Macbeth The Tragedy of Macbeth Important concepts you

Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth Important concepts you will need to understand. • What is tragedy? • What is a tragic hero? • What purpose does tragedy serve? • What are dramatic conventions? • What key literary devices and concepts will we need to recognize and analyze?

What is tragedy? • According to Aristotle’s Poetics (4 th century B. C. E • dignified play must deal with serious (worthy) matter or problem • conflict must be between equal or superior force(s) • recounts the story of a person of significance • tragedy is most intense when it occurs between family members

What is tragedy? (continued) • According to Aristotle’s Poetics (4 th century B. C. E • actions result in a reversal of fortune; in other words, tragedy reveals the insecurity of the human condition because something of which no one can control reverses the course of the hero’s life • culminates in a catastrophic ending.

What is a tragic hero? • Must be a person of significance (e. g. high rank, king, prince, general, leader, etc…) • Starts off loved and revered by everyone • Must have a tragic flaw called hamartia. Hamartia is a subtle weakness of character (usually pride). • This tragic flaw will press the tragic hero to try to “cheat” normal limitations or break a moral law.

What is a tragic hero? (Continued) • But prior to breaking the moral law, the tragic hero will receive a “divine warning. ” • The tragic hero, however, ignores this warning. • The tragic hero will develop hubris— overreaching pride—which will cause him/her to feel invincible, infallible, and/or invulnerable. • He/she will experience a reversal of fortune —from good to bad.

What is a tragic hero? (Continued) • Because of a tragic flaw, the hero must suffer and go through change. • The tragic hero will eventually gain wisdom and recognize the error of his/her way, experiencing an epiphany—a sudden awakening—but it will be too late to undo the damage.

What is a tragic hero? (Continued) • By this time, the actions of the tragic hero has resulted in the suffering or deaths of innocent people. • The tragic hero’s life ends in catastrophe— terrible ending—as a direct result of his/her own actions.

Tragic Hero Project • Research a tragic hero. • Choose a historical figure or a character from any film, novel, TV series, etc. with which you are closely familiar that you are certain meets the full definition of a tragic hero. • Explain point-for-point how the individual meets all aspects of the tragic hero definition. • Be prepared to present on Tuesday.

What purpose does tragedy serve? • According to Aristotle, tragedy serves as a catharsis. • Catharsis: the events in a tragic play should inspire pity and terror in its viewers, allowing them, through vicarious participation in the dramatic event, to attain an emotional purgation, moral purification, or clarity of intellectual viewpoint. • When we view the downfall of a great man—his “fall from grace”—it evokes pity and fear in us. We think: “How awful!” and “If it can happen to him, it could happen to us. ”

What purpose does tragedy serve? • By viewing a tragedy, the audience sees the consequences of the protagonist’s flaw, which then “purges” or “empties” us of similar ill thoughts, feelings, or desires. • In the end, our minds, hearts, and souls are purified and cleansed; our moral viewpoint is “set straight” again.

Humpty Dumpty A Tragic Hero? • Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall… • Humpty Dumpty had a great fall… • All the kings horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.

What are the conventions of drama? • Soliloquy • Aside • Monologue

What key terms will I need to know? • • • Alliteration Allusion Anaphora Assonance Blank verse (a. k. a. iambic pentameter) Diction Consonance Euphemism Foil Character Heroic Couplet Hubris • • • Imagery Irony Metaphor Mood Onomatopoeia Oxymoron Personification Pun Simile Syntax Tone

Test on Monday, TBD • Be able to explain Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. • Be able to explain the key conventions of the tragic hero. • Be able to define and explain catharsis, catastrophe, hubris, epiphany, hamartia. • Be able to articulate the purpose of tragedy. • Be able to define and explain the three dramatic conventions. • Be able to define the key concepts from the glossary of terms.