Tragedy Key Terms (Hamlet)

Question 1

Pathos

Answer 1

a quality that evokes sadness/pity from the audience

Question 2

Peripeteia

Answer 2

a sudden reversal of fortune or change of circumstance

Question 3

Catharsis

Answer 3

the release of emotions such as fear or sadness through looking at art

(audience feels better about themselves after witnessing the state of the hero’s life)

Question 4

Anagnorisis

Answer 4

a moment in a play when a character makes a critical discovery

Question 5

Hubris

Answer 5

excessive pride/self-confidence (that stops the hero from realising he/she is wrong)

Question 6

Hamartia

Answer 6

tragic/fatal flaw (Aristotle’s first key element of tragedy)

Question 7

Aristotles three unities

Answer 7

1. time (1 day)
2. place (1 place)
3. action (1 plot)

Question 8

Tragic hero

Answer 8

literary character who makes a judgement error that leads to his/her destruction