1. / ˈ træd ʒɪ di/ [traj-i-dee] –noun, plural 1. a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. 2. the branch of the drama that is concerned with this form of composition. … 4. any literary composition, as a novel, dealing with a somber theme carried to a tragic conclusion. … 6. a lamentable, dreadful, or fatal event or affair; calamity; disaster: the tragedy of war. Dictionary.reference.com http://www.theater- masks.com/i/masks/tragedy -mask-wearable.jpg

2. Tragic Hero  a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy  Shakespeare wrote many tragedies with these types of characters  Ex. Macbeth  The Greeks also had many of these characters in their plays  Ex. Oedipus Rex http://www.dennishollingsworth.us/archives/images/ Oedipus.jpg

3. Tragic Hero  Like other heroes, Tragic Heroes are part of the monomyth  They travel the Hero’s Journey (J.Campbell)  They also share some heroic traits  Unusual births  Has great skill, strength, courage  Defeats hardships  Grows and changes during the journey  Flaws make them easy to relate to  The difference is that a tragic hero has (usually) finished his journey  now has decisions to make in his life post-journey

4. Tragic Flaws  Underlying personality trait…causing the tragic hero in your play or novel to self-destruct  Examples:  Pride / Hubris  Jealousy  Ambition  (quick)Temper  And many more! http://www.cliffsnotes.com/Section/What-is-a-tragic- flaw-.id-305408,articleId-8035.html steeds.com http://s1.hubimg.com/u/176 876_f520.jpg http://kinokunya.files.wordpress.com/ 2008/12/heroes-1453.jpg

5. Poetics: Greek Tragedy  Aristotle defined tragedy and tragic heroes in this book  Tragic heroes are:  Noble: usually occupy a high position in society AND act virtuously and nobly  Easy to identify with: They’re not perfect; they’re just like us http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/aristotle.htm

6. Poetics (continued)  Heroes’ tragic flaws cause them to make the choices that lead to tragedy.  Usually, this is a character flaw or an error of judgment  The punishment usually exceeds the crime  (see: Oedipus)  The fall (tragedy) usually results in some discovery or increased awareness  Tragedy shouldn’t leave the audience depressed  Catharsis: purging of negative emotions like sadness and fear http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/aristotle.htm http://www.mediainspiration.com/cont ents/artists/artist_details.php?id=15 “Catharsis”

7. Elizabethan Tragedy  still familiar tale of a great man or woman brought low through hubris or fate  acted on stage the violence that the Greek dramatists reported  Sometimes mixed genres (comedy, tragedy)  Shakespeare’s third genre, histories, were about English kings and were usually tragedies http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.ed u/english/melani/cs6/ http://the-fifth-wall.blogspot.com/ 2009/01/shakespearean-awards.html www.readexpress.com/read_fre eride/photos/2008 thefreedictionary.com

8. Notes (on Definition):  A tragedy is a serious dramatic play, the intent of which is to arouse and then soothe the audience’s pity and fear.  This process is called catharsis – a wounding and a healing that the audience goes through. The audience is cleansed while watching a tragedy.  A tragedy should contain elevated or poetic language. Ordinary language (prose) is not sufficiently lofty for the scope of tragedy.

9. Notes: (on Tragic Heroes)  Generally, the tragic hero must possess the following traits:  He/she must be an important or impressive figure (king, queen, prince, general)  He/she must, at some point in the play, become aware of his/her downfall. There must be a moment of revelation.  He/she must cause his/her own downfall. There must be some sort of character flaw (the TRAGIC FLAW) that propels the tragedy.

10. Notes: (on Tragic Flaws)  A true tragic flaw is paradoxical: the same thing that makes the person great is the thing that tears them down. All notes from Rob Bingham

11. Quickwrite:  Write a short, structured response on the following:  What is Macbeth’s Tragic Flaw?  Write a thesis stating your answer to the question  Support your thesis with concrete evidence from the play (quotes not required)  About 2-3 paragraphs