TRAGEDY context Flashcards
overview of Aristotles stages of tragedy
Aristotle considered the stages of tragedy….
where a tragic hero (a noble hero - or heroine) has a fatal flaw (hamartia) which they become aware of too late (that point is known as anagnorisis), after which point, their downfall is sealed.
This will be partly down to hubris (excessive pride or self-confidence), fate or the will of the gods – or a combination of the three.
The hero need not die at the end, but he/she must undergo a change or a reversal in fortune (peripeteia.)
Agnorisis
A moment in a play when a character makes a critical discovery.
Catharsis (purification)
The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions
Domestic tragedy
In English drama, a domestic tragedy is a tragedy in which the tragic protagonists are ordinary middle-class or lower-class individuals
Hamartia
A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine
Hubris
Excessive pride or self-confidence
Nemesis
The inescapable agent of someone’s or something’s downfall
Peripeteia
A reversal of circumstances or turning point – a reversal of fortune.
examples of greek tragedies
Electra, Euripiedes
Agamemnon, Aeschylus
shakespearean tragedy examples
Lear, Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet
Jacobean tragedy examples
The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster
C20th tradgedy examples
A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
what are aristotles 3 unities
Time – the action of a play must take place within 24 hours
Place- the setting must remain the same throughout the play
Action – the plot must be centred on the main characters, with no sub-plots. The action must have a satisfying ending for the audience.
how does a streetcar named desire respond to aristotles 3 unities
Williams does not strictly adhere to them, but rather manipulates them for his own purposes. Blanche can be seen as the facilitator of action within the play, as it begins and ends with her arrival and departure for a mental institution.
in what essay does williams admire greek tradgedy and what did he say
In the essay “The Timeless World of a Play,” Williams notes his admiration for the unfettered scope of Greek tragedy,
He observes with disappointment that plays in that great tradition have “begun to seem untrue” for modern audiences out of “fear and evasion” (Williams 1978, 53). Greek tragedy, on the other hand, created a timeless world, “removed from that element which makes people little and their emotions fairly inconsequential” (Williams 1978, 51).
