1. a sudden reversal of circumstances or turning point in a drama or narrative
Usage: literary

Examples

• The hero’s discovery of his true identity marked the peripety of the tragedy.
• Shakespeare’s plays often feature a dramatic peripety in the final act.
• The novel’s peripety occurs when the protagonist learns the truth about her past.
• Critics praised the unexpected peripety that transformed the story’s direction.
• The peripety in the third act completely changed the audience’s understanding of the plot.
• Ancient Greek tragedies typically included a peripety followed by recognition.