TRAGEDY NOTES
TRAGEDY – Any literary work in which the protagonist
suffers a major reversal of fortune, often leading to his or
her downfall or death.
ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.) – First and most influential
literary theorist who said of tragedy: “is an imitation of an
action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in
language
enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and
fear effecting its purging of these emotions.
 Events move in causal progression – cause and effect
 Plot should include irony and surprising disclosure
TRAGIC HERO – The protagonist of a tragedy, if he or she
Has the qualities of greatness.
TRAGIC FLAW (HAMARTIA) – The principal defect in character or judgment
that leads to the downfall of the tragic hero. In Greek tragedy this flaw is often
hubris, the hero’s excessive pride or self-confidence. The hubris of King Creon in
the play Oedipus was not listening to the warnings of his advisors because he
thought he knew best.
 The spectacle of a good man dragged to his destruction by a single error
arouses in the audience both pity and fear, leading to a catharsis.
 CATHARSIS – The psychological feeling of relief and release (purging of
emotions like fear and pity) experienced by the audience in a tragedy.
OVERWEENING PRIDE (HUBRIS) – When a character has excessive or too
much pride that ultimately leads to his/her downfall. For example, a king will
not admit defeat and continue fighting, all the while running his kingdom into
ruin.
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3 TRAGIC PATTERNS
1) Some plays ask us to look on the sufferings of the tragic hero as a human
sacrifice that is necessary to cleanse society.
2) The paradox of the fortunate fall.
a) The hero’s destruction is necessary.
3) The simple spectacle of sufferings that greatly exceed normal bounds.
a) They futily fight against an inevitable fate that other men don’t have to face.
KEY SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDIES – “Macbeth”; “Hamlet”; “King Lear”;
“Othello” (BIG 4); “Romeo and Juliet”;
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IRONY – A contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality; when the
opposite of what you expect to happen happens.
 DRAMATIC IRONY – the state of affairs known to the audience is the
reverse of what its participants supposed it to be.
 Oedipus flees his homeland to escape his fate of killing his father and marrying
his mother, but the readers know he has already done both.
 SITUATIONAL IRONY – A set of circumstances turns out to be the reverse or
opposite of what is appropriate or expected.
 If someone is rich, wealthy, we expect them to be happy when the opposite
might be the case.
 VERBAL IRONY (spoken) – A contrast between what is literally said and what
is meant. This is the most common type.
----MORE MINOR CHARACTERS---FOIL – A character who provides a direct contrast to another character.
CONFIDANTE – The person one of the main characters confides in or trusts with
personal or secretive information.
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DRAMA – Written mostly as poetry in the beginning.
VERSE – Often used as a synonym for poetry.
PROSE – All forms of ordinary writing and speech lacking the sustained regular
and rhythmic patterns in poetry.
IMPORTANT DRAMATIC CONVENTIONS
PROLOGUE – a speech at the beginning of each act that ________________ it in
the form of a 14-line poem called a sonnet (often skipped in modern productions)
COMPRESSION OF TIME – plot events are forced into just a few days (often one
day) to sustain a _________________ story in which time is somehow running
out for the protagonist(s)
MONOLOGUE – a character gives a long speech with others present in order to
review the plot, provide background info, or express a philosophy
SOLILOQUY – a character gives a long speech while __________________ on
stage, revealing his/her true feelings and motives to the audience
ASIDE – these lines are delivered as if they are meant NOT to be heard by one of
the characters on stage
APOSTROPHE – a character addresses someone who is not present or an
inanimate object, a more focused variation on talking to one’s self
USE OF DIALOGUE -- establishes EVERYTHING!!! ( ____________________
of day, specific _______________________, characters’
______________________ and _________________________, even their
_____________________ must be pronounced through dialogue)
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LITERARY DEVICES
FOILS – characters who reflect on one another’s opposite natures
SITUATIONAL IRONY – the opposite of what would be expected happens
FORESHADOWING – hints and clues of what will happen in the end build
___________________________ and enhance the sense of
____________________________ felt by the audience
POETIC DEVICES:
EXTENDED METAPHOR – a direct comparison of two unlike things (without like
or as) that continues more than once.
SIMILE – a comparison of unlike things using LIKE or AS
PERSONIFICATION – granting human qualities to inanimate objects
CLASSICAL ALLUSION – a reference to mythology (usually explained in a
footnote)
PUN -- a play on the __________________meaning of a word (son/sun,
wine/whine, one/won, I/eye/ay)
OXYMORON - contradictory terms that nonetheless make sense together; putting
two opposing ideas together.
ACCENTED SYLLABLES – pronounce a word part that would usually be silent if
an accent mark appears above it (blessed, devoured)
ELISION (CONTRACTION OF SYLLABLES) – pronounce a word that looks like
a contraction without the missing syllable (e’en for even; t’is for it is; banish’d for
banished)
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