tragedy context

Question 1

Aristotle’s conventions of tragedy

Answer 1

• character born to greatness
• hubris
• hamartia
• nemesis
• peripeteia
• anagnorisis
• catharsis

Question 2

character born to greatness (tragedy)

Answer 2

higher starting point so further to fall

Question 3

hubris

Answer 3

extreme pride (may not understand the consequences of their actions)

Question 4

hamartia

Answer 4

‘fatal flaw’ that may lead to their downfall

Question 5

nemesis

Answer 5

someone working against the protagonist

Question 6

peripeteia

Answer 6

a reversal of fortune

Question 7

anagnorisis

Answer 7

a moment of insight just before their doom

Question 8

catharsis

Answer 8

a feeling of purging or cleansing at the end of the play

Question 9

key qualities of the ‘tragic hero’

Answer 9

• born of noble birth or stature
• possessed of outstanding qualities and/or greatness
• may suffer from excessive pride (hubris)
• own actions lead them to their own fate: act more than they are acted upon
• their own destruction is assured but should have an effect upon the audience (pity, fear, awe, wonder)
• tragic flaw (hamartia) which leads to their downfall
• will experience a reversal of fortune as a result of this flaw (peripeteia)
• moment of self awareness and realisation