What is Hamartia(希腊文“罪”）？

What is Hamartia?

Hamartia, from the Greek for “error,” is a mistake in judgment committed by a tragic hero. 

什么是希腊文“罪”，希腊文“罪”在希腊文中是指“误差”（或译“偏差”），是悲剧性的英雄在判断时所出的错误。

While the character’s intentions and personal flaws play a central role in this process, hamartia specifically refers to the character’s erroneous action.

当此英雄的倾向和个人缺陷在判断中占据中心位置时，希腊文“罪”也特别指此英雄的错误的行动。 

This error may be the result of a lack of knowledge or moral flaw and it generally brings about the sorrow, downfall, or death of the hero. The results of hamartia are usually the direct opposite of the character’s expectations.

这个偏差可能由缺乏知识或有道德缺陷造成，它总体来说给英雄带来悲伤，失败和死亡。希腊文“罪”的结果通常与此英雄的
期望直接相反。

Hamlet, for example, suffers from the tragic flaw of indecision. He hesitates to kill his cruel and villainous uncle, which leads to the ultimate tragedy of the play. By struggling with an inherent moral flaw, Hamlet brings about his own destruction. His hesitation, therefore, is the action to which the term hamartia is applied.

比如说，哈姆雷特就有拿不定主意的悲剧性的缺陷，他在要杀死他残暴和恶毒的叔叔时犹豫不决，这就导致最后的悲剧。在与

他固有的性格缺陷的斗争中，哈姆雷特的犹豫造成了自己的毁灭。因此，犹豫就是术语希腊文“罪”所导致的行动。

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor suffers from the inherent moral flaw of hubris, or overweaning pride, presumption, or arrogance. Due to this tragic flaw, he strives to be a great scientist, creates a monster, and brings about his own downfall.
在玛丽雪丽的福兰克思坦一书中，威克多有天生的性格缺陷，就是傲慢，或说过分的骄傲，专横或自大。因为这个悲剧性的缺陷，他虽努力想成为一个伟大的科学家，但他制造了一个怪兽，这导致他的毁灭。

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. Instead, hamartia can result from ignorance or accident. In fact, in some cases, it can be the result of good intentions or bravery that result in disastrous consequences. So, while hamartia may indeed result from a character’s tragic flaw, the two terms are not strictly equivalent.

术语“悲剧性的缺陷”通常被认为是术语希腊文“罪”的同义词，然
而希腊文“罪”所致的偏差不一定全是内在的性格缺陷造成的，希腊文“罪”亦可由无知和意外造成。事实上，有些情况是好的愿望
或勇敢的行为导致了灾难性的后果。

For example, in Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus inadvertently kills his own father. On the road to Thebes, the two men engage in an argument about the right of way, and because he does not realize that Laius is his father, Oedipus kills him. This example of hamartia results from the ignorance of the character.

举例说明，在索福克勒斯（古希腊悲剧诗人）的 俄狄浦斯（希腊神话人物）国王一书中，俄狄浦斯非故意地杀死了他的父亲。
在去底比斯（古希腊Boeotia的主要城邦）的路上，这两个人为哪一条路是正确的而发生争执，因为俄狄浦斯不知道拉伊俄斯（希腊神话中的底比斯国王）是他的父亲，他杀死了拉伊俄斯。这个关于希腊文“罪”的例子说明这个偏差来自英雄的无知。

Aristotle claimed that the hamartia must bring about the reversal of fortune for the tragic hero, and that this hero must be neither completely good nor completely bad so that the audience can identify with the character’s plight. Therefore, the audience members experience a feeling of pity for the character, as well as a sense of fear that the same downfall might afflict them someday.

亚里士多德认为希腊文“罪”必须给悲剧性的英雄带来命运的逆转，以及这个英雄必须是既不完全好，也不完全坏，这样观众可以自己参与识别英雄所处的困境。因此观众可能会为英雄感到惋惜，同时也可能有一种感觉就是害怕同样的毁灭会临到自己。