Aristotle’s concept of ‘Tragedy’

 (e-Content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar)

Aristotle’s concept of ‘Tragedy’

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)  wrote the Poetics nearly a century after the greatest Greek tragedians had already died. The Poetics contains much valuable information about the origins, methods, and purposes of tragedy. In addition, Aristotle's work had an overwhelming influence on the development of drama long after it was compiled. The ideas and principles of the Poetics are reflected in the drama of the Roman Empire and dominated the composition of tragedy in western Europe during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

In the Poetics, Aristotle compares tragedy to comedy and epic. He mentions that tragedy, like all poetry, is a kind of imitation (mimesis). However, according to him tragedy has a serious purpose and uses direct action rather than narrative to achieve its ends.

Aristotle defines tragedy in Book VI of Poetics as "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions".

This definition makes clear much of Aristotle's arguments throughout the Poetics:

• A tragedy is the representation of human action.

• The actions represented in tragedy have serious consequences.
• The characters in tragedy are of higher social status.

• The plot of tragedy is a complete, coherent and whole.
• The language in tragedy is a mixture of different poetic meters.

• The mode of imitation in a tragedy is drama as opposed to narrative;

• Tragedy arouses pity and fear in the viewer and brings about ‘catharsis’.

According to Aristotle, the aim of tragedy is to bring about a "catharsis" of the spectators. Catharsis arouses in spectators the feelings of pity and fear. Due to catharsis the spectators leave the theatre feeling cleansed and uplifted, with a heightened understanding of the ways of gods and men.

According to Aristotle, tragedy has six main elements: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle , and song, of which the first two are primary. Most of the Poetics is devoted to analysis of these elements, with examples selected from many tragic dramas, especially those of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides.

About plot, Aristotle says that it must be a complete whole. Plot must have a definite beginning, middle, and end. The length of plot should be such that the spectators can understand the whole without any difficulty.

Since the aim of a tragedy is to arouse pity and fear through the downfall of the hero, he must be a figure with whom the audience can identify and whose fate can trigger these emotions. In addition, the hero should not offend the moral sensibilities of the spectators. The hero must be true to life.

The remainder of the Poetics is given over to examination of the other elements of tragedy and to discussion of various techniques, and devices.

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