... result of circumstances completely out of his control. His plight is caused by the struggle of consummate good and evil as personified by God and Satan. Aristotle also states, in section VI, that the action must be "serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished." (Poetics 968). This ... imagery in Job, compared to its Greek contemporaries, is also greatly ahead of its time. These are not the only passages that answer to Aristotle's demands. The work is full of imagery and other poetic devices. Section VIII of Poetics is closely linked with sections VI and XXIII wi...

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... the purpose of explaining this imitation, while The Gift of Death and Archive Fever use deconstructionism as a tool for extending other philosophies. Aristotle divides his relatively brief Poetics into twenty-six separate sections. His first section highlights the importance of judging a poem on how it ... author presents them to the audience. Therefore, style, not content, should provide a way in which to categorize poetry. In Section Five, Aristotle continues on to distinguish the boundaries between Tragic, Comedic, and Epic poetry. Comedy is considered to be a "lower form" of tragedy...

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... he says that among the actions that a character performs there are many that may be irrelevant to one another, but yet they form a unified action. Aristotle continues depicting the plot categorizing it in two manners: simple and complex. In a simple plot, a change of fortune takes place without a reversal or ... knowledge leading either to friendship or hostility depending on whether the character is marked with good fortune or bad. There is a phrase used by Aristotle in Poetics, "from the machine," which is basically any implausible way of solving complications of the plot. "from the ma...

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... what components make a decent epic or tragedy. The main sections he comes up with are form, means and manner. For most drama and verse, Aristotle's rules are a fairly good measure of the quality of a piece of written work. In modern day however (modern meaning within the last century), ... brought about by Stanislavsky and some leaders of the popular feminist movement have shifted the direction of theatre. In light of these changes some of Aristotle's rules are not applicable anymore. That is not to say that they are not sound. They simply do not apply. Sharon Pollock, one ... murderou...

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... tragedy, right? Three of these eight rules are going to explain why some of these make it a tragedy. The rules of tragedy, according to Aristotle, are that all tragedies must include a chorus with three functions, the tragic hero must go through discovery and reversal stages, and the audience must ... this can be applied to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and "Sophocles' is Antigone". First off, one rule from Aristotle is having a chorus for three functions. These functions are to recall the past, comment on the present, and foretell the future. In Romeo ... In both of these plays the...

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... drama work around a big event, which grabs our interest and stirs up the lives of the characters involved. Catharsis Another important theory of Aristotle's was that of Catharsis. This was the ability to make the audience experience the emotions, which were being presented before them on the stage ... third actor (the tritagonist) and reduced the role of the chorus, which further developed the dramatic potential of tragedy. Other principles Some of Aristotle's other principles concerning tragedies are no longer in use. He suggested that a tragedy should be in five acts and of sufficient ...

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... to unchanging, natural laws, and presumably a careful study of the phenomena matched with a little insight might uncover what these natural laws are. Aristotle seems to be proceeding with the assumption that the same is true for poetry: its growth and development has been guided by unchanging, natural laws ... , and the Poetics seeks to uncover these laws. Aristotle is not trying to condemn Robert Burns for writing love poems; he is simply trying to catalog the different kinds of poetry that existed ... agents who are on the whole better than us, and the poet speaks directly through thes...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In his book, "The Poetics," Aristotle expresses some of his thoughts about the merging of literature with tragedy.  Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude ... is the "imitation of an action" (mimesis) according to "the law of probability or necessity." Aristotle indicates that tragedy "shows" rather than "tells." Tragedy arouses the feelings of pity and fear. Aristotle was a great admirer of Sophocles'  'King Oedipus'. He considered it as the perfect tragedy. Plot is the ... most important feature of tragedy. Aristotle defines plot ...

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Define the six parts of tragedy by Aristotle- Aristotle believed that were six parts of tragedy, plot, character, thought (theme), language, melody (music), and spectacle. Plot is a series of events that happens on stage. It must have a beginning, middle, ... while driving he or she can be caught in a tragic accident. Therefore I feel that tragedy is when a basically good person makes a fatal misjudgment that leads to there demise or death. Aristotle said that tragedy affects "the catharsis of these emotions." The emotions he speaks of are pity, fear, and purge. We can also encounter these e...

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... punish him. Oedipus, the main character of Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex, is a tragic hero. Sophocles' characterization of Oedipus suggests that he is a tragic hero according to Aristotle's conception as enunciated in The Poetics. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero has a supreme pride, a reflection of condescension and conceit that suggests superiority to man and equality with the gods. Oedipus says, "I have come myself to ... simple man, who knows nothing- I thought it out for myself, no birds helped me!" Sophocles characterizes Oedipus as a egotistical, arrogant person through his ow...

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... Carthesis In both opinions of Aristotle's view of carthesis, whether the religious process of purification or as a therapeutic effect I can find no personal relation to his concept. Although some movie or theatre productions may have evoked ... . If I have the desire to beat someone up watching a movie where people beat each other up is not going to weaken or reduce this desire it might actually accentuate it. Aristotle's view on achieving the most pity or fear from the audience through the character's tragic flaw rather from just going from prosperity to depravity is evident. Although ...

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... using the word mimesis in any novel sense; clearly he means that the situations, actions, characters and emotions portrayed must strike one as true to life" (Grube 70). Elsewhere Aristotle's conception of imitation has been described simply as "Platonic". However, I shall attempt to show that there is a direct and illuminating correlation between concepts in The Physics with ... a whole that is best known to sense-perception, and a generality is a kind of whole, comprehending many things within it, like parts" (Physics 184a). Again we see the application of Aristotle's general metaph...

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... eventually falls, "it builds up the tragedy when the character of Oedipus, in preparation for the end (Greek Tragedy -, pg. 177)." Aristotle believed the characters within tragedies , especially the hero, should be consistent and believable, they should act appropriately for their gender and station in ... life, he also believed that each character, no matter who they were should be good in some way. Aristotle's theory involving characters seems to be exemplified perfectly within Oedipus Tyrannus. Due to the limited number of characters and the single setting, ... who starts out "cluel...

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... most recent poets are "lacking in characterization."" Plot and the structure of events are much more successful than stringing together stylized and thoughtful speeches. Thought should follow, which Aristotle calls "the capacity to produce pertinent and appropriate arguments, which is the task in prose speeches of the arts of politics and rhetoric."" He recommends speeches which the character ... that falls between the extremes that has shortcomings in any way is the character with the most dramatic drive. The characterizations play a vital role in the elements of a tragedy. Aristotle p...

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... he says that among the actions that a character performs there are many that may be irrelevant to one another, but yet they form a unified action. Aristotle continues depicting the plot categorizing it in two manners: simple and complex. In a simple plot, a change of fortune takes place without a reversal or ... knowledge leading either to friendship or hostility depending on whether the character is marked with good fortune or bad. There is a phrase used by Aristotle in Poetics, "from the machine," which is basically any implausible way of solving complications of the plot. "from the ma...

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... of a piece of art render it tragic or simple. Victorrio De Sica's film The Bicycle Thief possesses some of the qualities and aspects of Aristotle's theory, but certainly not all. Whether it can be considered a tragic film or not is based on the perspective of each audience member, ... for the antagonist to be a tragic hero, he must be good, have good qualities, be realistic, and be consistent (Aristotle 55). The main character, Alberto, does in fact fit these qualifications. Aristotle also states in chapter 13 that the plot must consist of a moment of peripeteia, a reversal of affairs, a...

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... ends are tied together in a sensible, believable manner. Hamlet is able to avenge his father's death by killing his uncle. Shakespeare also follows Aristotle's idea of the tragedy being of a certain magnitude. The characters are supposed to be the most perfect people whom the audience can still relate ... confused, paranoid, and angered about the circumstances surrounding his father's death. He is also unsure of himself and how he should handle the situation. Aristotle believes that in order for a tragedy to be effective, it must convey pity and fear. He defines pity as a felling that i...

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... and began courting the daughter of King Kreon of Corinth. The fading of Medea's moral values was directly related to her hamartia, the second characteristic of Aristotle's tragic hero. Hamartia is a flaw or weakness in the hero and Medea's was her immense anger and wrath towards everyone around her, including herself, ... the pain she caused Jason by doing this far outweighed her own devastation. Medea's slaying of her own children is part of the third characteristic of Aristotle's tragic hero. Her hubris, excessive pride, and desire for revenge led Medea to the loss of her children. Pr...

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... much more easily. The cathartic effect which is presented almost perfectly in Oedipus, is not as effective in Hamlet, as it does not follow all of Aristotle's criteria, although it still possess some reader identification. Hamlet is a story about a prince (Hamlet JR.) who is told by a Ghost (Hamlet ... Thus, Hamlet seeks to take revenge on his uncle however his procassination resulted in a catastrophic end. Hamlet does not cohere to all of Aristotle's criteria for stage two of catharsis, because there is no actual cathartic moment. Hamlet's falling of shields occur before his highest of...

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... century BC, and had several theories that characterised a tragic hero. The character of Macbeth created by William Shakespeare demonstrates many of the qualities that Aristotle believed a tragic hero should possess. In Macbeth we see a hero whose tragic flaw and the hand that fates plays bring about his downfall ... . Subsequent events tell the story of a hero, who because of his tragic flaw, brings about his downfall in his endeavour to become king. Aristotle considered the aim of a tragedy is to being about a catharsis within the audience. A catharsis can be defined as the release of e...

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... Creon displays the elements of a tragic hero throughout his development as a tyrant The first distinction between a tragic hero and a non-hero, according to Aristotle's definition, is a fatal flaw that leads to the character's demise. Creon possesses hubris, or excessive pride. Creon's hubris is first evident when he fails ... seeks for power but at the end pleads for his own death. A final aspect that distinguishes a tragic hero in Greek Dramas, according to Aristotle, is his ultimate realization that his demise is caused by his tragic flaw. Creon does not realize that his hubris cause...

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... be preformed by actors and not through narration and, if done correctly, produce a feeling of catharsis at its finale. A tragedy must contain six essential parts to be complete according to Aristotle; plot, character, dictation, thought, spectacle, and song. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare is a perfect example of an Aristotelian tragedy due to into numerous structural parallels to ... the key to open the door to his own demise. The witches however, do not make Macbeth's choices for him, they simple feed this ambition with prediction of greatness. In Aristotle's definition of tragedy it ...

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... position. It is quite clear that Shakespeare's intention was to show Othello's physical dominance over his peers. Unfortunately, his wit, in contrast, leaves much to be desired. This leads to Aristotle's next observation: the main character in every great tragedy has a fatal flaw that will inevitably lead to his/her downfall. As previously mentioned, Othello was too easily duped by the ... important choice "the decision to believe Iago over the trust of his wife. When he accepts the rumors of Cassio and Desdemona as truth, he fulfills another aspect of Aristotle's tragedy: he makes the ...

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... and we read about it in stories and plays. Tragedy comes in many different shapes and forms, but generally follows the basic format of Aristotle's Poetics of the 4th century B.C. Throughout time tragedy had elements that are essential, regardless of the time or place. A frequent term used ... suffering the protagonist undergoes is redemptive in bringing out the capacity for accepting moral responsibility. These are simply the guidelines of a tragedy that Aristotle set forth for this kind of drama and they primarily make up the theory of what a tragedy should be. Tragedy today, in the ......

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... invoke pity and fear upon the viewers. This was done by using four main techniques; hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and catharsis. The techniques described by Aristotle are clearly displayed throughout the Oedipus the King to evoke pity and fear upon the audience. As the play progresses, the hamartia, or error in ... unfortunate truths. After many events have taken place leading to the climax, all of the pieces of the puzzle come together for the protagonist. Aristotle made two terms defining this moment, peripeteia and anagnorisis. They mean recognition and reversal. They can go toge...

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