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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will learn about how a hero can also be tragic. We will discover why all of Shakespeare's tragedies contain heroes with some fairly major psychological problems.

Licence

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

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5 Questions

Q1.
What happens in a tragedy?
Correct answer: A character who is respected or admired dies at the end
A story lasts for 7 days
There is a big festival
There is a god called Dionysus
Q2.
What was Dionysia
Correct answer: A festival that included plays and other things to celebrate the god Dioysus
A type of wine in Athens
The name of a Greek playwright
The prize for writing a good play
Q3.
Which of the following was NOT one of Aristotle's three unities?
Action
Correct answer: Light
Place
Time
Q4.
What is catharsis?
Correct answer: A feeling of being cleansed of strong emotion
Being happy at the end of a story
Fear
Sadness
Q5.
Which statement is true?
Shakespeare didn't write any tragedies.
Correct answer: Shakespeare updated his tragedies to fit the interests of his audience.
Shakespeare's tragedies were exactly the same as Greek tragedies.
The Greeks watched Shakespeare's tragedies and copied them.

5 Questions

Q1.
What do we call the main character in a tragedy?
Hero
Oedipus
Protagonist
Correct answer: Tragic hero
Q2.
Which statement is correct?
Hamartia is always a flaw.
Hamartia is always an error.
Correct answer: Hamartia is an error or flaw that leads to the tragic hero's downfall or death.
Hamartia is when someone dies at the end of a tragedy.
Q3.
A Greek tragic hero's hamartia is usually...
A death
A downfall
A flaw
Correct answer: An error
Q4.
A Shakespearean tragic hero's hamartia is usually...
A death
A downfall
Correct answer: A flaw
An error
Q5.
Which is NOT an example of a flaw?
Being too ambitious
Correct answer: Forgetting you are not a god
Jealousy
Not listening to other people

Lesson appears in

UnitEnglish / Introduction to Tragedy

English