Hubris

From the ancient Greek, hubris denotes excessive pride, arrogance, or confidence — particularly in defiance of divine or moral limits. In Greek tragedy, hubris is frequently the specific form of hamartia that precipitates downfall. Sophocles’s Oedipus, Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus all exemplify protagonists whose hubris drives them toward destruction.