Catharsis
Emotional release or purification experienced by audience through intense dramatic experience.
Real World
Audiences watching Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' report feeling both pity for Willy Loman's delusions and fear of their own proximity to his failures — an emotional release that matches Aristotle's description of catharsis in modern tragedy.
Exam Focus
Connect catharsis to the specific emotions the tragedy evokes — 'pity and fear' are Aristotle's terms; use them precisely and link to the tragic hero's hamartia.
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