Breaking Bad has gained critical acclaim for its stunning depiction of what many would call a modern-day spin on the timeless Greek tragedy. The likeness of Breaking Bad and Sophocles’ tragedies are grounded in what many consider to be the central elements of a tragedy – anagnorisis, hamartia, and hubris. The two dramas also have complex characters with both virtue and vice.
Artistotle defined anagnorisis as the moment when the tragic hero begins to understand the web of fate within which he/she has become entangled. These moments are a key to Sophocles’ tragedies. Often, anagnorisis is drawn out over a few scenes as details begin to accumulate in the mind of the tragic hero. For example, Oedipus receives the news of his role in bringing a prophecy to light in pieces. First, he learns that King Laius was killed at the same crossroads as he once killed some men. Then he learns that he was adopted, and later that he was Laius’ son, left on a mountainside to die by his wife/mother Jocasta.
In Breaking Bad, Walt has similar moments of recognition. He initially starts making meth as a last-ditch effort to provide for his family upon his death. However, at the end of Episode 209, Walt is given the good news that his cancer treatments have been effective. Walt realizes that after all the murder, the lying, and the stealing, that death from cancer cannot be the escape from the complex web of fate in which he’s entangled himself. This moment is illustrated in the scene where he goes into the bathroom and punches the paper-towel dispenser.
Hamartia is the fatal error or simple mistake made on the part of the tragic hero that eventually leads to a final catastrophe. A good example of this occurs in Sophocles’ Antigone, when Creon sentences Antigone to death despite his son Haemon’s wishes. Overcome by despair, Haemon will later commit suicide. Creon is acting in what he believes is the most justified course of action. Of course, this seemingly simple choice to continue with Antigone’s sentence will ultimately lead to him losing his son. In the same way, Walt makes many seemingly small mistakes that lead to disastrous results. One example of this is when he inadvertently lets slip to Skyler, while under the influence of anesthesia, that he has two cell phones. This leads to Skyler moving out on him and the unraveling of all his lies.
The role that hubris plays in both Breaking Bad and Greek tragedy is evident as characters fall victim to their own sense of pride. Sophocles creates characters with a sense of superiority. Creon’s newfound role as King leads him to make a series of fatal flaws and errors. Because he was victorious, he feels that his authority and decisions supreme and unimpeachable. This leads to the demise of Creon’s son, wife, and daughter-in-law. In Breaking Bad, Walt experiences a different sort of hubris. His pride is first rooted not in power, but in his intellectual superiority. Walt uses his vast knowledge of chemistry to treat Jesse as an inferior. His pride in his intellect and knowledge leads him to develop a sense of ever-greater boldness. Because Breaking Bad is rooted in the genre of tragedy, inevitably Walt’s pride leads to fatal errors, just like it did with Creon. One example is when Walt proudly believes he can string together a series of lies about his double-life. By thinking he is intellectually superior to his wife, he underestimates her ability to put together the pieces of his hastily-laid puzzle of lies. When Skyler calls him out on this, Walt’s nemesis or payback for his actions is Skyler defiantly choosing to move out on him.
Breaking Bad and Sophocles’ tragedies both have characters with virtue and vice. On the surface, it is easy to label Antigone as a noble and just woman. Her decision to honor her brother’s life by burying him against Creon’s wishes allows the audience to sympathize with her. However, when Creon is exhumed, Antigone goes to bury him in a bold act of defiance, even though she no reason to, since the religious rituals have been satisfied. Antigone’s defiance ultimately leads to her doom. Breaking Bad has a series of similar characters who appear to be noble and virtuous, but have fatal character flaws, particularly pride, that make their circumstances more difficult. Skyler is one example. On the surface, she’s a virtuous woman in how cares for her family and works honestly at her job (particularly when refusing to submit a fraudulent financial report). However, when given the opportunity, Skyler engages in an affair with her boss, feeling like her actions are in the right. She feels justified because Walt had wronged her.
Complex characters are what make Greek tragedy and great television so engaging to viewers. They allow readers and viewers to see themselves—with their mix of vice and virtue—in the characters.
Studying Breaking Bad 