Aristotelian Tragedy Essay

Aristotelian Tragedy: Macbeth Aristotle is known widely for developing his ideas on tragedy. He recorded these ideas in his Poetics in which he comments on the plot, purpose, and effect that a true tragedy must have. The structure of these tragedies has been an example for many writers including Shakespeare himself. Many of Shakespeare’s plays follow Aristotelian ideas of tragedy, for instance Macbeth does a decent job in shadowing Aristotle’s model. Aristotle describes one of the most important

Othello, an Aristotelian Tragedy and Tragic Hero When reading a story, specifically a tragedy, what stands out? Tragedy often enables its audience to reflect on personal values that might be in conflict with civil ideas, on the claims of minorities that it neglected or excluded from public life, on its on irrational prejudices toward the foreign of the unknown (Kennedy & Gioia, 2103, p. 857). Readers feel sympathy for the characters, especially the tragic hero. Othello, the Moor of Venice is

Aristotle’s Poetics argues that a successful tragedy is determined by its “plot, character, diction, reasoning, spectacle and lyric poetry”(50a8). According to Aristotle, plot is essential to a great tragedy: the most effective tragic device is conveyed through the work’s plot. Yet, having a protagonist of “not outstanding moral excellence or justice” undergoing bad fortune due to own error instead of “moral defect or depravity” would distinguish a good tragedy from a poor one. Additionally, Aristotle

Tragedies across Time In our modern language, the word “tragedy” has become a word that describes mundane incidents that are negative. At the most, a tragedy is used describe horrific event that involves severe misfortune; however, when comes to the theatre term, the definition of tragedy is much more specific then the modern use of the word. In essence, a tragedy depending on the time and place was used to tell the tale of tragic hero and the flaw that contributed his eventual downfall. Unfortunately

Aristotle describes tragedy as “beginning of a staid deed, that is total and of high degree. Tragedy he defines: Is a sign of action that is serious, full and of a firm magnitude? In language decorated with each sort being artistic adornments, the some types being create in divide ingredients of the play. Not narrative form, but the form of action, with incidents arousing pity and fear affecting the purgation of these emotions. Tragedy with Aristotle is consist of always with personality of “high

Shakespeare's play, “Othello, the Moor of Venice,” is a powerful example of a tragedy and it’s main character, Othello, is an excellent illustration of what Aristotle constitutes as a tragic hero. The play imitates life through basic human emotions such as jealousy and rage. In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. Othello also matches Aristotle's ideas of tragic hero because our Othello realizes the error of his ways, causing

The Perfect Aristotelian Tragedy: Oedipus the King by Sophocles Works Cited Not Included Oedipus the King is an excellent example of Aristotle's theory of tragedy. The play has the perfect Aristotelian tragic plot consisting of paripeteia, anagnorisis and catastrophe; it has the perfect tragic character that suffers from happiness to misery due to hamartia (tragic flaw) and the play evokes pity and fear that produces the tragic effect, catharsis (a purging of emotion). Oedipus the King has

Aristotle’s Poetics is often considered the blueprint to a successful tragedy; his outline has been used for hundreds of years. Aristotle defines a tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude… in the form of an action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions” (House 82). Aristotle believed that the most important part of a strong tragedy was the plot, and from that, the other elements such as character,

‘good or fine’ character of every great tragic hero is ‘hamartia’, the fatal flaw. The tragic hero’s fatal flaws inevitably lead to negative consequences in his life. The character of Romeo, the tragic hero[1] of William Shakespeare’s cautionary tragedy Romeo and Juliet, contains three key fatal flaws that condemn him and others to death. Through employing the dramatic techniques of meaningful dialogue, soliloquy, narrative structure, and characterisation, Shakespeare privileges that Romeo’s flaws

written tragedy; his methods have been used for centuries. Aristotle defines a tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude… in the form of an action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions” (House, 82). The philosopher believes the plot to be the most vital aspect of a tragedy, thus all other parts such as character, diction, and thought stem from the plot. Aristotle affirms, “the principle of tragedy – the