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Fatal Flaw

Disciplines > Storytelling > Characters > Fatal Flaw

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

The hero is nearly perfect, but has some limiting feature by which they may fail. The fatal flaw can indeed be fatal, although more often it is something that causes surmountable problems as the hero struggles to cope with the flaw.

Example

In Lord of the Rings, Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo. Frodo is eventually overcome by the power of the ring.

Discussion

Perfect people are boring. The fatal flaw creates interest, realism and tension in what might otherwise be a 2D character.

Achilles' heel is a fatal flaw that is used as a term of description for the condition. Achilles was invulnerable except for his heel. Eventually he was struck in the heel by an arrow and was killed.

Villains can have a kind of reverse fatal flaw, for example where they have a redeeming feature by which their villainy is not absolute.

The Greek term for the fatal flaw is Hamartia and also includes the principles of mistakes, accidents and doing the wrong things, including through ignorance.

See also

2D and 3D characters, Heroic characters, The 'Other' in Story

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

Please help and share:

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

– About
– Guest Articles
– Blog!
– Books
– Changes
– Contact
– Guestbook
– Quotes
– Students
– Webmasters

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

© Changing Works 2002-
Massive Content — Maximum Speed