Tragedy notes Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is a tragedy?
A drama that shows the downfall of a good person because they made a mistake causing them to suffer and the audience feels bad for them.
Explain what tragedy evokes?
A true tragedy that should bring pity and fear among the audience.
Define catharsis?
The purging or cleansing of emotion.
What one characteristic must the tragic hero have?
They must be admirable and a good person.
What causes the hero’s demise (downfall)?
The hero’s demise is the result of the hero’s own mistake.
Define hamartia?
The tragic mistake the hero makes.
What are tragedy’s six components?
Has to have a plot, characters (the tragic hero), thought (theme), diction (literary devices), song, and spectacle.
Which component is the most important and why?
The plot is the most important part because it causes a cause-effect chain of actions.
What is unity of action?
One action leads to the action, and then that leads to the next action, and that leads to the next, and so no (snowball effect).
Define dues ex machine?
There can not be any outside intervention.
What are the parts of Freytag’s Pyramid?
The parts of Freytag’s Pyramid are the beginning incentive moment, desis (complication), middle (climax), lusis (unraveling), resolution (end).
Name the two types of plot?
A simplest plot and a complex plot.
What is the difference between both plot types?
A simplest plot is a catastrophe that marks the protagonist’s failure, and the complex is the plot reversal and tragic recognition or insight connected with the catastrophe.
Define peripeteia?
The plot reversal/plot twist where the story goes from secure to vulnerable.
What is anagnorisis?
Where the protagonist realizes their mistake.
What is fate?
The principle that decides what’s going to happen in a person’s life and after what happens.
Explain the tragic hero’s main flaw?
A change of fate from good to bad.
How does the tragic hero “pay” for his/her hubris?
They have bad things happen to them because of their hubris (overwhelming pride).
How is theme revealed in a tragic play?
It is revealed through a lesson that the characters or audience learn.
How should the chorus contribute to the plot?
The chorus is like an action in the play that keeps the plot going.
Why is spectacle the least important part of tragedy?
It is the least important because it is the least connected with literature.
