Vent Stacks Air Out Your Plumbing. You'll rarely even see your vent stack, but it plays a crucial role in keeping your bathroom free of sewer smells. (Photo by Summer Galyan) Plumbers explain the importance of these typically maintenance-free pipes that often go unnoticed.
Definition of Tragic Flaw. In literature, the tragic flaw is a character trait that brings about the downfall of the protagonist; ironically, in some works, this flaw is the character's greatest strength taken to an extreme. The tragic flaw may be a lack of judgment or self-knowledge, but most often it is pride or hubris. Regardless of intention, worthiness, station in life, or the character's best efforts, the tragic flaw will bring about the destruction of the character.
The concept of the tragic flaw of which Hrothgar warns Beowulf was first expounded by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, with Sophocles' Oedipus Rex as the ultimate example in Greek literature. However, as much as the Greeks spoke of the tragic flaw, there is still a strong sense of the heroic in their epic literature.