Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE)

1. Elements of Tragedy
   1. Serious and important plot
   2. Turns out disastrously for the main character
   3. Should arouse pity and fear in the audience
2. Tragic Hero
   1. Neither an all good nor all bad person
   2. “better than we are” (higher moral worth)
   3. Suffers a change in fortune (from happiness to misery)
3. Tragic Flaw
   1. Error in judgment
   2. Disregards a warning or moral law (hubris)
   3. We can recognize similar errors in our own lives

Text Attributions

• This chapter was adapted from “Course Handouts” by Julia Dodge. Adapted by Allison Kilgannon. CC BY-NC-SA.