... combined with reversal, produces either pity or fear (or in some cases, both); and actions which produce these effects are those by which, by Aristotle's definition, tragedy represents. Recognition, then, if it is between persons, may be that only one person recognizes a truth concerning the hero's identity, ... should be constructed so that the events are so terrifying that one needs not see the play to feel the anguish of the events (Aristotle 27). Aristotle also discusses another major feature of a good tragedy: the tragic hero. He implies that when creating a tragic hero, he or she ...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 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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• Grade Level: High School

... fame is challenged in Millers famous essay, Tragedy and the Common Man, and then proven wrong in Millers controversial play The Crucible. Tragedy, as stated by Aristotle is an imitation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and misery, that is serious, complete and encompasses language which is pleasant at ... to court and lie. Because of this Procter is sentenced to death and is later hanged for this offence. Another aspect in which Miller agreed with Aristotle on was the ending of a play. The Crucible ended with the death of Procter and the other innocent people whom were s...

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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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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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• Grade Level: High School

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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• Grade Level: High School

Oedipus fits Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero in three ways. One way that he fits the definition is the fact that misfortune was not caused by a character flaw but by a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that ... ignored it and stayed ruler of Thebes. It took a lot of strength for Oedipus to own up to everything that happened. Another relatively small reason that Oedipus lines up with Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero is that he had to answer the riddle to free Thebes and to even be able to enter. The completion of this task is what made ... him king, what made him admirable....

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• Grade Level: High School

... 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...

• Word Count: 280
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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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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of literature that reaches deep into the reader and compels them(3) to feel a certain emotion that that author is trying to transmit in their work. Aristotle states that "Tragedy(4) is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, in the form of action, not ... signifies Lear's error of judgment or his hamartia. Lear has the chance to amend his actions; however, by(22) being a tragic hero, according to Aristotle, Lear cannot apologize to Cordelia, thus performing his hamartia, or his ultimate mistake. With Lear's stubbornness, he does not to see the mis...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Greek tragedians whose plays have managed to survive until today. His drama, Oedipus the King – also known as Oedipus Rex, fits all Aristotle's requirements for a classic tragedy. The self-centered and short-tempered Oedipus is led to a doomed end by fate because of his selfish ... and egocentric attitudes. In Sophocles's play, the tragic hero is led to a dead end because of his own character and personality. Aristotle believes Sophocles has written the perfect plot, and all other elements of his play fulfill the Greek philosopher's definition of a tragedy. It is ... important of [the...

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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...

• Word Count: 1309
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... 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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... him to see that he was losing his family. In Antigone, the king, Creon can be considered a tragic hero because he meets all the characteristics of a tragic hero that Aristotle defined. In Aristotle's book, "The Poetics," a tragic figure possess five characteristics. The first of the five is the tragic flaw. The hero's tragic flaw is "a moral weakness in character" eventually ... leading to the "disaster" (Brown). The tragic flaw leads the character towards the wrong decisions. Aristotle's definition says that the character is "always larger than life" and that it is their decisions that...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... 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...

• Word Count: 534
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 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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• Grade Level: High School

... 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 ...

• Word Count: 1098
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• Grade Level: High School

... 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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... a tragedy, but in actuality fails to fit the majority of the points necessary to be a tragedy. In examining the "tragic hero", Macbeth, Aristotle states that the character must be suitable to the situation, believable by the audience and consistent in his behavior. Macbeth fails to meet this requirement of ... examining Macbeth as a "tragic hero", you must determine whether the hero is a man who is predominately good, but has faults. According to Aristotle, this means that the character cannot be completely good because then his downfall would be unfair and cannot be completely evil beca...

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... flaw that eventually leads to the characters demise, and inspires pity amongst the audience. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, Oedipus fits into all of Aristotle's criteria for being a hero. He has compassion and he wants to save the people of Thebes. However, contrary to the side of him that shows ... kindness of him he also has a very stubborn side to him which eventually causes his decline. Aristotle's tragic hero must exhibit a compassionate side and Oedipus definitely does. Oedipus reveals this characteristic when he promises to the people to again save them from ... his pa...

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... told that his prize was taken brought out a monstrous rage in him, a rage that contemplated killing Agamemnon because it made Achilles seem helpless. His arrogant temper, his tragic flaw, per Aristotle's Poetics, can classify him as a tragic hero. Another factor of a tragic heroism that is present in Achilles is his noble stature. His mother, the sea goddess Thetis, has gone to ... in battle against Hector, leader of the Trojans. Achilles temper and highborn status qualify him as an Aristotelian tragic hero. The titular character from Sophocles's Oedipus Rex, also corresponds with Arist...

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• Grade Level: High School

... theories, critics, and reviews are to support and give clear picture of the work. This data also contributes information about the ancient myth about hamartia and its posessor's criterion from Aristotle. Abrams' A Glossary of Literary Terms and Ratna's Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra are used in this research for the definitions about objective approach. Holman's A Handbook of ... Literature used for brief explanation about plot from Holman's perspective. A Handbook of Literature also provides the criterion of a posessor of a hamartia according to Aristotle. Aside data colle...

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