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Table of Contents
Hubris, also referred to as hybris, is excessive pride or confidence in oneself, and it usually leads to the downfall of the character. The term itself comes from the Greek word meaning “insolence.” Hubris, in classic literature, is the protagonist’s tragic flaw and ultimately leads to the fall or demise of that character. A character or person who has this excessive pride is described as hubristic. In many stories, a hubristic protagonist or character is given a warning by a wise man, prophet, god, or important character. The hubristic character usually ignores this warning, stemming from their pride and arrogance, and violate a moral law or try to go beyond human limitations to be god-like.
There are many examples of hubristic characters in classic mythology, because the Greeks thought hubris was a punishable crime. They thought it a great mistake to try and make oneself equal or as powerful as the gods. They also thought it punishable be so prideful as to ignore or change fate.
One such famous Greek tragedy is Oedipus Rex. In this play, Oedipus is told by a prophet that he would marry his mother and murder his father. Oedipus, in his pride, believes he can defy fate and leaves the city he is in and travels to the city of Thebes. While he is traveling, he kills a man, and he later marries the queen of Thebes. The old man was actually his father and the queen was his mother. Realizing his fate came true, Oedipus blinds himself. The immoral and criminal acts committed by Oedipus are blamed on his hubris and his desire to change or avoid his fate.
While hubris may seem to lead to tragedy, the point of depicting hubris is to communicate and demonstrate to the audience a moral. The hubristic characters in most plays or novels are punished for their arrogance. Sometimes they do not realize they are being punished at the time, or they may realize their punishment at the conclusion of the narrative. The depiction of this excessive pride is intended to influence the audience to improve their behaviour and analyze their levels of pride.
We may even look at individuals in our real world that may possibly affected by Hubris. Some critics look at Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise as individuals suffering from hubris and feeling the consequences of their excessive pride. Critics note instances where Tom Cruise appeared on television and seemed arrogant about himself and believed his views to be the correct views of the world. After these incidences, his audience was upset and did not watch as many films in which he was the star. Perhaps Tom Cruise can serve as a real-life example of a hubristic individual receiving punishment for arrogance.
We can see hubris in examples of history as well. Historians often describe the French invasion of Russia in 1812 as a result of great hubris. Napoleon Bonaparte, at the time, was ruler of the Empire of France and King of Italy. With his huge army, he decided to wanted to conquer yet another nation, which was Imperial Russia. Scholars believe that Napoleon’s confidence blinded him to the realities of how difficult it would be to conquer Russia. His excessive pride caused him to make poor decisions. This campaign in Russia caused a swift change in the Napoleonic Wars where French allies began breaking from France, along with a drastic reduction of soldiers
Many examples in literature, history, art, and film demonstrate that a tragic flaw in human character is hubris. Nearly all characters who demonstrate hubris end in weakened states or with severe financial or physical injuries. All the examples work to convince an audience or a viewer to regulate their own pride.
Hubris Worksheets
This bundle contains 5 ready-to-use hubris worksheets that are perfect to test student knowledge and understanding of what hubris is and how it can be used. You can use these hubris worksheets in the classroom with students, or with home schooled children as well.
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Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.
