hamartia (noun) and anagnorisis (noun)
Two terms from classical Greek tragedy. Hamartia (hah-mar-TEE-uh) is a fatal flaw or mistake that leads to the protagonist’s downfall. Anagnorisis (a-nag-NOR-ih-sis) is the point at which the protagonist recognizes his/her (or some other character’s) true nature. As I used them today: “Is life an ongoing struggle between the stress of playing blind and the pain of being forced to see? Are we locked into the tragic choice between hamartia and anagnorisis?”