3 Little Pigs & Aristotlenew:

The tragic hero will most effectively evoke both our pity and terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil but a combination of both.

from Oedipus to Hamlet : tragic hero : Hamet reads Oedipus


SHOWS: 12th Night
Aristotelean defined tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself." It incorporates "incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions."

The tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is "better than we are," in that he is of higher than ordinary moral worth. Such a man is shown as suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act, to which he is led by his hamartia (his "effort of judgment") or, as it is often literally translated, his tragic flaw.

* One common form of hamartia in Greek tragedies was hubris, that "pride" or overweening self-confidence which leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or to violate an important law.

* Oedipus fulfills the three parameters that define the tragic hero. His dynamic and multifaceted character emotionally bonds the audience; his tragic flaw forces the audience to fear for him, without losing any respect; and his horrific punishment elicits a great sense of pity from the audience. Though Sophocles crafted Oedipus long before Aristotle developed his ideas, Oedipus fits Aristotle's definition with startling accuracy. He is the tragic hero par excellence and richly deserves the title as "the ideal tragic hero."

Summary

Theatre History -- history.vtheatre.net

Tragedy, according to Aristotle [ 6 principles ]

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notes: dramlit I

Talk about what you had no time to explain, while staging Oedipus!

Dramatic Literature One

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A tragic hero has the potential for greatness but is doomed to fail. He is trapped in a situation where he cannot win. He makes some sort of tragic flaw, and this causes his fall from greatness. Even though he is a fallen hero, he still wins a moral victory, and his spirit lives on.

CLIMACTIC DRAMA: Aristotle’s analysis of tragedy emphasizes plot. The Greeks developed an approach to dramatic structure that became the prototype —in an altered and more rigid form — for plays written in the Renaissance (in Italy and France) and the modern period (the "well-made plays" of Ibsen, Strindberg, and others). We will refer to this structure as climactic drama. At various times this form of dramatic structure has also been referred to as crisis drama, intensive drama, and drama of the catastrophe. Though not every Greek play conformed to it, its elements were first developed in Greece and are evident in a number of dramas, particularly those by Aeschylus and Sophocles. In climactic drama the action begins near the climax, or high point, of the story, with the characters already in the midst of their struggles. There are very few charac-ters, and there is only one main action; the play occurs within a short span of time (frequently 24 hours or less) and usually takes place in one locale. Dramatic tension is increased because calamities befall the characters in a very short time. Since the play begins in the midst of the crisis, the audience must be provided with a great deal of background information, which is known as exposition. Thus the plot of a crisis drama often unravels like a mystery.
Tragic Hero:

ATTRIBUTE

YES

NO

COMMENTS

born of noble birth




responsible for own fate




has a tragic flaw




doomed to make a serious error in judgment




falls from great heights or from high esteem




realizes s/he has made an irreversable mistake




faces and accepts death with honor


.


meets a tragic death




TOTALS




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6 Principles by Aristotle (215/title)

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