Aristotelian Tragedy A man of high social standing… Experiences a downfall… Because of a flaw in his otherwise perfect character… Which flaw isn’t revealed but for the tragic action of the play. Oedipus the King / Sophocles / c. 400 BC “Aristotelian Tragedy” named because Aristotle defined it (c. 350 BC )

In Aristotelian Tragedy the main character, (the tragic hero) does not die. Instead, he lives the rest of his life with the knowledge of the mistakes he made that lead to his downfall.

Shakespearean Tragedy The same characteristics apply, with the exception that the tragic hero MUST die at the end. This must happen in order to restore a natural balance that was upset at some point by the actions of the tragic hero (e.g. the murder of a king).

Freytag’s Pyramid (Complication)

All of Shakespeare’s plays are divided into 5 Acts. These Acts are further divided into scenes. These divisions were made primarily by editors well after Shakespeare wrote the plays. They more or less follow the model outline by Freytag. When we talk about Acts and scenes, we notate them this way: Act 1, scene 3 = I, iii – or – 1, 3 Act 5, scene 2 = V, ii We can also annotate lines like this: V, ii, – or III, I, 76ff.