English: Terms Related to Ancient Greek Tragedy

Anagnorisis

Realization moment in which a principal character recognizes/discovers another character’s true identity/ true nature of their own circumstances

Ate

Acting in a rash, metaphorically blind manner

Catastrophe

The action at the end of a tragedy that initiates the denouement or falling action of a play.

Catharsis

Tragedy first raises the emotions of pity and fear, then purifies or purges them.

Deus Ex machia

A plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly resolved by unlikely occurrence

Hamartia

Tragic Flaw

Hubris

Excessive pride

Nemesis

The inescapable agent of someone’s or something’s downfall.

Tragic Hero

Elevated in status, mostly good, makes an error that causes them to lose everything, recognize faults

Aposiopesis

When a sentence is purposely left incomplete or cut off

Apostrophe

When a character directly addresses someone or something that is not physically present

Dramatic irony

The audience or reader is aware of something important, and the characters in the story are not aware

Rapid Fire dialogue

Fast dialogue