A Level English Literature: Aspects of
Tragedy (Key Terms and Concepts)
anagnorisis - Answer the moment when a character makes an important discovery,
usually the realisation or recognition of their hamartia
Aristotle - Answer Greek philosopher from 4th century BCE, who first described, in his
treatise 'Poetics', the characteristics of tragic drama that he had seen performed. The
aspects of tragedy he defined have continued to provide the framework through which
tragedy has been considered. (However, it is important to note that tragedy does not
have to conform to Aristotle's definition; it is a tool, not a rule!)
catharsis - Answer the feeling of pleasure or emotional release produced (through pity
and fear) in the audience. Aristotle likened this to a kind of purging or cleansing of the
passions in the audience. He believed that tragedy served a function in society by
ridding the community of possibly dangerous 'passions', by imitating them and their
consequences on the stage
catastrophe - Answer (Greek: peripeteia) - an event causing great and sudden damage
or suffering, usually a reversal of fortune
chain of events - Answer a series of actions and effects that are linked. In tragedy, we
can consider how far events can be conceived as consequences of a preceding action,
particularly a tragic hero's hamartia (or error)
chorus - Answer In Greek theatre, a group of actors would offer commentary on the
action directly to the audience. They represented citizens and a more 'common sense'
approach, and did not intervene in the action on stage.
contemporary tragedy - Answer plays written in the late twentieth or twenty-first
centuries
classical tragedy - Answer plays written in ancient Greece or Rome, or in a similar style
diction - Answer in the sense in which Aristotle uses it, this means the composition of
the verse
disorder - Answer the inversion or destruction of the normal order in a society
domestic tragedy - Answer a drama set in a household, apparently without grand or
ambitious themes
downfall - Answer the loss or decline from an initial position of high status
epic tragedy - Answer plays with a grand or ambitious theme. (different to Epic theatre!)
Tragedy (Key Terms and Concepts)
anagnorisis - Answer the moment when a character makes an important discovery,
usually the realisation or recognition of their hamartia
Aristotle - Answer Greek philosopher from 4th century BCE, who first described, in his
treatise 'Poetics', the characteristics of tragic drama that he had seen performed. The
aspects of tragedy he defined have continued to provide the framework through which
tragedy has been considered. (However, it is important to note that tragedy does not
have to conform to Aristotle's definition; it is a tool, not a rule!)
catharsis - Answer the feeling of pleasure or emotional release produced (through pity
and fear) in the audience. Aristotle likened this to a kind of purging or cleansing of the
passions in the audience. He believed that tragedy served a function in society by
ridding the community of possibly dangerous 'passions', by imitating them and their
consequences on the stage
catastrophe - Answer (Greek: peripeteia) - an event causing great and sudden damage
or suffering, usually a reversal of fortune
chain of events - Answer a series of actions and effects that are linked. In tragedy, we
can consider how far events can be conceived as consequences of a preceding action,
particularly a tragic hero's hamartia (or error)
chorus - Answer In Greek theatre, a group of actors would offer commentary on the
action directly to the audience. They represented citizens and a more 'common sense'
approach, and did not intervene in the action on stage.
contemporary tragedy - Answer plays written in the late twentieth or twenty-first
centuries
classical tragedy - Answer plays written in ancient Greece or Rome, or in a similar style
diction - Answer in the sense in which Aristotle uses it, this means the composition of
the verse
disorder - Answer the inversion or destruction of the normal order in a society
domestic tragedy - Answer a drama set in a household, apparently without grand or
ambitious themes
downfall - Answer the loss or decline from an initial position of high status
epic tragedy - Answer plays with a grand or ambitious theme. (different to Epic theatre!)
