Peripeteia:
Peripeteia has been translated as ‘reversal of fortune.’ A peripeteia occurs when a person seeks to achieve a particular result, but the reverse of the result is produced. It brings about irony.
Examples: In Marlowe’s Jew of Malta, Barabas was boiling oil in a cauldron to destroy his enemy, but he dropped into it and died. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth heard the equivalent prophecy of the witches and sought to kill Banquo and all his enemies. However, in reality, he got no peace and security, but only the damnation of his soul.
Anagnorisis:
Anagnorisis may be translated as ‘recognition or discovery.’ Anagnorisis is a sudden realization of a grim truth. It is the point at which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their circumstances. Aristotle, in his Poetics, defined anagnorisis as “a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune.” When Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother in ignorance and later learns the truth, or when Iphigeneia in Tauris realizes in time that the strangers she is to sacrifice are her brother and his friend and refrains from sacrificing them. Aristotle has spoken of six types of anagnorisis. The first type relates to the discovery of signs. The second type is the discovery, rather arbitrarily suggested by the dramatist. The third type of discovery is based on memory. The fourth type of it is made through reasoning. The fifth type is based on false reasoning. Moreover, the last type is made by natural means.
Examples:
1. Discovery by Signs: Anagnorisis occurs when a character discovers the truth based on external signs, symbols, or clues.
Example: In The Winter’s Tale, Leontes undergoes a revelation when he sees the statue of his wife, Hermione, which leads him to realize his earlier mistake of accusing her unjustly of infidelity. The statue is a symbol of truth and the process of discovery by signs, ultimately revealing the true nature of his actions.
2. Discovery Arbitrarily Suggested by the Dramatist: This type refers to the dramatist’s intervention in creating recognition or revelation, sometimes without prior foreshadowing.
Example: In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Viola’s disguise as Cesario and the eventual recognition by her twin brother, Sebastian, is an example of discovery arbitrarily suggested by the dramatist. The entire plot hinges on mistaken identity and deception, and the dramatic revelations about the characters’ true identities are revealed in an almost arbitrary, sudden way.
3. Discovery Based on Memory: It involves a character recalling a past event or experience that helps them understand the truth of their present situation.
Example: In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ reunion with his wife, Penelope, is an example of anagnorisis based on memory. Penelope tests Odysseus to confirm his identity by asking him about their bed, which only the two of them know about. This memory leads Odysseus to reveal his true identity, confirming their reunion.
4. Discovery Through Reasoning: It happens when a character deduces the truth through logical thinking or reasoning.
Example: In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’ discovery of his true identity occurs through reasoning. As he investigates the murder of King Laius, he pieces together various clues, such as the prophecy and the shepherd’s testimony. His reasoning process leads him to the realization that he is both the murderer and the son of Jocasta, his wife and mother.
5. Discovery Based on False Reasoning: Here, the character discovers something, but their reasoning is flawed or based on incorrect information, leading to a misinterpretation.
Example: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth’s discovery of his fate based on the witches’ prophecy is an example of false reasoning. The witches tell him that he will not be harmed by anyone “born of a woman,” which leads him to believe that he is invincible. However, he misinterprets this, failing to recognize that Macduff, who was born through a Caesarean section, is the one who will ultimately kill him. His reasoning is flawed, leading to his tragic end.
6. Discovery by Natural Means: It involves a revelation that comes naturally, often through fate or nature, as opposed to deliberate or intellectual realization.
Example: In King Lear, the discovery of Lear’s true circumstances—his estranged relationship with his daughters and his sanity—occurs through natural means. The storm in which Lear wanders reflects the turmoil within his mind. His eventual recognition of his mistakes and his realization about the true nature of his daughters (especially Goneril and Regan) happens naturally as his madness clears, though tragically, too late.
Aristotle speaks of two types of plot in Poetics– simple and complex. A simple plot is one without peripeteia and anagnorisis, while a complex plot has peripeteia, anagnorisis, or both.