The definition and parts of a tragedy as laid out by Aristotle

1. I’m
Aristotle, and I’m a big, frickin’ deal.
I’m a Greek philosopher who
wrote a book called Poetics
that described (among other
things) the best types of
dramas.
I broke them into
tragedies and
comedies.
I said tragedies
are the best!

2. A Tragedy is a story that
concerns a person
(protagonist) who
basically good and of
great importance.
That person has what
I call a tragic flaw.
He just can’t
help himself!

3. The flaw really
messes up his life.
In fact, the
protagonist is either
ruined or KILLED by
his or her flaw.
His downfall is
called the
catastrophe.

4. Before he falls, the
protagonist will
recognize the cause of
his problems is his own
fault!
This makes the
audience feel
pity and
sympathy. If it makes the
audience emotional
in response, it’s called
a catharsis.