Name_________________________________
TRAGEDY POWERPOINT
2 A drama in which a character (usually a _______________________________________________
___________________________ ) is brought to a disastrous end in his or her confrontation
with a ______________________________________________ (fortune, the gods, social forces,
universal values), but also comes to understand the meaning of his or her deeds
and to accept an __________________________________________________________.
3 The tragic hero is a man of _______________________________________.
“high position” usually means a king, duke, prince, company owner, etc.
He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him.
He is good—but not “too good”—so the audience can identify with him
4 His own destruction is for ________________________________________________________________—i.e. it
proves a point.
4 It should be noted that the hero's downfall is his own fault as a result of his own free
choice, but his misfortune is not wholly deserved.
Usually his death is seen _________________________________________________________________
5 Characteristics of a Tragic Hero:
According to Aristotle:
1. Usually of noble birth
2. Hamartia – a.k.a. the tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall; often this
leads to a mistake in judgment.
3. Peripeteia – ______________________________________________ brought about by the hero’s
tragic flaw; this is often also influenced by “fate” or the gods.
4. His actions result in an increase of self- awareness and self-knowledge…though he
may not choose to act on this!
5. The audience must feel pity and fear for this character.
THE TRAGIC FLAW
 6. The “flaw” in the character is a ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________him/her. The
character does not understand (for much of the story) his/her part of
creating the situation.
 Ex: Pride (“Hubris”)
Skywalker thinks he is so good, he can take on an experienced Jedi all by himself.
7 EXAMPLES OF FLAWS
________________________________
___________________________________
_____________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
_____________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
_____________________________
8 THE HERO’S UNDERSTANDING
 Aristotle: "A man cannot become a hero until _______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________.“
 The tragic hero has a “_______________________________________________________________” near
the end of the story.
He/she finally understands what he/she has done wrong—how he/she contributed to
the tragic situation.
The story often ends with the death of the tragic hero.
His death usually is not a pure loss, because it results in greater knowledge and
awareness.
12 Unlike classical tragic heroes, however, Macbeth _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ the beginning - he constantly
questions himself on why he continues to delay the fulfillment of his desires.
 13. Shakespeare often represents ____________________________________________________:
insanity, somnambulism, hallucinations (like, perhaps, Macbeth)
 13Shakespeare also introduces the_________________________________________________:
ghosts, witches, etc. who have supernatural knowledge
 13 Shakespeare, in most of the tragedies, allows ____________________________________ in
some form to influence some of the action - e.g. the timing in Romeo and Juliet