Tragedy: Greek Origins, Dramatic Traditions, and Critical Theories

All flashcards

Hamartia

A significant error or frailty associated with a tragic figure’s reversal; not necessarily a moral flaw.

Peripeteia

A reversal or change in the direction of events in a tragic plot.

Anagnorisis

A significant recognition or shift from ignorance to awareness.

Bourgeois tragedy

A form of tragedy that makes citizens and domestic life central subjects.

Gesamtkunstwerk

Wagner’s concept of an integrated artwork combining music, poetry, stagecraft, and performance.

Quiz questions

1. What did an Athenian playwright present as a tetralogy at the festival honoring Dionysus?Answer: Three tragedies followed by a comic satyr play.
2. What was the ekkyklêma used for in ancient Greek theatre?Answer: Revealing the aftermath of an event that occurred offstage.
3. Which features are especially associated with Seneca’s surviving tragedies?Answer: Long speeches, moral commentary, and vivid accounts of violence.
4. What distinguishes domestic tragedy from traditional tragedy centered on rulers?Answer: It gives ordinary people and private suffering central dramatic importance.
5. How does Hegel characterize the central conflict in ancient Greek tragedy?Answer: A clash between ethical forces that each have a legitimate claim.