The Shakespearean Tragedy

Characteristics of a Shakespearean Tragedy  The main character, called the tragic hero comes to an unhappy ending.  The tragic hero is generally a person of importance in society, such as a king or queen.  The tragic hero exhibits extraordinary qualities, but also a tragic flaw, which is a fatal error in judgment or weakness that leads directly to his or her downfall.

 The hero faces an antagonist, his enemy, who may contribute to his downfall.  A series of related events leads to a catastrophe, which involves the death of the hero.  The tragic hero usually recognizes his or her tragic flaw by the end and gains the audience’s sympathy.  The tragic hero meets his or her doom with courage and dignity, reaffirming the greatness of the human spirit.

 Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds EX: “One great furnace flamed”  Allusions: An author’s reference to other works of literature or historical events or figures EX: “Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree…”  Elevated Diction: The use of lofty words and phrases to match the “exalted subject and theme” of the epic (“larger- than-life” characters and themes)

 Epic Simile: A comparison in which something in the poem is compared to something quite outside the poem- often an animal, sometimes a human being or a human action. EX: Satan’s size is compared to the bodies of Greek myth. Giants (II )  Blank Verse: Unrhymed, iambic pentameter (ten beats per line)  Omitted words & Inverted syntax Subject/verbs are often placed out of order to accommodate demands of meter. EX: “sin, Heavenly Muse…” could be placed at the beginning of the poem

Literary Terms

Pathetic Fallacy  The attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things (ex. Nature, weather)  Where did we see these in Macbeth?

Freytag’s Pyramid  According to Freytag, a drama is divided into five parts or acts.

Exposition  The exposition provides the background information needed to properly understand the story, such as the protagonist, antagonist, basic conflict, and setting.  The exposition ends with the inciting moment, which is the incident that without there would be no story.

Rising Action  The basic conflict is complicated by the introduction of related secondary conflicts, including various obstacles that frustrate the protagonist’s attempt to reach their goal.

Climax  The third act is the climax or turning point, which marks a change for the better or the worse in the protagonists affairs. In a tragedy things will go from good to bad.

Falling Action  The conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist losing against the antagonist. The falling action might contain a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt.

Denouement  The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off than at the beginning of the narrative.