HAMARTIA AND THE FLAW OF CHARACTER: A QUR’ANIC PERSPECTIVE ON HUMAN FALLIBILITY IN GREEK TRAGEDY

Abstract

The Aristotelian concept of hamartia—the tragic flaw leading to downfall—has been central to the study of Greek tragedy, particularly in works such as Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, and Euripides’ Medea. These tragedies portray noble figures undone by errors of judgment, pride, or passion, raising questions of fate, divine justice, and human responsibility. While Greek tragedy frames hamartia within the interplay of fate (moira) and the will of the gods, the Qur’an offers a distinct perspective on human imperfection and accountability. The Qur’an acknowledges inherent human weaknesses—such as pride, impatience, and forgetfulness (Qur’an 4:28; 17:11; 70:19)—but unlike Greek fatalism, it emphasizes the possibility of repentance, moral choice, and divine mercy. By juxtaposing hamartia in Greek tragedy with Qur’anic views of human fallibility, this article explores how literary and theological traditions conceptualize weakness: as inevitable doom in Hellenic drama, or as a moral test within Islamic scripture. The study highlights how Oedipus’ blindness, Agamemnon’s hubris, and Medea’s wrath can be reinterpreted through Qur’anic categories of arrogance (kibr), injustice (zulm), and unrestrained desire (hawa). This comparative reading reveals both convergence—human flaws as sources of suffering—and divergence—the Qur’an’s insistence on the redemptive potential of weakness. Thus, by integrating Qur’anic insights into the study of Greek tragedy, this research enriches cross-cultural literary criticism, offering new ethical and spiritual dimensions to the understanding of hamartia.