Aristotelian Tragedy Essay

A tragedy is typically explained as a type of drama that displays pain and suffering, and where the main character, the protagonist, experiences a life changing event that alters his fortune from good too bad. William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the Moor of Venice is classified as an Aristotelian classical tragedy based on the guidelines Aristotle sets when examining a tragedy. Othello is a general in the Venetian army, and the husband of Desdemona, and well respected by society. The play describes

emerge. My personal interpretation of the play draws from the concepts of the traditional Aristotelian views of a tragedy. An Aristotelian interpretation concerns itself with whether Othello can be considered a true tragedy. The two main principles which determine whether a text can be labelled as a true tragedy include the plot and the characters. The first principle within an Aristotelian tragedy includes the idea

According to Aristotle, there are certain rules which make a tragedy what it is. After discussing the rules of an Aristotelian tragedy, we will try to learn whether Shakespeare's Macbeth is classified as such. We will find that although Macbeth is considered a tragedy among many people, it does not meet the requirements of an Aristotelian tragedy. Aristotle's definition of a tragedy consists of several points. "A tragedy, then is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having

a tragic hero in the conventional Aristotelian definition of the term. Aristotle believed a tragedy served to exercise "the mature citizen's moral sensibilities" (Ferrari, 1999, p. 181). There are several different components of Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero, which essentially serve as a set of criteria to determine whether or not Othello truly is a tragic hero and, by extension, determine whether or not this play is a conventional Aristotelian tragedy. A thorough analysis of Aristotle's

In writing a tragedy, there are certain standards and guidelines to which an author or playwright must follow. One such standard is the Aristotelian definition of tragedy and the tragic hero. William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is a perfect mold of an Aristotelian Tragedy. It displays all eight aspects of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. It is set mainly in Scotland, but briefly in England during the eleventh century. It illuminates the ideal plot, in which the action of the story, or

his youngest son Biff is presented as a swinger/player while his eldest son Happy appears anti-business and confused by the behavior of his father. The two sons end up as failures because of following the ways of his father. This powerful American tragedy makes one think that the play will end as happily as it started, only to find that the ending is tragic, sad and unanticipated. This story revolves around a middle-class family in an American setting where the main character, Loman is presented as

Feminist, Postcolonial and Aristotelian. It is possible to suggest two readings which perhaps may link to audiences psychologically and ideologically more successfully - the Aristotelian and Feminist reading,

However, the most important Aristotelian influence Durrenmatt is arguably the chorus. The chorus is the melody and song element of Aristotelian tragedies. A chorus is a group of people who are homogenized and are non-individualized that comment and react as one to the action of the play in order to help the audience follow the play. The chorus also typically comments on the moral issue in the play, for example in "The Visit" comments on the moral issue of if justice can be bought as well as provide

Subsequently, Oedipus Rex reveals how the bane of a fated king catalyzes his fall from glory, providing the viewers with emotional release. According to Aristotle, this tragedy shows moral debates that can be relatable to all people, as well as symbolizing the values we hold to be true. The play clearly utilizes the Aristotelian theory, which is recognizable through Sophocles’ use of hamartia, a scene of suffering, and wisdom, highlighting the cathartic nature of the text. Oedipus’s tragic flaw being

Hamlet’s indecision to revenge his father’s death led him to his own grave. This also occurs in many Shakespeare tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet, for Shakespeare based most of his ideas of a tragedy off of Aristotle's point of view. In an Aristotelian tragedy the protagonist(s) are of high importance, with some flaws that lead them to their death or ruin. Just like in an Aristotelian tragedy, Romeo and Juliet experience danger, anguish, and death through their several tragic flaws. One flaw that