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Hubris
makes people blind, and even if hubris leads to initial success it
DEFINITION will inevitably lead to disaster. This is different from the Ancient
Greek conception of hubris, where punishment came
What is hubris? Here’s a quick and simple definition:
automatically and swiftly. So the student who thinks she doesn't
need to study for her test might actually end up getting all the
Hubris refers to excessive pride or overconfidence, which
answer s on that test right, but someone might still say she has
drives a person to overstep limits in a way that leads to their
"hubris" and that her pride will eventually lead to a fall.
downfall. In Greek mythology, the legend of Icarus involves
an iconic case of hubris: Icarus is given artificial wings made
of wax and feathers so that he can fly (a superhuman feat), Hubris and Hamartia
but he ignores his father's warnings and flies too close to the In literature, hubris is often closely related to hamartia, which is the
sun, melting his wings and drowning in the ocean. tragic flaw that leads to a character's reversal of fate and downfall.
While there are many different types of tragic flaws, hubris is one of
Some additional key details about hubris: the most common. For example, it can be argued that in works of
• In classical definitions, hubris referred specifically to a defiance of literature as different as Oedipus Rex, Frankenstein, and All the King's
the gods or of divine order. The contemporary definition of hubris, Men, hubris is the hamartia that leads to each of the heroes'
however, is broader. It includes the defiance of other types of downfalls.
authority, such as a general disregard for the limits of human
capability.
• Both heroes and villains can display hubris.
EX
EXAMPLES
AMPLES
• Hubris is a quality that anyone can display—not just characters in Hubris plays a critical role in myths and stories from ancient to
literature and myths. For instance, a hubristic student might think modern times.
that she knows more than her teacher and can therefore pass a
test without having to study. Hubris E
Exxamples in Gr
Greek
eek Mytholog
Mythologyy
Hubris appears in many Greek myths, often as an example of
Hubris Pr
Pronuncia
onunciation
tion hamartia, or a tragic flaw that leads to the hero's downfall. These
Here's how to pronounce hubris: hy
hyoo
oo-briss stories serve as a cautionary tale against mortal impiety toward the
gods.
The E
Evvolution of Hubris
Hubris in the Myth of Niobe
The meaning of hubris has subtly changed and expanded over time.
The tragic Greek myth of Niobe is a story in which the punishment for
• Hubris in ancient Gr
Greec
eece: e: In Ancient Greece, hubris referred to hubris far exceeds the crime. According to Homer's The Iliad, the
defiance of the gods or of the divine order. This concept appears queen of Thebes (Niobe) had six sons and six daughters, and she
frequently in Ancient Greek myths and dramas, with characters foolishly bragged about this to the goddess Leto, who had only two
openly or more subtly defying the Gods or the divine order, and children: Artemis and Apollo. When Artemis and Apollo heard of
getting punished for it. It's worth knowing that in Ancient Greece Niobe's pridefulness, Apollo killed all of Niobe's sons and Artemis
hubris referred specifically to the defiance of the gods, not to the killed all her daughters. The punishment for Niobe's pride—and her
punishment of that defiance. The punishment had its own name: disregard for the gods' superiority to mortals—left her crippled by her
nemesis, which is also the name of the Goddess who was grief and unable to stop weeping, even after she was later turned to a
responsible for doling out the punishments. rock. (The story is thought to have originated as an explanation for a
• The ccont
ontempor
emporar
aryy definition of hubris: The definition of hubris rock on Mt. Sipylus that resembles a woman and often has water
has expanded slightly from the time of the Ancient Greeks to its seeping from it.)
usage in present day. Today, it refers not just to a defiance of the
gods or the "natural order," but to a general lack of humility and Hubris in the Myth of Ar
Arachne
achne
the defiance of human limitations more generally. The idea In the version of this myth that appears in Metamorphoses by the
behind hubris in contemporary usage is that things naturally will Roman poet Ovid, Arachne was a girl of humble origins who became
end up not working out for anyone who acts in ways that are an exceptional weaver. One day, Arachne boasted that her skill as a
driven by excessive pride; essentially it is an idea that arrogance weaver surpassed even that of the goddess Athena. Displeased by the

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display of pride, Athena challenged Arachne to a contest to determine corrupt ways. In the end, Willie succumbs to the very corruption he
who was truly the better weaver. In the end, Arachne produced the set out to combat, and his hubris ultimately leads to tragedy.
more beautiful tapestry, which enraged Athena and drove her to
shred the tapestry to pieces and turn Arachne into a spider. In this Hubris E
Exxamples in the Bible
tale, it's important to note, Arachne really was supremely gifted, so
her pride may have been warranted—and yet, she still displayed Two of the most significant stories in the Bible—the fall of Lucifer, and
hubris in that she defied the gods and the divine order, which led to the fall of Adam and Eve—are examples of hubris. Lucifer, the second
divine punishment. most powerful entity in heaven, wants and believes he should be the
most powerful and rebels against God. For this act of terrible hubris,
Lucifer is punished by getting cast out of heaven. While he is the lord
Hubris E
Exxamples in Lit
Liter
eraatur
turee of hell, he also must endure the eternal torment of having lost
Hubris appears in texts from ancient Greek drama, to the Bible, to heaven.
modern literature. Eve's action to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge is similarly an
act of hubris. In this case, the serpent (Satan in disguise) convinces
Sophocle'ss Antig
Hubris in Sophocle' Antigone
one Eve that she deserves to have the same knowledge as God, the she
The Ancient Greek tragedy Antigone is a great example of hubris, but deserves to eat the forbidden fruit. Eating the fruit is an act of
it may be hard to see why without a certain level of familiarity with defiance against the dictates of God—it is an act of hubris—and Adam
Greek religious customs. In the play, the King of Thebes decrees that and Eve are, as a result, cast out of the Garden of Eden.
no one may bury a man named Polynices, who had led a rebellion
against the throne and died—but the man's sister (Antigone, for Hubris E
Exxamples in Film
whom the play is named) breaks this law and gives her brother a
As in literature, hubris is a common trait in film characters—one that
burial anyway. When she's called before the king to account for her
makes them complicated and compelling, and leads to their
crime, she argues that the right to a proper burial is a divine law, and
downfall.
that it should therefore take precedence over the law of the king. As
punishment, the king locks Antigone in a tomb to die, where she then
hangs herself. Antigone's suicide devastates the king's son (who was Hubris in Aladdin
betrothed to Antigone), and he commits suicide. The king's wife, In Disney's animated movie Aladdin, the antagonist provides a good
devastated by the loss of her son, also kills herself. In the end, the example of hubris in a villain. Jafar is the vain and power-hungry
king's defiance of divine law (by prohibiting the burial of Polynices) advisor to the Sultan of Agrabah, and he wants to claim the throne for
leads directly to the deaths of his most loved ones. himself. His hubris lies in his belief that, using his evil sorcery, he can
singlehandedly overthrow the sultan and defeat a hero with an all-
Hubris in Mar
Maryy Shelle y'ss Frank
Shelley' ankens
ensttein powerful genie on his side. But in the final scene, in a reckless bid to
win supreme power for himself, Jafar turns himself into a magic
In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is determined
genie, without remembering that such ultimate power comes at a
to create life—an ability belonging only to nature or the gods. He
cost: genies are magical beings, but they're essentially prisoners
succeeds in this hubristic ambition and creates a living, intelligent
bound to servitude. Hubristic villains such as Jafar are often defeated
being, but the being has the shape of a monster that so disgusts and
by their own arrogant, power-hungry behavior.
terrifies Victor that he abandons it. The monster, in retaliation for this
abandonment, resolves to make Victor's life just as lonely as its own,
and murders his loved ones. Victor's hubristic aspiration to create life
leads to life-shattering consequences when he can't live up to the
WHY WRITER
WRITERSSU
USE
SE IT
responsibilities of being a creator, and painfully reaffirms the "natural Hubris appears frequently in literature—in heroes and villains, and in
order" and his position within it as a mortal with limited capabilities. redeemable characters as well as ones fated for demise.

Hubris in R
Robert
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Warr en'ss All the King'
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Servves a Cautionar
Cautionaryy Purpose
In the novel All the King's Men, the Louisiana politician Willie Stark The appearance of hubris in stories can generally be understood to
suffers deeply as a result of his own hubris. Willie began as a man function as a caution against arrogance or pride. While such moralism
from a poor background, entering politics on the local level and is more rare in modern literature, it is a common feature of classical
positioning himself as a crusader against corruption. As his power mythology, folktales, and even Biblical stories. For instance, in the
grows, he wins the governorship of Louisiana—and, by extension, an Russian folktale "Kolobok," a dumpling comes to life and manages to
opportunity to help the people of his home state whom he truly cares flee his maker's house, then escapes various animals who try to eat
about. But as Willie's ego inflates, his plans grow more ambitious and him, all while singing a boastful song. In the end, a fox tricks him with
unyielding, and he begins to break the law in increasingly flagrant, flattery: by praising his talent for singing, the fox manages to lower the

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dumpling's guard, and then eats him. (If this story sounds familiar, it's some stories, then, hubris kindles a reader's sense of sympathy for a
because it has a lot in common with the tale of the Gingerbread man.) character.
This type of ending is typical of tales warning that ugly downfalls
often closely follow overconfidence, boasting, and hubris in general.
Hubris Pr
Propels
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Sttor
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At the heart of every good plot is a compelling conflict—and since • Enc
Encyyclopedia Brit
Britannic
annicaa entr
entryy on hubris
hubris:: An excellent place to
hubris helps stoke conflict, it can propel a story's plot. Hubristic get an idea of hubris in a historical context.
characters often find themselves in compromising or dangerous
• Oxf
xfor
ordd Living Dic
Dictionaries
tionaries definition of hubris
hubris:: A short definition
situations because of their overconfidence that they'll emerge
that makes the concept of hubris easy to grasp.
triumphant, or their overestimation of their own abilities. In the
Animaniacs cartoon Pinky and the Brain, for instance, a mouse • Wikipedia p
pag
agee on hubris
hubris:: A clear explanation of the evolution of
referred to simply as "The Brain" develops schemes to take over the hubris' meaning since its origins in ancient Greek law.
world each night. The schemes all seem on the verge of succeeding, • Lit
Liter
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Terms:
erms: A Dic
Dictionar
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Entryy on Hubris
Hubris:: This dictionary by
only to ridiculously fail in a humiliating way. The Brain's hubris helps Karl Beckson and Arthur Ganz includes an illustration of hubris
launch the plot of each episode and, in most cases, lands him in from Antigone.
sticky situations along the way, such that often the Brain's efforts are
• Har
Harvvar
ardd Business R
Reevie
vieww article on hubris
hubris:: A good source for
thwarted by his own eagerness for world domination. While Pinky
delving deeper into the concept. An interesting piece that holds
and the Brain is a deeply comic take on hubris, it's still a good
real-life examples of hubris in the business world beside famous
example of how hubristic characters can be compelling because it
fictional examples.
makes them both great and doomed: their hubris leads them to
attempt incredible things even as it contains the seeds of its own
failure.
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HOWWT
TO
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Hubris Mak
Makes
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Charac
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Rela
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ML
MLAA
Hubris often makes characters more relatable to an audience
because, even though it's a major flaw, it adds complexity and depth Lambert-Sluder, Rose. "Hubris." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 5 May 2017.
to characters that might otherwise be seen as "perfect" heroes. It's Web. 31 Aug 2017.
easier for readers to sympathize with characters who exhibit realistic
and relatable flaws. While not every reader may yearn to create Chic
Chicag
ago
o Manual
intelligent life (as Victor does in Frankenstein) or rise to power as a Lambert-Sluder, Rose. "Hubris." LitCharts LLC, May 5, 2017. Retrieved
politician (as Willie does in All the King's Men), readers may relate to August 31, 2017. [Link]
the impulse to reach beyond one's limits, or see oneself as terms/hubris.
exceptional in cases where others would be guaranteed to fail. In

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