Paper 1 - Tragedy key terms

Question 1

tragic hero

Answer 1

a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities

Question 2

anti-hero

Answer 2

a character with heroic or attractive qualities who does not fit the usual criteria for heroism

Question 3

tragedy

Answer 3

drama portraying the doomed struggle of an admirable but flawed hero

Question 4

chorus

Answer 4

a group or character who watched and commented upon events in the drama

Question 5

hamartia

Answer 5

the fatal flaw of the tragic hero, what triggers their downfall

Question 6

hubris

Answer 6

the tragic heroes pride or arrogance that ultimately causes their downfall

Question 7

peripeteia

Answer 7

the sudden and complete reversal of fortune

Question 8

anagnorisis

Answer 8

the critical discovery, realising their own downfall as a consequence of their actions, gain a new recognition or insight into the world

Question 9

catharsis

Answer 9

the purge/relieving of negative emotions through dramatic climax of events that leaves the reader empty with a sense of hope

Question 10

nemesis

Answer 10

fate that cannot be reversed, the inevitable punishment for acts of hubris

Question 11

protagonist

Answer 11

the leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film or novel

Question 12

pathos

Answer 12

a destructive and painful act that causes suffering