Greek/Roman Tragedy Vocabulary

AGON - Debate

AIDOS - Shame, can range from respect to disgrace

AITION - Cause, origin

ANAGNORISIS - coming to self knowledge, epiphany

ANTHROPOMORPHISM - Giving objects or non - human beings human features

ARETE - Virtue, excellence, implies a constant and humble striving for perfection and self - improvement combined with a realistic awareness

ARISTEIA - excellence, often in epics there is an aristeia of a character E.G Agamemnon's arming scene in The Iliad

ATE (GREEK) - Blind folly

AUCTORITAS (LATIN) - Spiritual authority, the idea of knowing one's position in society and exercising the correct amount of dignity

CATHARSIS - Emotional release

CLEMENTIA (LATIN) - Mercy or gentleness, a Roman virtue that Augustus stressed in dealing fairly and justly with his enemies

DIGNITAS (LATIN) - Dignity, pride, a highly important Roman virtue

DOLOS - Trickery

ECPHRASIS - Vivid description, using details to place an object, person or event for listeners

FUROR - Fury, passion

FUROR - Fury, passion, in the Aeneid it is what undoes characters, Aeneas possesses this toward the end of the poem despite his desire to cling onto Stoic values and so does Dido. Fire is one of the clearest metaphors for furor

GENS (LATIN) - A family group in Rome, shared common property, the right to inherit

GERAS - A gift of honour

GRAVITAS (LATIN) - A very important Roman value, meant one took seriously public and private responsibilites and realised their importance

HAMARTIA - Tragic flaw

HEROS - The principal male character in a story, play etc. a being of godlike prowess who often came to be honoured as a divinity

HUBRIS - A negative term meaning arrogant, excessive self - pride or confidence and also a hamartia

KLEOS - Renown, honour, glory, a fair reputation achieved through great deeds

IUSTUM (LATIN) - What is right, just

IAR (LATIN) - Roman gods of a household, comes to represent the hearth and home

MOS MAIORUM (LATIN) - The custom of the forefathers, refers back to a time when people lived more correctly with better morals, in the Aeneid Aeneas is a personification of it

NIKE (GREEK) - Victory

NOSTOI/NOSTOS - Return voyages

PATRIA - Fatherland, homeland

PENATES (LATIN) - Patron gods of a family, Aeneas leaves with his penates and his family when escaping Troy

PENTHOS - Grief,  suffering

PERIPETEIA - Reversal of fortune

PIETAS (LATIN) - Dutifulness, meant religious piety but also piety towards family and government and the state

POLYTHEISM - The worshipping of more than one deity

PYRRIC VICTORY- Victory but of overwhelming cost to the victor

SOPHROSYNE (GREEK) - Self control, key trait gods insist on human humility to be pious

STOIC - Virtue and happiness can only be attained by submission to destiny and the natural law

XENIA (GREEK) - Hospitality