AQA · A-Level · English Literature
Course version: 7717 · Version from Sept 2026
How the behaviour of the hero affects the world around him, creating chaos…
Full specification wording
Aspects of tragedy: how the behaviour of the hero affects the world around him, creating chaos and affecting the lives of others
Tragic heroes are not isolated sufferers: their actions ripple outwards, damaging families, communities and political order.
Checked against the AQA 7717 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 9 of 14
- 2 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Tragic heroes are not isolated sufferers: their actions ripple outwards, damaging families, communities and political order. This aspect asks you to trace that ripple. In King Lear, Lear’s division of the kingdom and rejection of Cordelia unleashes family betrayal and civil strife; in Macbeth, Macbeth’s murders destabilise Scotland and destroy those close to him. Analyse how the text stages these consequences: through the reactions of other characters, through imagery of disorder and disease, through subplots that mirror the main action, and through changes in setting or social order. Consider also who suffers most and whose suffering is foregrounded, since this reveals the play’s moral priorities. Strong answers show how the hero’s behaviour generates chaos, and how that chaos is made visible and judged within the drama.
What earns the marks
- Identifies specific consequences of the hero’s actions for named characters, families or communities.
- Analyses how the writer uses language, imagery or structure to convey disorder and its effects.
- Examines how subplots or secondary characters mirror, contrast with or intensify the main tragic action.
- Considers the wider social or political impact of the hero’s behaviour, not only private suffering.
- Evaluates how the text guides the audience’s judgement about responsibility for the chaos.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Focusing only on the hero’s inner conflict and ignoring the external damage he causes.
Put it right by tracking the effects on other characters and on the wider world.
Listing consequences without analysing how they are presented.
Put it right by commenting on the writer’s methods and their effects.
Treating all suffering as equivalent.
Put it right by distinguishing between different characters’ experiences and considering whose suffering the text emphasises.
Exam tips
- Choose two or three well-chosen moments that show the spread of chaos and analyse them in depth rather than covering many events superficially.
- Use connectives such as consequently, therefore and as a result to show causal links between the hero’s behaviour and its effects.
- Link the chaos to the play’s wider tragic pattern, for example the disruption and eventual restoration of order.
Try the lesson
The start of the Aspects of tragedy: how the behaviour of the hero affects the world around him, creating chaos and affecting the lives of others lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In a tragedy, what is the usual effect of the hero's behaviour on the world around him?
Listen
Tragic heroes are not isolated sufferers: their actions ripple outwards, damaging families, communities and political order. This aspect asks you to trace that ripple. In King Lear, Lear’s division of the kingdom and rejection of Cordelia unleashes family betrayal and civil strife; in Macbeth, Macbeth’s murders destabilise Scotland and destroy those close to him. Analyse how the text stages these consequences: through the reactions of other characters, through imagery of disorder and disease, through subplots that mirror the main action, and through changes in setting or social order. Consider also who suffers most and whose suffering is foregrounded, since this reveals the play’s moral priorities. Strong answers show how the hero’s behaviour generates chaos, and how that chaos is made visible and judged within the drama. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identifies specific consequences of the hero’s actions for named characters, families or communities. Analyses how the writer uses language, imagery or structure to convey disorder and its effects. Examines how subplots or secondary characters mirror, contrast with or intensify the main tragic action. Considers the wider social or political impact of the hero’s behaviour, not only private suffering. A common slip: Focusing only on the hero’s inner conflict and ignoring the external damage he causes. Instead, tracking the effects on other characters and on the wider world. Exam tip: Choose two or three well-chosen moments that show the spread of chaos and analyse them in depth rather than covering many events superficially.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Social and political disorder
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Responsibility and blame
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Social and political disorder
- The wider damage the hero's actions cause, conveyed through imagery of disorder and disease and through changes in setting or social order.
- Responsibility and blame
- How the text guides the audience's judgement about who is responsible for the chaos the hero's behaviour generates.
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