Aristotle & The Elements of Tragedy

Aristotle & the Elements of Tragedy

Key Terms:

• Anagnorisis: revelation or recognition in tragedy
• Antistrophe: second part of a choral ode
• Catharsis: emotional purification experienced by the audience
• Hamartia: tragic flaw leading to the hero's downfall
• Hubris: excessive pride
• Peripeteia: reversal of fortune
• Tragic Hero: a noble character who experiences a downfall

Definition of Tragedy:

• Depicts downfall of noble heroes through hubris, fate, and divine will.
• The hero's journey encounters limits due to flaws, societal constraints, fate, or natural laws.
• The hero experiences peripeteia and may achieve anagnorisis.

Key Definitions from Aristotle's "Poetics":

• Imitation (Mimesis): Art represents reality, not merely copies appearances.
• Serious Implications: Should evoke pity and fear for catharsis.
• Complete and Magnitude: A tragedy is a coherent narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Diction: Language must be engaging, tailored to the play's parts.
• Enactment: Tragedy relies on performance, not just narrative.
• Purification (Catharsis): A tragedy arouses emotions then purges them, leading to emotional balance.

The Tragic Hero:

• Not completely virtuous or wicked; faces misfortune not from full badness but mistakes or flaws.
• Often from noble families, good in essence yet flawed.

Elements of Plot:

• Aristotle identifies six elements: plot, characters, verbal expression, thought, visual adornment, and song-composition, with plot being the most crucial.
• Complex vs. Simple Plots: Best plots are complex with reversals and recognitions.
• Peripeteia (Reversal): A significant change in fortune; e.g., Oedipus's revelation.
• Anagnorisis (Recognition): Transition from ignorance to knowledge of relationships; important for dramatic effect.
• Pathos (Suffering): Represents destructive events leading to empathy from the audience.