History Main / BreakTheHaughty

* A recent little storyline came with the breakup of Wrestling/{{LayCool}}. Layla, after alienating all the other divas on the roster, got betrayed by her BFF Michelle and was challenged to a loser leaves WWE match. Before the match, Layla apologised for her actions to the rest of the divas.

Compare SuddenHumility, which may or may not affect a haughty character.

** Fulgrim, the haughtiest of the haughty and an outright embodiment of Pride, ended up suffering from this over ten millennia after the Horus Heresy, when he was lured to Isstvan III by [[spoiler:Ancient Rylanor, the last living loyalist of the Emperor's Sons]]. Despite all his offers, despite his supernatural charisma, despite every trick and power at his disposal being wielded to try and turn what was once one of his men to his side, [[spoiler:Rylanor rejected him "now and always", in such an intense manner that he turned one of the Thousand Sons sorcerers there who then helped [[TakingYouWithMe him unleash the Virus Bomb he had ready for Fulgrim]]]]. It's stated Fulgrim recovered physically (as physically as a Daemon Prince can get at least), but the injury he took to his pride from being so thoroughly denied was unspeakably deep.

The "breakings" usually involve [[HumiliationConga misfortunes increasing in unpleasantness]], MindRape, killing everyone they love, AndIMustScream, disease, ColdBloodedTorture, horrible accidents, and so on; the character will fail in the field they pride themselves on, lose all admirers or their power, and they alone will be responsible for their problems. Also, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown they might get pummeled into the ground]] or verbally torn apart by a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, anything that knocks them off their high horse. No matter how, they either end up bitter and alone or having to depend on others - either way, eating a good fat slice of HumblePie. This trope evokes either sympathy or schadenfreude from the public; the high-and-mighty may learn the Aesop or not, but the public gets to learn it either way.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': 5th edition has the Tritons, a species of mermen devoted to guarding the depths of the ocean from all manner of threats. Unfortunately, because it all happens deep below the surface, people told of their (legitimate) exploits tend to disbelieve them, leading to all manner of friction (not helped by the mermen seeing the surface dwellers as ungrateful barbarians).
* In the backstory of ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful'', the various Courts of the Hopeful grew proud, each convinced that their particular vision for an ideal society was the only legitimate one, each forgetting that the other Courts were equally valid expressions of the Light. This strife and discord let the Darkness in, and it destroyed the Kingdoms and trapped the Courts in the Dreamlands. The five Radiant Courts have learned their lesson, at least for the moment, while the three Twilight Courts still have a greater element of pride in their specific ethoses.
* This is what Clan Nosferatu in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' likes to do with humans who they deem too proud of themselves. There is even a word in vampire slang, [[Film/{{Freaks}} "Cleopatra"]], which designates a person who once was beautiful, but turned into a horrific monster after being Embraced by Nosferatu.

** The basis of the [[SpannerInTheWorks "Not as planned!" meme]]: [[EvilSorcerer Tzeentchians]] tend towards the SmugSnake characterization (theirs is the god of schemers and backstabbers), so whenever their highly convoluted plans are overturned they [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Angrymarines_tzeentch.jpg don't take it well.]] In canon, however, they know that their defeat merely means that [[ThanatosGambit another of Tzeentch's plans has been set into motion.]] Though of course, every Tzeentchian also believes that they are chosen by Tzeentch to always win right up until a bolt shell blows their brains out.
** It's also subverted in the case of the Eldar, who despite bringing about the fall of their Empire thousands of years ago through millennia of increasingly disgusting hedonism, still believe themselves to be better than the Imperium (and given the state the Imperium is in, it's not too hard to believe).

* Athena, helped along by ''Theatre/{{Ajax}}'' himself, does a stellar job of turning Ajax from the best warrior on the Greek side to a madman held in complete ridicule and anger by the army. When the madness is removed and he realizes all this, he [[DrivenToSuicide kills himself]].

* In ''Theatre/{{Antigone}}'', Creon suffers this fate when [[spoiler: after he has the title character executed, his son and wife both commit suicide, leaving him alone and wishing for death]]. Practically a requirement for any Greek tragedy, really. {{Pride}}, as noted above, was their favorite sin to attack.
* Elder Kevin Price in ''Theatre/TheBookOfMormon''. He starts off convinced he has a great destiny in the Mormon Church and has very little interest in being friends with his mission brother Arnold Cunningham. However, he later [[spoiler:suffers a CrisisOfFaith as a result of his inability to convert the local Ugandan villagers]].
* In ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', the titular historical figure, Alexander Hamilton, begins Act II proud, cocky, and selfish, flaunting his power in the brand-new government. Throughout the act, he cheats on his wife, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero humiliates himself (and her, and his family) by revealing the fact to save his own skin]], [[OutlivingOnesOffspring loses his son to a duel for his father's honor]], isolates himself from the people he still has in his life, and dies at the hand of one of his first friends. He's much less haughty by the end.

* This is the VillainProtagonist by the third act of any Creator/ChristopherMarlowe play. (''Theatre/{{Tamburlaine}}'', ''Theatre/TheJewOfMalta'', ''Theatre/DoctorFaustus'', etc.)

* Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' is, more or less, the story of a violent [[AlphaBitch rich woman]] getting everything she threw at others thrown back at her face. By the end, she learns what a JerkAss she'd been and treats her ArrangedMarriage husband with decency and respect. Unfortunately, there's a fair amount of [[ValuesDissonance over-the-top chauvinism going on]].
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'' also has a good example of this, where the arrogant and obnoxious steward Malvolio is tricked into thinking his employer Olivia is in love with him. He is persuaded to behave and dress in entirely inappropriate ways, all the while thinking this is exactly what she wants, and ends up being locked in a dungeon for lunacy before being released for a final dose of verbal humiliation at the end of the play.

** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'' had a ''field day'' with this trope: Winston Payne's rapid hair loss and [[spoiler: Dahlia's exorcism/HumiliationConga]] are just two examples. There's also Luke Atmey, an "Ace Detective" with an overinflated ego who [[spoiler:claims to be the infamous thief Mask *DeMasque]] and turns out to be [[spoiler:a blackmailer and a killer]], upon which and his whole reputation comes crashing down.

** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' has Byakuya Togami. From the very beginning of the game, he talked about how he didn't care about the others and how he could kill any of them if he wanted, going so far as to [[spoiler:string up Chihiro's dead body to frame Toko (aka the real Genocider Syo, her SplitPersonality), revealing her deepest secret and thereby causing her horrible emotional anguish and subjecting her to the others calling her a monster to her face - all for his own entertainment and to find out who would be the people to watch out for in the Class Trial when he decided to kill someone.]] After [[spoiler:learning that Sakura's death was actually a suicide,]] his attitude gets knocked down a few pegs, [[spoiler:since he was definitely one of the reasons she felt like she had to kill herself -- she did it to unite them all, and he was the loudest champion of never trusting anyone else (he never ate with the others, saying he didn't trust them; he refused to socialize with anyone, and most damning, he said to Sakura's face that he hopes she dies, since she could still be working for the mastermind.)]] He's still kind of a dick afterwards, but he's less malicious, and obviously much more on his fellow classmates' side. During the final class trial, when everyone realizes that [[spoiler: the apocalypse happened outside the school a year ago and their memories were wiped so they'd forget, [[BigBad Junko]] tells Togami that his family was completely decimated during the chaos, along with their company he's spent his entire life working tooth and nail to command, and now he's the only one left. This new knowledge temporarily paralyzes him, but he and the rest of the students are roused back into hope by Naegi, and they band together to defeat Junko and leave to face the world outside.]] Come ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa2GoodbyeDespair,'' [[spoiler: he puts his position in the Future Foundation on the line, along with Kirigiri, to secretly help Naegi rehabilitate the Remnants of Despair. When it comes time to defeat Junko during the finale, he goes into the simulation along with Naegi and Kirigiri to help the students not lose hope when they figure out that [[HeelRealization they willingly went into the simulation and helped Junko cause the apocalypse.]] When all's said and done, [[TookALevelInKindness he tries to keep up a veneer of superiority, but it's obvious that he's very much warmed to his friends and is willing to take huge risks to help them.]]]]

** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' has Byakuya Togami. From the very beginning of the game, he talked about how he didn't care about the others and how he could kill any of them if he wanted, going so far as to [[spoiler:string up Chihiro's dead body to frame Toko (aka the real Genocider Syo, her SplitPersonality), revealing her deepest secret and thereby causing her horrible emotional anguish and subjecting her to the others calling her a monster to her face - all for his own entertainment and to find out who would be the people to watch out for in the Class Trial when he decided to kill someone.]] After [[spoiler:learning that Sakura's death was actually a suicide,]] his attitude gets knocked down a few pegs, [[spoiler:since he was definitely one of the reasons she felt like she had to kill herself -- she did it to unite them all, and he was the loudest champion of never trusting anyone else (he never ate with the others, saying he didn't trust them; he refused to socialize with anyone, and most damning, he said to Sakura's face that he hopes she dies, since she could still be working for the mastermind.)]] He's still kind of a dick afterwards, but he's less malicious, and obviously much more on his fellow classmates' side. During the final class trial, when everyone realizes that the apocalypse happened outside the school a year ago and their memories were wiped so they'd forget, [[BigBad Junko]] tells Togami that his family was completely decimated during the chaos, along with their company he's spent his entire life working tooth and nail to command, and now he's the only one left. This new knowledge paralyzes him for a while, but he and the rest of the students are roused back into hope by Naegi, and they band together to defeat Junko and leave to face the world outside. Come ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa2GoodbyeDespair,'' [[spoiler: he puts his position in the Future Foundation on the line, along with Kirigiri, to secretly help Naegi rehabilitate the Remnants of Despair. When it comes time to defeat Junko during the finale, he goes into the simulation along with Naegi and Kirigiri to help the students not lose hope when they figure out that [[HeelRealization they willingly went into the simulation and helped Junko cause the apocalypse.]] When all's said and done, [[TookALevelInKindness he tries to keep up a veneer of superiority, but it's obvious that he's very much warmed to his friends and is willing to take huge risks to help them.]]]]