English Literature GCSE
Hamartia
What Hamartia means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for Eduqas, OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Hamartia
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero.
A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.
Topics that use Hamartia
- Component 1 (Eduqas GCSE)
- Macbeth (Eduqas GCSE)
- Othello (Eduqas GCSE)
- Section A (20%) Shakespeare (Eduqas GCSE)
- Subject Content (Eduqas GCSE)
- Shakespeare (OCR GCSE)
- Macbeth (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Romeo and Juliet (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Shakespeare Play (choice of: Macbeth, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice) (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
Using Hamartia in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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