Peripeteia Definition: 3 Examples of Peripeteia

Peripeteia is a literary term referring to an unexpected reversal of circumstances or a sudden change of fortune in a story. Storytellers use this literary device in the form of plot twists and key turning points that lead a story to its resolution, or denouement. Peripeteia alters the course of a story and impacts the well-being of the main character.

The word “peripeteia” is a translation of a Greek word meaning “reversal” or “sudden change.” The term was coined by Aristotle in his book about dramatic theory, Poetics (circa 330 BCE). Aristotle wrote about peripeteia as one of the most powerful elements included in the complex plot of a tragedy. In this context, peripeteia works as the shift of the tragic protagonist’s fortune from good to bad.

Explore the following examples to learn more about how storytellers use this literary device.

1. 1. Psycho (1960): The main character in the first act of this Hitchcock film experiences a sudden reversal of fortune when she discovers a murderer in her hotel room and meets a tragic end.
   
2. 2. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (circa 429 BCE): In this Greek tragedy, the main character undergoes an unfortunate change of circumstances after learning that he unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.
3. 3. Omensetter’s Luck by William H. Gass (1966): This postmodern literary work follows a good-natured man whose fortune changes for the worse after his landlord is found dead.

Although anagnorisis and peripeteia are closely related, they are distinct literary devices.

• Anagnorisis: Anagnorisis is a literary term for a moment of recognition or revelation in a story. Storytellers use anagnorisis in recognition scenes when the main character finally comprehends the true nature of a situation or character. Anagnorisis correlates with a character’s new knowledge.
• Peripeteia: By contrast, peripeteia deals with a character’s new circumstances. In some cases, peripeteia follows anagnorisis directly when a character’s fortune changes because of their new knowledge, as is the case in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.

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