Hubris means excessive confidence or pride in oneself. In ancient Greek tragedies, hubris is seen as a mortal flaw of character, a form of arrogance that causes humans to challenge their place in the divine order. By seeking to become more godlike, hubristic souls incite the wrath of the gods and are inevitably punished. 

The word hubris derives from the Greek hybris, of the same definition. 

Several examples of hubris can be found in the play Antigone, Homer’s Odyssey, and the myth of Icarus. In the Icarus myth, the legendary craftsman Daedalus and his son, Icarus, escape from Crete by donning artificial wings and flying over the sea. Despite Daedalus’s warnings not to fly too high or too low, Icarus hubristically soars sunward. The wax that binds his wings melts, and he plummets to a watery grave.

see: catharsis, tragedy