How often do we hear the expression "vicissitudes of fate" and the like! It is found both in oral speech and in books. But only a few know what ups and downs are and where this word came from. We will also fill the gap in education.
Origin of the word
Let's turn to the roots of this word. What are ups and downs in ancient Greek? Translated, this word means "an unexpected, sudden turn." In literary criticism, this concept is familiar from the very beginning of this science. In the treatise Poetics, Aristotle wrote that this is an unexpected change of action to the opposite. This is how in ancient times they complicated the plot of the tragedy and made it more interesting for the spoiled public.
Peripetia in ancient dramaturgy
To understand what ups and downs are, let's turn to examples from ancient Greek literature. The classic use of this technique can be found in Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus Rex. The shepherd comes to the king to reveal to him the secret of origin. He seeks to dispel the fear of the ruler, but achieves the opposite effect. Some researchers see similarities between twists and turns and tragic irony.
Tragic irony as an analogue of twists and turns
Thinking about what vicissitudes are, literary critics drew analogies with tragic irony. The theoretical comprehension of this technique occurred only in modern times. In another way, it was called the "irony of fate." The hero of such a work was confident in the correctness of his own actions, but it was they who brought his death closer.
We have already considered a textbook example of the "irony of fate" - this is the tragedy "Oedipus Rex". In modern times, a good example is F. Schiller's play Wallenstein. The tragedy takes place during the Thirty Years' War. The main character is the great commander Wallenstein. In the final part, astrologers predict the military leader a successful outcome of his undertakings, but they are not destined to come true. The main character dies. And the predictions of astrologers, as we see, do not come true.
The main features of ups and downs
Determining the meaning of the word "ups and downs", Aristotle spoke of its following features: it is a point of highest tension, after which the action turns into a catastrophe. Such techniques speak of the imminent denouement of history. In comedies, no one excludes the presence of this element. It may represent an unexpected turn in action.
Peripetia in modern dramaturgy
It is difficult to talk about modern dramaturgy. In the era of postmodernism in literature, the traditional idea of the plot is being erased. Sometimes (as happens in the theater of the absurd) it is simply difficult to somehow comprehend and describe it to an unprepared viewer. Some works are based onreceiving anti-peripetia. As you know, in ancient drama this concept was also a philosophical category, an awareness of a single cosmic order. Modern people deny this order.
In some dramas, there are ups and downs with all the approach of the text to the narrative. They signify the power of destiny. But the classical understanding of this expression in the spirit of the Renaissance does not fit here. Rather, it refers to unrealized situations that are voiced by the author-hero himself or about the use of various forms of improvisation on stage.
