Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Catastrophe
Definition:
The catastrophe is a pivotal point in the plot of a story, especially classical tragedies. It comes after the climax and before the dénouement, and, well, it's about as bad as it sounds.
Basically, the catastrophe is when the hero undergoes his last chunk of suffering. In an extra tragic tale, the hero might even kick the bucket. In Shakespeare's tragedies, the hero almost always ends up six feet under.
Want an example? Sure, we can bum you out some more. In the last act of Hamlet, when everything goes haywire—Hamlet and Laertes duel, Gertrude and Claudius get poisoned, and everybody croaks—that's the play's catastrophe.
Now, go look at this adorable video of cats sleeping in weird positions.