ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -peripeteia, (Greek: “reversal”) the turning point in a drama after which the plot moves steadily to its denouement . It is discussed by Aristotle in the Poetics as the shift of the tragic protagonist’s fortune from good to bad, which is essential to the plot of a tragedy.

Detailed explanation-2: -Peripeteia comes from Greek, in which the verb peripiptein means “to fall around” or “to change suddenly.” It usually indicates a turning point in a drama after which the plot moves steadily to its denouement.

Detailed explanation-3: -Peripeteia is the reversal from one state of affairs to its opposite. Some element in the plot effects a reversal, so that the hero who thought he was in good shape suddenly finds that all is lost, or vice versa. Anagnorisis is a change from ignorance to knowledge.

Detailed explanation-4: -The word “peripeteia” is a translation of a Greek word meaning “reversal” or “sudden change.” The term was coined by Aristotle in his book about dramatic theory, Poetics (circa 330 BCE). Aristotle wrote about peripeteia as one of the most powerful elements included in the complex plot of a tragedy.

Detailed explanation-5: -Examples Of Peripeteia Examples include the death of King Creon’s son Haemon at his father’s hands after he opposes him, and Oedipus’ discovery that he killed his own father and married his mother. Peripeteia is a literary term that relates to how the plot of a story turns.