Last time I talked about the twofold purpose of the New Testament and Christ’s death (i) as payment for our sin fine/penalty, and (ii) seeing yourself in those guilty of God’s beloved (agapetos) messenger Christ’s wrongful death, which breaks the spell that the evil powerful entity Sin has you under so as to open your eyes to your sinful disposition so you can repent. The first is traditional sacrifice to appease the deity’s wrath, while the second is helping God to forgive you (reflecting God’s forgiving nature such as in the penitential psalms and the story of Jonah). Though many commentators only focus on (i), (ii) is actually often addressed as a fundamental process of the human condition. For example, numerous great works of literature explore the theme of transformation through the realization of hidden faults—often via a moment of anagnorisis (a sudden recognition or discovery that shifts a character’s understanding of themselves or their circumstances). This can lead to redemption, tragedy, growth, or downfall. Below, I’ll highlight some classic examples from plays, novels, and epics, drawing from well-known literary analyses.

Anagnorisis, a term from Aristotle’s Poetics, refers to a moment of recognition or discovery in a dramatic work, often involving the revelation of true identities or hidden truths, which leads to a shift from ignorance to knowledge and frequently coincides with peripeteia (reversal of fortune). This device is central to many Greek tragedies, serving as a turning point that heightens emotional impact, drives the plot toward resolution, and evokes pity and fear in the audience. Below, I’ll compare its use in three key examples: Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Libation Bearers (part of the Oresteia trilogy) by Aeschylus, and Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides. These plays illustrate variations in how anagnorisis is achieved, its integration with the plot, and its consequences for characters and themes.

Ancient Greek Tragedies

• Oedipus Rex by Sophocles: The protagonist, Oedipus, uncovers the horrifying truth that he has unknowingly killed his father and married his mother—flaws rooted in his hubris and ignorance. This revelation shatters his self-image, leading to self-inflicted blindness and exile, symbolizing a catastrophic personal transformation.
• Libation Bearers (The Choephoroi) by Aeschylus: Clytemnestra realizes her disguised son Orestes has returned to avenge his father’s murder, exposing her own moral failings in her past actions. This leads to her death, while Orestes grapples with the cycle of vengeance. Electra also recognizes her brother, transforming her despair into action.
• Iphigeneia in Tauris by Euripides: Iphigeneia discovers that the prisoners she must sacrifice are her brother Orestes and his friend, revealing hidden familial bonds and averting tragedy through reunion and escape.

Shakespearean Plays

• King Lear by William Shakespeare: King Lear comes to see his grave errors in judgment—favoring flattery over genuine love and banishing his loyal daughter Cordelia—amid madness and loss. This self-realization of his pride and folly leads to humility and partial redemption before his death.
• Othello by William Shakespeare: Othello realizes too late that his jealousy and gullibility (exploited by Iago) led him to murder his innocent wife Desdemona, exposing his tragic flaw of insecurity and transforming him into a figure of remorse and suicide.
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Macbeth recognizes the futility of his ambition and moral corruption as the witches’ prophecies unfold, leading to his downfall and a reflective acceptance of his villainy.

Modern Novels

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Young Scout Finch gradually realizes the deep-seated prejudices and flaws in her community (and implicitly in herself), culminating in her empathetic understanding of Boo Radley, fostering her moral growth and transformation into a more compassionate person.
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Raskolnikov, after committing murder under a flawed ideology, confronts his hidden guilt and moral bankruptcy through suffering and relationships, leading to confession, repentance, and spiritual renewal.
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: Ebenezer Scrooge is forced by ghostly visions to acknowledge his selfishness, greed, and emotional isolation—hidden faults that have alienated him from others—prompting a joyful transformation into generosity and warmth.
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Dorian Gray finally confronts the portrait that reveals his inner corruption and moral decay (hidden behind his eternal youth), leading to a desperate attempt at redemption that ends in tragedy.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy each realize their respective flaws—her prejudice and his pride—through misunderstandings and revelations, resulting in personal growth, mutual understanding, and romantic union.
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: Pip discovers the true source of his fortune and recognizes his snobbery and ingratitude toward his humble origins, transforming him from an ambitious social climber into a humbler, more self-aware individual.

These works often use the revelation of flaws as a catalyst for character arcs, blending psychological depth with broader themes like fate, morality, and society.

Of course, the classic treatment in the New Testament is Judas who betrays Christ when Satan enters Judas, and Judas later kills himself when he truly understands what he has done. The example I like is knowing that if I was a Roman citizen thousands of years ago, I probably would have cheered on the brutality of the arena, even though today I find the needless bloodshed horrific. Similarly, the death of Socrates awakened in the ancient world an idea that resulted in civilized society no longer thinking someone should be put to death for leading a Socratic life.