TRAGEDY Othello

Some Words to Know

bard stage setact scene

in medias res  plot prologue conflict

climax falling action resolution dénouement conclusion

soliloquy monologue aside dialogue

theme antagonist protagonist tragic hero Machiavel (Machiavellian character)

Machiavel (n.) / Machiavellian (adj.)

The term is derived from Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) who wrote The Prince, which describe rulers as lying and manipulating to achieve their own ends and maintain or increase power.

In Elizabethan culture, a "Machiavel" was almost considered a Satanic figure who sought to manipulate other persons for selfish reasons, often with an intent of destroying them. Rather than behaving virtuously and selflessly, a Machiavellian character stereotypically was motivated by pride and selfishness and even by evil.

Aristotelian tragedy

Aristotelian tragedy: Aristotle famously describe the characteristics of tragedy his Poetics (Greek, c. 335 BC.), the first surviving work of poetic theory. From this description, scholars have deduced the following traits to apply to tragedy.

Aristotelian tragedy

1) Position: the tragic hero, or protagonist is a person of high position; that is, he is generally of noble birth (generally a prince or king or noble); and noble character (he is respected, wealthy, and happy). He must be in a high position whose fall effects the nation, not just himself or his immediate family.

Aristotelian tragedy

2) Tragic flaw: (hamartia): The tragic hero’s error or transgression is the result of a character flaw which leads to his downfall; common flaws include overweening pride (hubris), arrogance, gullibility, and jealousy.

Aristotelian tragedy

3) Reversal: (peripeteia) the protagonist’s actions have the opposite effect of what was intended or desired; reversal of fortune; he is partially, but not wholly, to blame for his own demise. The viewer has a sense that the tragic hero’s misfortunes are greater than he deserved.

Aristotelian tragedy

4) Recognition: (anagnorisis) the revelation of some fact or some person’s identity which brings a “terrible enlightenment,” or epiphany, in which the tragic hero suddenly sees things clearly. As a result, he receives insight which leads to deeper self-understanding or self-awareness (ie. Oedipus and King Lear)

Aristotelian tragedy

5) Catharsis: (katharsis) the audience experiences pity and fear; pity for the character, and fear for ourselves that we might be capable of a similar tragic error and fate. As a result, the audience has an increased understanding of ourselves and others.

Aristotelian tragedy

6) Unity: is an imitation of a single, unified action that is serious, complete, and probable.

In their neoclassical form, they are as follows:1) The unity of action: a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots.2) The unity of place: a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place.3) The unity of time: the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours.

Aristotelian tragedy

Greek terms: Mimesis or "imitation", "representation“

According to Aristotle, the nature or drama is to imitate life.

Catharsis or, variously, "purgation", "purification", "clarification"Anagnorisis or "recognition", "identification"Hamartia or "miscalculation" (understood in Romanticism as "tragic flaw")Ethos or "character"Lexis or "diction", "speech“