1. What Defines Tragedy? : a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the downfall of a great man

2. Where does tragedy come from? The Greek philosopher Aristotle first defined tragedy in his book Poetics written in about 330 BCE

3. Aristotle’s definition of tragedy had SIX parts: Plot Character Thought Diction Spectacle Melody

4. What Defines Shakespearean Tragedy? A Tragic Hero The Tragic Flaw Reversal of Fortune Restoration of Social Order –Denouement

5. The Tragic Hero The tragic hero is someone we, as an audience, look up to— someone superior. The tragic hero is nearly perfect, and we identify with him/her

6. Tragic Hero The hero is nearly perfect- The hero has one flaw or weakness We call this the ‘tragic flaw’, or ‘fatal flaw’ A tragic hero is often of noble birth, or rises to noble standing There may sometimes be supernatural involvement

7. Tragic Hero The hero discovers that his downfall is a result of his own actions, not by things happening to him. The flaw of a tragic hero has generally been regarded to necessarily result in his death, or a fate worse than death. The Shakespearean tragic hero dies at some point in the story; one example is the eponymous protagonist of the play Macbeth.Macbeth Shakespeare's characters show that tragic heroes are neither fully good nor fully evil.

8. Examples of Flaws Greed Obsession with one thing Mistrust Uncertainty Lack of patience Easily influenced Hesitation Selfishness Ambition

9. Reversal of Fortune The ‘fatal flaw’ brings the hero down from his/her elevated state. Renaissance audiences were familiar with the ‘wheel of fortune’ or ‘fickle fate’. What goes up, must come down.

10. Catharsis We get the word ‘catharsis’ from Aristotle’s katharsis. ‘Catharsis’ is the audience’s purging of emotions through pity and fear. The spectator is purged as a result of watching the hero fall.

11. Restoration of Social Order Tragedies include a private and a public element The play cannot end until society is, once again, at peace.