Key tragic genre terminology Flashcards
Allegory
An allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.
Anagram
A type of word play that involves re-arranging the letters. Characters may have names that are anagrams of their worst/best trait.
Anaphora
The repeated use of a phrase at the start of sentences/paragraphs.
Authorial intrusion
The authors voice hear through the text or a characters voice.
Epiphany
A sudden movement of understanding or insight.
Dramatic irony
The audience know something the characters do not.
Intertextuality
The relationship between different texts; the ways in which one text echoes or refers to others.
Nemesis
Absolute enemy.
Motif
A recurring pattern or image in a text which may be associated with a particular theme or character.
Hubris
Excessive pride/arrogance.
Harmatia
The errors of judgement, or the specific action that leads to the downfall.
Peripeteia
A reversal of fortune, the moment of catastrophe when the downfall occurs.
Anagnorisis
The hero moves from ignorance to knowledge - they become aware of the magnitude of their error.
Catharsis
A sense of cleansing, the shedding of the feelings of pity and terror that build up during the play.
What is tragedy?
Tragedy is a stylised representation of suffering.
Tragedy shows how characters cope, or fail to cope with destructive impulses.
