EN42SAP – Oedipus Rex
Tragic Hero - A literary tragedy presents courageous individuals who confront powerful forces within or outside themselves with a dignity that reveals the breadth and depth of the human spirit in the face of failure, defeat and even death.
Aristotle (384-322), in his Poetics , defined tragedy on the basis of the plays contemporary to him.
The protagonist is usually a great person; this stature is important as it makes their fall all the more terrifying. Although Greek heroes are often aristocratic, it is their noble character that matters most.
Hamartia – “some error or frailty” that brings about his or her misfortune. This word has frequently been interpreted to mean that the protagonist’s fall is the result of an internal tragic flaw, such as excess of pride (hubris), ambition, passion or some other characteristic that leads to disaster. Hamartia has also been interpreted to mean “wrong act” – a mistake based not on a personal failure but on circumstances outside the protagonist’s personality and control.
Example - Oedipus is guilty of “overweening pride” or hubris.
Catharsis – Once a character realizes their error, they take responsibility which shows greatness of character. This causes audiences to feel relief rather than hopelessness at the end of tragedies.
Aristotle believed audiences were purged of the emotions of “pity and fear.”
Reversal (peripeteia) – The point when the hero’s fortunes turn in an unexpected direction. He more specifically defined this as meaning an action performed by the character that has the opposite of its intended effect.
Example - Reversal occurs with the messenger who tries to comfort Oedipus, but reveals worse truths.
Recognition (anagnorisis) - Once Oedipus, or a tragic hero, discovers the truth of his actions, he has gone through recognition.
Dramatic Irony or tragic irony – The meaning of the character’s words or actions is understood by the audience, but not by the character.
Greek audiences already knew the outcome of the play – this intensified the dramatic irony.
Source: The Bedford Introduction to Literature by Michael Meyer.