What Defines Tragedy?

By d.j da

Where does tragedy come from?

The Greek philosopher Aristotle first defined tragedy in his book Poetics written in about 330 BC

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

The Sullied Hero

The sullied hero is initially not someone we, as an audience, look up to—someone who because of a flaw is considered inferior in some way.It is this fallibility that makes us identify with him/her

Tragic Flaw

The tragic hero is nearly perfect-

The hero has one flaw or weakness

We call this the ‘tragic flaw’, ‘fatal flaw’, or hamartia.

Reversal of FortuneThe ‘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.The notion of Hubris--Hubris (also hybris) means extreme haughtiness or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of touch with reality and overestimating one's own competence or capabilities, especially for people in positions of power.

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

Do Your Homework!