What Defines Tragedy A SERIES OF ACTIONS LEADS
- Slides: 11
What Defines Tragedy? A SERIES OF ACTIONS LEADS TO THE DOWNFALL OF THE MAIN CHARACTER OR TRAGIC HERO What are some of your favorite tragedies?
Where does tragedy come from? The Greek philosopher Aristotle first defined tragedy in his book Poetics written in about 330 BCE
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy had SIX parts: Plot Character Thought Diction Spectacle Melody
What Defines Shakespearean Tragedy? A Tragic Hero The Tragic Flaw. Hamartia Reversal of Fortune Catharsis Restoration of Social Order –Denouement
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
Tragic Flaw The hero is nearly perfect. The hero has one flaw or weakness We call this the ‘tragic flaw’, ‘fatal flaw’, or hamartia.
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.
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.
This is why we cry during movies!
Restoration of Social Order Tragedies include a private and a public element The play cannot end until society is, once again, at peace.
The End In your journal: think of one popular story that you consider to be a tragedy. Examine the main character. Would you consider them a tragic hero?
