Aristotle's tragedy

Who is the protagonist

is a man or woman of high rank, power or fortune. The protagonist can be noble or show wisdom.

What is the catastrophe

When the protagonists experience a reversal of fortune

Suffering in tragedy

• protagonists must suffer beyond what most people can endure in their lives

• suffering causes pity for the protagonists

• suffering causes fear in the audience themselves

What is the protagonists downfall caused by

• Their downfall is caused by a series of bad choices caused by a tragic flaw in their character.

• The most common is excessive pride or hubris.

• Often bad choice inverts the natural order of things.  

What is the peripeteia

A sudden, unexpected turning point where the hero's circumstances flip from good to bad, often caused by their own actions.

What is the anagnorisis

The critical moment of discovery or sudden realization when the hero finally understands the truth of their situation and their role in their own demise.

What is the hamartia

The hero's fatal mistake or error in judgment. Often, this error is tied to hubris, an excessive pride or arrogance.

What is the Catharsis

• The ultimate goal of the tragedy.

• By watching the hero suffer, the audience experiences "pity" (sympathy for the hero) and "fear" (the realization that such a fate could happen to anyone).

• This emotional release leaves the audience feeling cleansed and enlightened.

What is the Denouement

is the final resolution or untangling of the play’s plot

What is the denouement in Streetcar

• when the doctor and the nurse arrive to commit Blanche to the mental asylum

What the denouement in Malfi

The deaths of Antonio, Bosola the cardinal and ferdinand