Aristotle On Tragedy Essay, Research Paper

The Nature of Tragedy:

In the century after Sophocles, the philosopher

Aristotle analyzed tragedy. His definition: Tragedy then, is an imitation

of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in

language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds

being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of

narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these

emotions.

Aristotle identified six basic elements:

(1) plot; (2) character; (3) diction (the choice of style, imagery, etc.);

(4) thought (the character’s thoughts and the author’s meaning); (5) spectacle

(all the visual effects; Aristotle considered this to be the least important

element); (6) song.

According to Aristotle, the central character

of a tragedy must not be so virtuous that instead of feeling pity or fear

at his or her downfall, we are simply outraged. Also the character cannot

be so evil that for the sake of justice we desire his or her misfortune.

Instead, best is someone”who is neither outstanding in virtue and righteousness;

nor is it through badness or villainy of his own that he falls into misfortune,

but rather through some flaw [hamartia]“. The character should be famous

or prosperous, like Oedipus or Medea.

What Aristotle meant by hamartia cannot

be established. In each play we read you should particularly consider the

following possibilities. (1) A hamartia may be simply an intellectual mistake

or an error in judgement. For example when a character has the facts wrong

or doesn’t know when to stop trying to get dangerous information. (2) Hamartia

may be a moral weakness, especially hubris, as when a character is moral

in every way except for being prideful enough to insult a god. (Of course

you are free to decide that the tragic hero of any play, ancient or modern,

does not have a hamartia at all). The terms hamartia and hubris should

become basic tools of your critical apparatus.

The Concept of Tragedy:

The word tragedy can be applied to a genre

of literature. It can mean ‘any serious and dignified drama that describes

a conflict between the hero (protagonist) and a superior force (destiny,

chance, society, god) and reaches a sorrowful conclusion that arouses pity

or fear in the audience.’ From this genre comes the concept of tragedy,

a concept which is based on the possibility that a person may be destroyed

precisely because of attempting to be good and is much better than most

people, but not perfect. (Irony, therefore, is essential and it is not

surprising that dramatic irony, which can so neatly emphasize irony, is

common in tragedies.) Tragedy implies a conflict between human goodness

and reality. Many scholars feel that if God rewards goodness either on

earth or in heaven there can be no tragedy. If in the end each person gets

what he or she deserves, tragedy is impossible. Tragedy assumes that this

universe is rotten or askew. Christians believe that God is good and just,

hence, for certain scholars tragedy is logically impossible. Of course

a possible variation of the tragic concept would allow a character to have

a fault which leads to consequences far more dire than he deserves. But

tragic literature is not intended to make people sad. It may arouse pity

and fear for the suffering protagonist, or for all humanity, especially

ourselves. But usually it also is intended to inspire admiration for the

central character, and by analogy for all mankind. In the tragic hero’s

fall there is the glory in his or her misfortune; there is the joy which

only virtue can supply. Floods, automobile accidents, children’s deaths,

though terribly pathetic can never be tragic in the dramatic sense because

they do not occur as a result of an individual man’s grandeur and virtue.

After reading each book in the course, be sure you know whether it presents

a tragic view of life. (Incidentally, although some plays we read are certainly

tragic in all scholars’ opinions, many Greek plays produced as tragedies

are not tragic by anyone’s definition, including Aristotles’.)

Aristotle’s Poetics: Basic Concepts

You should be aware of the following concepts

and opinions of Aristotle’s which have tremendously influenced drama in

the Western World.

a. Tragedies should not be episodic. That

is, the episodes in the plot must have a clearly probable or inevitable

connection with each other. This connection is best when it is believable

but unexpected.

b. Complex plots are better than simple

plots. Complex plots have recognitions and reversals. A recognition is

a change from ignorance to knowledge, especially when the new knowledge

identifies some unknown relative or dear one whom the hero should cherish

but was about to harm or has just harmed. ‘Recognition’ (anagnorisis) is

now commonly applied to any self-knowledge the hero gains as well as to

insight to the whole nature or condition of mankind, provided that that

knowledge is associated, as Aristotle said it should be, with the hero’s

‘reversal of fortune’ (Greek: peripeteia). A reversal is a change of a

situation to its opposite. Consider Oedipus at the beginning and end of

Oedipus the King. Also consider in that play how a man comes to free Oedipus

of his fear about his mother, but actually does the opposite. Recognitions

are also supposed to be clearly connected with all the rest of the action

of the plot.

c. Suffering (some fatal or painful action)

is also to be included in a tragic plot which, preferably, should end unhappily.

d. The pity and fear which a tragedy evokes,

should come from the events, the action, not from the mere sight of something

on stage.

e. Catharsis (’purification’ or ‘purgation’)

of pity and fear was a part of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. The meaning

of this phrase is extremely debatable. Among the many interpretations possible,

consider how well the following apply to our plays:

1) Purification of the audience’s feelings

of pity and fear so that in real life we understand better whether we should

feel them.

2) Purgation of our pity and fear so that

we can face life with less of these emotions or more control over them.

3) Purification of the events of the plot,

so that the central character’s errors or transgressions become ‘cleansed’

by his or her recognitions and suffering.