Tragedy and the Tragic Hero

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Tragedy and the Tragic Hero

• Romeo Juliet, LA 1-2H

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The Tragedy as Genre

• Drama characterized by conflict between the
  protagonist and a higher force (can be anything
  from the gods to society)
• Suffering of the hero evokes pity and dread in
  the audience
• Elizabethan tragedy mixes comedy tragedy,
  emphasizes action spectacle, and the individual
  leads to violence and/or conflict

3
Two versions of Tragic Hero

• Aristotle Greek philosopher (ca. 4th century
  B.C.)
• A.C. Bradley Oxford professor of poetry and
  Shakespeare expert (ca. early 20th century)

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Aristotles definition Tragic Hero

• Goodness
• Superiority (in affairs of state, intellect,
  etc.)
• Tragic flaw
• Realization of flaw demise

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Tragic flaw demise

• The realization of the tragic flaw demise comes
  as an epiphany or catharsis to the hero
• CATHARSIS an emotional purgingan excess of
  emotion (usu. pity fear) that leads to
  purification
• Should arouse this fear and empathy in audience

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Bradleys definition Tragic Hero

• Important or of a high degree
• Inclined to a certain course with an incapacity
  to oppose his driving force
• Need not be good
• Hope to achieve intended outcomes, but what they
  achieve is horribly unlike them
• Play depicts troubled part of heros life
• In the end, there is a sense of waste

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Practice timed write prompt

• Discuss, using specific examples, how
  Shakespeares use of comic relief heightens the
  tragic elements of Romeo and Juliet and amplifies
  the catharsis in the audience.
• Things to consider character foils
  antithesis, catharsis, mood/tone

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Things to consider for the timed write

• Tragedy (definition)
• Tragic hero (Aristotle Bradley definition)
• Tragic flaw
• Catharsis
• Antithesis
• Foil
• Mood/tone
• Comic relief