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Published byBenedict Bennett Modified over 9 years ago
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What Defines Tragedy?
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Where does tragedy come from? The Greek philosopher Aristotle first defined tragedy in his book Poetics written in about 330 BCE
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Aristotle’s definition of tragedy Whole plot with a central theme The plot is an emotional reflection of life Incidents are beyond the hero’s control
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What Defines Shakespearean Tragedy? A Tragic Hero The Tragic Flaw Reversal of Fortune Catharsis Restoration of Social Order –Resolution
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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
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Tragic Flaw The hero is nearly perfect- The hero has one flaw or weakness We call this the ‘tragic flaw’, ‘fatal flaw’, or hamartia.
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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.
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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.
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This is why we cry during movies!
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Restoration of Social Order Tragedies include a private and a public element The play cannot end until society is, once again, at peace.
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The End
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