Tragic Terms

Question 1

hamartia

Answer 1

tragic error; fatal error or simple mistake on the part of the protagonist that eventually leads to the final catastrophe

Question 2

anagnorisis

Answer 2

tragic recognition or insight; a moment of clairvoyant insight on the part of the tragic hero as he suddenly comprehends the web of fate in which he is entangled

Question 3

hubris

Answer 3

megalomania- excessive pride; sin of thinking you are above the gods or forgetting to give them credit when they have helped you

Question 4

peripeteia

Answer 4

plot reversal; a pivotal or crucial action on the part of the protagonist that changes the situation from seemingly secure to vulnerable

Question 5

nemesis

Answer 5

retribution; the inevitable payback or cosmic punishment for an act of hubris

Question 6

catastrophe

Answer 6

change of fortune from good to bad, which leads to emotional scenes of suffering

Question 7

catharsis

Answer 7

transformation through transaction; a feeling of emotional purging on the part of the audience during a tragedy

Question 8

monologue

Answer 8

a long interrupted speech

Question 9

rhetorical question

Answer 9

question for which no answer is expected

Question 10

verbal irony

Answer 10

a type of irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning

Question 11

dramatic irony

Answer 11

a type of irony where the audience knows something the character does not

Question 12

complication

Answer 12

a confrontation between opposing forces that pushes the conflict towards its climax

Question 13

deus ex machina

Answer 13

a character or thing, usually a god, that suddenly enters the story and solves a problem that had previously seemed impossible to solve

Question 14

chorus

Answer 14

a group of actors who comment in unison on themes of the play or give a summary of what has happened to the audience