What are the features of a tragedy?
These are the main features according to Aristotle (so you will
them in the works of Shakespeare e.g. Hamlet and Othello):
Peripetia: the turning point in a drama where the story moves
inexorably to its denouement
Hubris: over-weening self-belief, great prides in oneself
Hamartia: a moral flaw which leads to a a characters
downfall
Anagnorisis: the moment a character moves from ignorance to
knowledge. A recongnition of what causes suffering
Catharsis: the purification of emotions, through art, occurs at
the end of a tragedy, for the audience whose emotions of pity and
fear have been aroused throughout the play
Unity of time: the play should take place in period of less than
24 hours
Unity of Place: the play should take place in a single
setting
Unity of action: there sould be one main plot and no
sub-plot
these are known as the three unities
The ekkylema: a cart which was wheeled out at the end of a play,
to display the arftermath of some great battle - so bodies were
often laid on it and brought out
hope this helps and answers your question xoxo f