Terminology for Antigone

Question 1

tragedy

Answer 1

an imitation of a serious action which will arouse pity and fear in the viewer

Question 2

tragic hero

Answer 2

a character, usually of high birth, neither totally good nor totally evil, whose downfall is brought about by some weakness or error in judgment

Question 3

hamartia

Answer 3

a tragic flaw, weakness of character or error in judgment, which causes the downfall of the hero.

Question 4

hubris

Answer 4

arrogance or overweening pride which causes the hero’s transgression against the gods; usually, the tragic flaw.

Question 5

anagnorisis

Answer 5

recognition or discovery on the part of the hero; change from ignorance to knowledge.

Question 6

peripeteia

Answer 6

reversal of fortune

Question 7

nemesis

Answer 7

fate that cannot be escaped

Question 8

catharsis

Answer 8

purgation of emotions of pity and fear which leaves the viewer both relieved and elated.

Question 9

parodos

Answer 9

first ode, or choral song in a Greek tragedy; chanted by the chorus as it enters the area in front of the stage.

Question 10

strophe

Answer 10

part of the ode that the chorus chants as it moves from right to left across the stage.

Question 11

anitistrophe

Answer 11

part of the ode that the chorus chants as it moves back across the stage from left to right.

Question 12

paean

Answer 12

(hymn) a song in praise of a god–in this case Dionysus, in which honor the Greeks performed their plays.

Question 13

exodos

Answer 13

the final, or exit, scene

Question 14

foils

Answer 14

characters who have contrasting or opposite qualities

Question 15

verbal irony

Answer 15

a character says one thing but means the opposite

Question 16

dramatic irony

Answer 16

when the audience know something of importance that a character does not

Question 17

motives

Answer 17

a character’s emotions, desires or needs that prompt his/her actions

Question 18

metaphor

Answer 18

a comparison of two things where one item is said to be the other

Question 19

simile

Answer 19

a comparison of two things using words such as “like” or as”