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In aliterary context, awheel of fire may refer to the chain of tortuous or dire consequences that result from a single action.
The Wheel of Fire originates inGreek mythology as the punishment forIxion, who was bound to a wheel of fire for lusting afterZeus's wife,Hera.
The Wheel of Fire is part of theAristotelian reading of atragedy (e.g., plays), which includes the centralflaw within a character. In Shakespeare's tragedyOthello, the flaw inOthello himself is his vulnerability to jealousy and his tendency to believeIago, who is manipulating Othello into believing his wife is unfaithful. As a result of this flaw Othello loses a loyal friend, murders his wife, and is driven insane before eventually committing suicide. In this scenario the Wheel of Fire begins with the action of Othello trusting Iago and consequently the other events occur.
The Wheel of Fire is most commonly applied to theprotagonist within a tragedy (i.e. the hero) and may aim to provoke sympathy from the audience when the hero falls from grace (this purging of emotions is known ascatharsis), though it also adds dramatic interest to the performance.
The Wheel of Fire is also the title ofG. Wilson Knight's book on Shakespearean tragedy.
In Shakespeare'sKing Lear, Lear states: "But I am bound upon a wheel of fire, / That mine own tears do scald like molten lead".[1]
InJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings theOne Ring is described as a "wheel of fire".
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