartia does not necessarily need to be the result of an inherent flaw in the character. Hamartia is the action that brings about the downfall, while a tragic flaw, like hubris, is a personality trait or a part of the character’s moral makeup.