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Katastrophe

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The climactic resolution or final reversal in a dramatic or narrative poem, leading to the protagonist’s downfall or revelation.

Detailed Definition
Katastrophe, from Greek “down-turn,” originally denoted the final resolution or denouement in drama, and in poetry refers to a concluding section that brings thematic or emotional closure; unlike the volta’s turn, katastrophe settles the poem’s tensions, often through summation, resignation, or transcendent insight, functioning as the quiet aftermath of lyric storm.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex,” the katastrophe reveals Oedipus’s true parentage; Shakespeare’s “King Lear” ends in katastrophe: “Howl, howl, howl”; In “Macbeth,” the katastrophe is Macduff’s vengeance and Malcolm’s rise; Modern tragedy: Willy Loman’s suicide in Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”; Poetic katastrophe in Plath’s “Edge”: “The woman is perfected”
Additional Notes
The final catastrophic action in drama; in poetry, the conclusive disaster or revelation. Greek dramatic structure term. Final phase of narrative. Related to denouement but emphasizes disaster. Compare with resolution.
Also Known As
poetic resolution final turn
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