Aristotle's Idea of Tragedy and the Play "Fires in the Mirror"

Aristotle’s “The Poetics” describes the process of a tragedy. It is not the guide per se of writing a tragedy but is the idea’s Aristotle collected while studying tragedies. A tragedy, according to Aristotle, consists of six major points. The first and most important is the plot, which is what all the other points are based on. Such points are: character, language, thought, melody, and spectacle (Aristotle). A prime example of the usage of these parts in a tragic drama is evident in Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex”.

In the Poetics, Aristotle provides an outline of how the artist is to portray or represent the perfect Tragedy. A Tragedy, of course, was nothing more than a drama, in which the characters appeared "better" than in real life (in a comedy, they appeared "worse," according to Aristotle). Aristotle's Poetics makes several references to other dramatic works to illustrate his points, but he most commonly calls upon The Odyssey to support his argument for how a dramatic structure should be designed. However, along with the Odyssey, Aristotle extensively references Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Both poetic works were enormously popular in their time (the former had been passed down orally for generations, and the latter won the top prizes at the dramatic festivals). Therefore, Aristotle is comfortable using both to support his viewpoint concerning Tragedy and the Tragic Hero. This paper will analyze the standards that Aristotle sets out concerning the definition of the Tragic Hero and show how Sophocles' Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle's definition of a Tragic Hero.

Oedipus is one of the most famous tragic heroes in drama history. His bizarre fate leads him to a tragic defeat that leaves the audience and reader feeling emotionally overwhelmed. According to Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus’ story makes him as a tragic hero. Oedipus is the personification of Aristotle’s characterization of a tragic hero through his ability to maintain and keep his virtue and wisdom, despite his shortcomings and situation in life. Aristotle’s observation of a tragic hero does not reveal the lack of morality or the evil of the character, based on an error in judgment. The tragedy and drama fit the Aristotelian characteristics of Oedipus.

Aristotle, who was one of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece, analysed the different elements of tragedies and the ideal form for tragic plays. He also came up with the definition, which stated that a tragic play would need to have six elements to be successful. Aristotle felt that the plot and characters are the most important elements in a tragic play. However, thought, diction, spectacle and melody must also be done well to make a successful play. Match Point is an example of a modern tragic film that follows Aristotle's elements. The plot had peripety, which is the change from one state to another at the beginning to the exact opposite at the end, and unity of plot. The characters were believable and consistent and the melody blended in with the film. These elements will be

The importance of the Greek culture and its inheritance to our civilization is seen in Aristotle’s "Poetics". “Poetics” is considered to be similar to the notes that Aristotle used for lecturing his students. He divides poetry in three main styles: tragedy, epic and comedy- primarily concentrating on tragedy and epic poetry. Even though Aristotle had defined structure and principles of the plays, and poetry using observations done at the Greek theatre thousands of years ago, it is still used by the present writers. Greek tragedy is defined as, a drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.

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 follows Plato on several points; he agrees art is a kind of techne, that there is a measure appropriate to the creation of techne, and that the most important human arts are “imitative of human souls, bodies, and actions.” (79) This, however, is where their likeness ends. While Plato condemns the tragic drama and finds it detrimental to his ideal society, Aristotle believes that it can be an instrument of learning and an outlet for the emotions felt by all men. Aristotle finds the tragic dramas true purpose or nature as “the natural later development of a human religious activity.” (80) In the Poetics, Aristotle defends the tragic drama completely and proves that it is useful. He

Aristotle's Poetics: Comedy and Epic and Tragedy comments on the reflection of reality by it's very imitation. As with comedy being an imitation of the inferior and ugly, the role of the epic and tragedy follow the roles of characters of great importance. The idea being that only those of importance are even noticeable in the eyes of the gods, since mankind is relatively insignificant and are nothing more than an amusement to the gods.

Tragedy as an element of the human experience has been the subject of many of the great works of literature written in the Western tradition. For some, tragedy embodies the highest form of humanity. It is through suffering that we are able to reveal ourselves most completely. Others see tragedy as an element of morality where we are to learn well the lessons of those who tempt the gods. The Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, outlined a theory of tragedy as archetypal drama in his classic work, the Poetics. He uses the play by Sophocles, Oedipus the King (hereafter "Oedipus"), as the standard model by which all other tragedies are measured. In Aristotle's view, a perfect

I was first introduced to Greek tragedy through this course. Of course, I read a few things here and there in high school, and there are some popular movies out currently, but my first real indulgence in this literature came from taking this class. One of the very first things I noticed about Greek tragedy was the blatant inequality of the genders. Across almost all of the writing, there is a discrepancy between the expectations of the woman and the man and, in most of the texts, its ignored and really just put out there for you to accept. Women had a very unique and understated role in Greek civilization. Sometimes it is very subtle, and sometimes it is very blunt how the role of the woman is portrayed and what it actually means to the

The playwright, Sam Shepard, wrote as an insight to how secrets, allusions, and delusions can create chaos. The delusion of stability and comfort is broken down in the play until it no longer exists, then it is replaced with a false sense of fulfillment. I believe this play does follows Aristotle’s mandate for tragedy. Here we have Henry Hackamore, a man who once had everything in life, in a child state of mind going insane. Henry has fallen so far from who he use to be, but he tries to reclaim himself with the presence of Luna and Miami. It doesn’t work though. He comes to a tragic end of complete insanity, but I am not

            Aristotle approaches reality from a completely different premise. While his ideas do stand in sharp contrast to Plato's, they are not simply a refutation of his former mentor's views. To Aristotle, the world exists in an infinitely diverse series of parts.  These various parts are open to human observation and scrutiny. Rather than an eternally regressing truth beyond the scope of human apprehension, knowledge of truth and good are rooted firmly in the observable universe; truth, or at least gestures toward it, lies in existence rather than essence. Aristotle encourages embracing the particular in order to possibly gain a sense of the universal. There is, however, no universal system of inquiry to investigate each part of the whole. Different parts require different methods of discourse. In The Poetics, Aristotle attempts to articulate a method of inquiry, not a rigid system or standard of evaluation, applicable to tragedy. Tragedy attempts to imitate the complex world of human actions, and yet tragedy is itself still part of a larger, more complicated world of human existence. Tragedy is a

In his Theory of Tragedy in the Poetics, Aristotle explains the characteristics necessary to create a good tragedy. He defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.” In other words, a tragedy must be focused and realistic. It must also evoke a “sense of fear and pity within the audience”, through its six parts, and end with a katharsis or cleansing of these emotions. The six parts of, a tragedy determines the quality and the most important parts include: plot and character. Aristotle also outlined the characteristics necessary in order to create an ideal tragic hero. Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, is an example of a perfect tragedy and Oedipus is a perfect example of a tragic hero.

Aristotle defines what a tragedy is in his famed piece Poetics. In it, he sets guidelines that all tragedies should meet in order to become the fantastic displays of misery that they are meant to be. Six main elements are present in every tragedy: plot, character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. The two most important, of course, were plot and character. Both had to be complex but believable, consistent, and possess the ability to arouse pity and fear in the audience. Although both are the top elements that are the focus of tragedy, the other four are imperative to achieve the tone and overall character of one.

Aristotle defines a tragedy as a ‘representation of an action which is important, complete and limited in length. It is enacted not recited and by arousing pity and fear, it gives an outlet to emotions of this type.’