Peripeteia, borrowed from classical drama but adapted in narrative and dramatic poetry, denotes a sudden, pivotal reversal of fortune or understanding that dramatically alters the trajectory of the speaker or protagonist; in poetry, this moment often serves as the emotional or philosophical climax, transforming the poem’s tone, perspective, or thematic focus—such as in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” where the closing lines reveal ironic self-deception, or in dramatic monologues where a speaker’s revelation undermines their earlier assertions.

Reversal or turning point in narrative. Aristotelian dramatic term. In poetry, the volta serves similar function. Study tragedy for understanding how reversal creates meaning through unexpected direction change.