Aristotelian Tragedy in Shakespeare

Structure and Conflict

What is Tragedy? What’s the difference between a Tragedy

and a Sad Story?

Origins of Tragedy The Greek The Greek

philosopher philosopher Aristotle first Aristotle first defined tragedy in defined tragedy in his book Poetics his book Poetics written in about written in about 330 BCE.330 BCE.

Tragedy is when bad stuff happens to good people – who

kind of deserve it.

Elements of Tragedy

A Tragic Hero Hamartia Peripeteia Anagnorisis Catharsis Restoration of Social

Order

The Tragic Hero The tragic hero is someone we,

as an audience, look up to—someone superior.

Must receive a fate greater than deserved.

Hero must be doomed from the start, but bears no responsibility for possessing his flaw.

The tragic hero is nearly perfect, and we identify with him/her

In what ways is Hamlet a tragic hero?

Hamartia Although he is nearly perfect, the hero has one flaw or weakness

We call this the “tragic flaw,” “fatal flaw,” or hamartia.

The most common form of hamartia is hubris, or excessive pride.

What is Hamlet’s hamartia? How does he display it?

Peripeteia

Also called Reversal of Fortune

The “fatal flaw” brings the hero down from his/her elevated state.

Renaissance audiences were familiar with the “wheel of fortune” or “fickle fate.”

What goes up, must come down.

What is the peripeteia of Hamlet?

Anagnorisis

Anagnorisis is the moment when a character makes a critical discovery. Anagnorisis originally meant recognition in its Greek context, not only of a person but also of what that person stood for. It was the hero's sudden awareness or realization of things as they stood, and finally, the hero's insight into a relationship with an often antagonistic character in Aristotelian tragedy.

What is/are the moment(s) of anagnorisis for Hamlet?

Catharsis

“Catharsis” is the audience’s purging of emotions through pity and fear.

The spectator is purged as a result of watching the hero fall.

Vicarious lesson How does Hamlet

enable the audience to experience catharsis?

A story that evokes these emotions in the audience has successfully taught a vicarious lesson.

Restoration of Social OrderRestoration of Social Order((Dénouement)Dénouement)

Tragedies include a private and a public element The play cannot end until society is, once again,

at peace. The end result serves as a warning for future

generations to heed the mistakes of the parents’ generation.

Do we achieve this in Hamlet?

Structure of Tragedy

William Shakespeare wrote many tragedies in his prolific career. In each, he adhered to a rigid structure that has proven to be successful in capturing an audience’s attention.

This structure has been used as a formula for hundreds (thousands?) of plays and movies over the past four centuries.

The Structure of Tragedy

1. Exposition

2. Exciting Force

3. Rising Action

4. Climax

5. Falling Action

6. Catastrophe

Exposition

The exposition describes the mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the play. The time and place will be identified as well as the main characters and their positions, circumstances, and relationships to one another.

Exciting Force

Also sometimes called the complication or initial incident, the exciting force is what “gets things going.” The exciting force thus begins the conflict which will continue throughout the play.

Rising Action

The series of events leading to the climax comprise the rising action. These events provide a progressive intensity of interest for the audience. The rising action will involve more than one act.

Climax

The climax represents the turning point of the play. From this point on, the Shakespearean hero moves to his inevitable (often grisly) end.

Falling Action

The falling action includes those events occurring from the time of the climax up to the hero’s death. The episodes will show both advances and declines in the various forces acting upon the hero.

The Catastrophe

The catastrophe concerns the necessary consequences of the hero’s actions (death). The catastrophe will be characteristically simple and brief.

Quick Write

Give the moments of the play which fit the following tragic elements: Exciting Force Peripeteia Anagnorisis Climax Catastrophe

Tragedy Structure

Act I: Exposition, Exciting Force, Rising Action

Act II: Rising Action Act III: Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action Act IV: Falling Action Act V: Falling Action, Catastrophe

A

B

C

D

F

A. ExpositionB. Exciting ForceC. Rising ActionD.ClimaxE. Falling ActionF. Catastrophe

E

Conflict

Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Types of Conflict

There are two categories:

Internal Conflict External Conflict

Man vs. Self Man vs. Man

Man vs. Society

Man vs. Nature