play terminology

Question 1

hamartia meaning (Aristotle)

Answer 1

hamartia- fatal flaw

Question 2

hubris meaning (Aristotle)

Answer 2

hubris- excessive pride

Question 3

peripeteia meaning (Aristotle)

Answer 3

peripeteia- the reversal of fortune due to the hero’s error in judgment

Question 4

anagnorisis meaning (Aristotle)

Answer 4

anagnorisis- the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s actions

Question 5

comic relief

Answer 5

break in the tension of a tragedy provided by a comic character, a comic episode, or even a comic line

Question 6

dénouement

Answer 6

solution, clarification, and/or unraveling of the plot of a play

Question 7

falling action

Answer 7

series of events following the climax

Question 8

morality play

Answer 8

allegorical drama, such as Everyman, in which vices and virtues are personified in the battle for the protagonist’s soul

Question 9

rhetorical devices

Answer 9

language and effects used to impress or persuade the audience

Question 10

stock characters

Answer 10

characters who represent particular personality types or characteristics of human behavior. Stock characters are immediately recognizable