Aspects of tragedy Flashcards
Tragic protagonist
Main/most important character in a tragedy – often called the tragic hero but not all protagonists are ‘heroic’.
Megalopsychia
‘Greatness of soul’ possessed by the tragic protagonist (nobility, high birth, courage and generosity of character).
Virtue
Moral goodness. Would usually form part of the protagonist’s ‘greatness of soul’.
Hamartia
The error of judgement (the action or judgement that is in error – not the same as the tragic flaw, which is an issue of character).
Tragic flaw
Character weakness/flaw in the tragic hero (this may lead to them committing hamartia).
Hubris
Excessive pride that brings divine punishment. (Greek religion in the classical period saw gods as selfish and vengeful).
Myopia
Literally, blindness. So in a tragedy, self-delusion or blindness to something (e.g the actions of a villain or the repercussions of their actions).
Peripeteia
The reversal of fortune experienced by the tragic protagonist.
Anagnorisis
The point at which the protagonist
recognises what he or she has done wrong. MOMENT OF REALISATION.
Antagonist
A character who is the main opponent of the tragic protagonist.
Malicious
Intending to harm people or their reputation.
Machiavellian
Using clever but often dishonest methods that deceive people so that you can win power or control. Comes from the advice in a book by Italian writer Machiavelli. The Machiavel was a stock villainous character in Elizabethan drama.
Motiveless
Lacking a reason for one’s actions.
Malign
Inherently evil and harmful.
Soliloquy
A speech in which a character speaks to themselves and/or the audience, rather than another character.
Complicit
If someone is complicit in a crime or unfair activity, they are involved in it, usually indirectly.
Catharsis
A cleansing or purging of emotions, especially pity and fear (thought by Aristotle to be an effect of tragedy on the audience. Release of emotional tension that restores or refreshes the spirit.
Domestic tragedy
A tragedy in which the leading characters belong to the middle class rather than to the royal or noble ranks usually represented in tragic drama, and in which the action concerns family affairs rather than public matters of state.
Classical tragedy
A tragedy in which the protagonists are of kingly or aristocratic rank and their downfall is an affair of state as well as a personal matter.
Catastrophe
The calamity/calamitous action that comes before the final catharsis/resolution.
Chaos
A state of complete disorder and confusion.
Pathos
The quality of a play that evokes pity in the audience.
