Aristotle’s Poetics

Aristotle’s Poetics By: Laura Franey, Ben Hampson, Austin Van Wingerden, Mike Cerniglia, Kellie Quinn & Brittany Lane

What is a Tragedy? • Aristotle believes that all tragedies should have six different elements. • Tragedy shows people rather than just telling them. • When talking philosophically, tragedy is greater than history. • Because tragedy has a very realistic cause and effect chain, people can experience pity or fear believing that the situation will apply to them.

Plot • Plot is the arrangement of incidents presented to the audience. • Good Tragedies have the outcome depend on a cause-and-effect chain. • Has a beginning, middle, and end. • The beginning has an incentive movement. • It also contains the middle, or climax. • The end, or resolution, solves the problem created in the incentive movement.

Plot (Continued) • The chain occurring between the incentive movement and climax is called the complication. • The Denouement is from the climax to the resolution. • Should have unity. • Must also have a certain magnitude. • Plots could be both simple or complex, but most of the time it’s complex. • Complex plots contain peripeteia and anagnorisis, then lastly comes the catastrophe.

I wonder…… Thought • This is the third most important thing in a play. • When something is proved to be or not to be. • Aristotle doesn’t use thought very much throughout his career. • It also includes theme in a play.

Diction • This is the fourth most important step in a play. • This is the expression of the meaning in words. • It tells what words are proper and appropriate to the plot, character, and end of the tragedy. • Aristotle uses this when he discusses the stylistic elements of tragedy.

Song • Also known as Melody • This is the fifth most important step. • It is the musical element of a play. • This is becoming less important now. • Aristotle argues that the chorus should be more involved in plays than they are. • It should also contribute to the unity of a play says Aristotle.

Spectacle • It is the least connected to literature. • The spectacular effects depends more on that of the writer. • Aristotle realizes the emotional attraction of spectacle, but he thinks that great poetry focuses on the inner structure of the play.

Katharsis • This is at the end of the tragedy. • It is known as the cleansing of the tragic emotions. • These emotions are usually pity and fear. • This is also the shortest part.

Characters • Second most important part of the play after the plot. • They help the audience feel the pain or any emotion the character is supposed to feel. • If the character has hamartia, they cannot get away from it.

Characters (Continued) All characters must have certain qualities: • All characters have a place in social structure. • The roles of men and women are very stereotyped. • They must be realistic. • Characters need to stay as their character. • Characters must make sense to the play and have a reason for being in the play. • Need to be more beautiful than real people.

Tragic Heroes • The hero is punished more than he/she should be. • While the hero loses many things, he/she also gain knowledge through his/her experience. • Tragedies are very sad, but they are not depressing. Greek drama is not “entertaining.” It was used for the good health of the people.

Tragic Heroes (Continued) • A tragic hero is a character who is noble and great. • Although the tragic hero is great and has higher statues, they’re not perfect. • There is a downfall, partially his/her own fault, not of an accident.

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Aristotle’s Poetics