aspects of tragedy (othello, doas, poems)

Question 1

The type of tragic text itself,

Answer 1

whether it is classical and about public figures, like Lear, or domestic and about representations of ordinary people

Question 2

settings

Answer 2

places and times

Question 3

the journey towards death of the protagonists,

Answer 3

their flaws, pride and folly, their blindness and insight, their discovery and learning, their being a mix of good and evil

Question 4

the role of the tragic villain or opponent

Answer 4

who directly affects the fortune of the hero, who engages in a contest of power and is partly responsible for the hero’s demise

Question 5

the presence of fate

Answer 5

how the hero’s end is inevitable

Question 6

how the behaviour of the hero affects the world around him,

Answer 6

creating chaos and affecting the lives of others

Question 7

the significance of violence and revenge,

Answer 7

humour and moments of happiness

Question 8

the structural pattern of the text

Answer 8

as it moves through complication to catastrophe, from order to disorder, through climax to resolution, from the prosperity and happiness of the hero to the tragic end

Question 9

the use of plots and sub-plots

Answer 9

the way that language is used to heighten the tragedy

Question 10

ultimately how the tragedy affects the audience,

Answer 10

acting as a commentary on the real world, moving the audience through pity and fear to an understanding of the human condition.