Final answer:
A Shakespearean play typically features a tragic hero with a fatal flaw, or hamartia, which causes their downfall, leading to profound impact on the plot's structure and the play's genre.
Characters like Hamlet and Oedipus are classic examples who undergo peripeteia, anagnorisis, and promote catharsis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Incorporating the concept of a tragic hero in a play draws heavily on the Shakespearean tradition and the classical definitions provided by Aristotle.
A tragic hero is often of noble birth with good intentions, but they possess a fatal flaw or hamartia that leads to their downfall. In the context of Shakespeare's works, characters like Hamlet and Oedipus exemplify these qualities, undergoing a journey filled with peripeteia (reversal of fortune) and anagnorisis (recognition), culminating in catharsis for the audience as they experience a purgation of emotions.
For example, Hamlet's flaw is his indecision and resulting inaction, which prevents him from avenging his father's death in a timely manner and leads to a series of tragic events.
Similarly, in Antigone, Creon's pride and stubbornness result in the loss of his family and in realizing the moral of the story, the audience experiences catharsis. The structure of the play, where flaws and mistakes of the characters drive the plot, can greatly influence its meaning and genre.
In essence, the involvement of a tragic hero with a specific hamartia in a play shapes its dramatic structure and impact. If these characters realized their flaws in time, the narrative could shift dramatically, potentially transforming a tragedy into a romance or another less somber genre.