Through Classical Lens

Worksheet Description

This educational worksheet is designed to deepen students’ understanding of tragedy as a literary and cinematic genre. Students are prompted to consider a modern movie and analyze it through the lens of Aristotle’s classical definition of tragedy. The exercise is divided into three parts: first, students must determine if the chosen movie meets Aristotle’s five-part criteria for a tragedy, which includes aspects such as seriousness, magnitude, and eliciting pity and fear to achieve catharsis.

Next, the worksheet asks whether the movie includes elements of peripety (a sudden reversal of circumstances) or anagnorisis (a moment of critical discovery), or both. Lastly, students must reflect on whether the protagonist of the movie fits Aristotle’s four-part definition of a tragic character, which typically involves nobility, hamartia (a tragic flaw), a downfall that is greater than deserved, and self-awareness. This analytical activity not only reinforces students’ comprehension of key literary concepts but also encourages them to apply these concepts to modern storytelling, illustrating the enduring nature of classical dramatic theory.