In Aristotle's tragedy, which term denotes the moment of recognition or critical discovery by the protagonist?

• A. Peripeteia
• B. Hamartia
• C. Catharsis
• D. Anagnorisis

Answer: (D)

Anagnorisis is the moment a tragedy’s protagonist suddenly realizes a crucial truth about themselves or their situation. That flash of insight often changes what they understand about the world and everything that follows, sometimes accompanied by a reversal in fortune, known as peripeteia. It’s different from peripeteia, which is the shift in the hero’s luck, from hamartia, the tragic flaw or error that sets the doom in motion, and from catharsis, the emotional release the audience experiences. A classic example is Oedipus discovering his true parentage and the murders he has unwittingly fulfilled, a revelation that changes the entire course of the play. So, the term for the moment of critical discovery by the protagonist is anagnorisis.