Tragic Flaw Examples

Heroes of literary tales often have a tragic flaw. A tragic flaw is a character trait that causes the downfall of the hero. Instead of being completely perfect, many literary heroes make an error in judgment or have a character flaw that leads to their downfall.

Examples of Tragic Flaws from Famous Literature

1. The hero Achilles' tragic flaw is his pride. He thinks he is completely invincible, but he has a weak spot-his ankle.

2. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus' downfall is also caused by his own pride, and by ignoring the prophecy if the gods, he inadvertently married his own mother.

3. In Macbeth, Macbeth's tragic flaw is his own ambition. He plots with his wife to murder the king, and his guilt haunts him.

4. In The Hunger Games, you could say that Kat's tragic flaw is her protectiveness of those she loves. She does not consider her own fate when she is thinking of protecting Prim or, in the end, Peeta.

5. Harry Potter has a tragic flaw similar to that of Katniss. He is willing to sacrifice himself for those whom he loves-and he gets himself into dangerous situations because he is compelled to try to do the right thing and protect innocent people.

6. In The Lord of the Rings, the ring could be seen as a tragic flaw. Frodo must carry the ring to burn in Mordor, but the longer he carries it, the more it causes him to feel greed and selfishness for the ring (it did the same to Gollum).