Fiducia TogetherTragedy and the tragic hero
The classical shape of a tragedy, and the flaw that drives it.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
A tragedy follows a protagonist of high status whose downfall follows from a flaw — hamartia — and a moment of recognition, producing catharsis in the audience. Hubris is excessive pride; peripeteia is the reversal of fortune.
Where it applies
Shakespeare set texts, and useful for An Inspector Calls and Blood Brothers.
How it works
The classical model comes from Aristotle and Shakespeare's tragedies broadly follow it, which is why the terms are worth having.
Modern tragedy often replaces high status with ordinary life, which is itself a point about who is allowed to matter.
How to use it in your work
Use the terms precisely and sparingly. One accurate use of 'hamartia' with an explanation beats a paragraph of Greek.
Be ready to challenge the model. Whether Macbeth's flaw is ambition or something else is a genuine argument, and taking a position scores.
Where to get help
Your teacher, your board's mark scheme and its examiners' reports — those say exactly what separates the bands, and they are free.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The English Exam Survival Song How to approach the English papers under time pressure.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.