An incident involves an accidental event that modifies a state and forces an action or behavior to change.
In order to understand the meaning of the term peripeteia, the first thing to do is determine its etymological origin. And in this sense it is clear that it is a word that derives from the Greek, peripétia , which can be translated as "adventure."
An incident is a change of plans driven by an unforeseen event that forces a reaction . In this way, when the accidental event occurs, the state of a situation changes and a new action or behavior becomes necessary.
For example: “I had to make an adventure to get to work on time after my car broke down,” “A mother is always making adventures to take care of her children,” “The singer's existential adventure became evident after his trip to India.”
Adventures in classical theater
Beyond its use in colloquial language, the notion of peripeteia is used in classical theater to name a sudden change of situation due to a surprising event that alters the panorama.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle explains in one of his works that peripeteia is a change of luck: tragedies develop in a certain way until some action of a character causes them to go from happiness to misfortune. This modification is the peripeteia.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle reflected on adventures.
Examples in literature
A clear example of this can be found in the play “Antigone” , by Sophocles . In this case, the protagonist, who is the one who gives the tragedy its title, will live her adventures at the moment in which she is arrested, after burying her brother, and is sentenced to be buried alive.
In the same way, the characters in works such as “Oedipus the King” also experience numerous adventures, just as the characters in Ancient Greece presented. Without forgetting those that Ulysses faces in “The Odyssey” .
Another way to understand the concept of incidents in theater is associating it with that which, suddenly, changes the course of actions at the end of a play. The peripeteia, in this sense, implies the resolution of the plot knot based on a transformation of events.
Adventures in titles and names
We cannot overlook the existence of the publishing label Peripecias Libros , which offers a wide variety of services to the author. Specifically, the professionals of this company provide writers with the management and design of their work, among other things. In the same way, it is also responsible for distributing books throughout Spain.
In the same way, we must not fail to know that on the Internet there are numerous digital publications, such as blogs, that have the word in question in their titles. Thus, for example, we could mention “Visits and extravagances of a veterinarian” , “Visits of a Sevillian in trouble” , “Visits of a pre-dad” or “Visits on the roof” .
Peripecia Producciones , on the other hand, is the name of a Chilean company that produces plays and other shows. There is also Peripecia García , a Spanish firm that offers services related to parties and celebrations (audiovisual production, invitation design, etc.).