Aristotelian Tragedy Essay

period, Shakespeare’s “Othello” takes place on a small Island called Cyprus. “Shakespeare’s plays are often noted for their excellent portrayals of tragic heroes. Tragedy is a very difficult concept to define. Shakespeare’s tragedy depicts the operation of tragic flaw in hero’s character.” (Devi, 2014). Aristotle clearly defines a tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is complete, and whole, and of a certain magnitude, which excite pity and fear.” He claims that pity evokes “unmerited misfortune

play controlled by men. In such a male dominated society, Shakespeare presents the women in the play as tragic victims at the hands of their husbands, in particular Desdemona and Emilia. Throughout this essay I will relate to the Aristotelian and Senecan descriptions of tragedy to come to a conclusion of how in ‘Othello’ Shakespeare presents women as tragic victims of men. Firstly, throughout ‘Othello’ Shakespeare presents men as the dominant characters of the play, whereas the women are portrayed

overview of Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice, and drama. This chapter also contains critical information on Shakespeare and the play Othello, the Moor of Venice. Also, see pp. 855–858 and pp. 1022–1025, which address Aristotle’s concept of tragedy and the tragic hero. You may use any of the critical material as a secondary source, but remember to cite it correctly. 3. Use evidence from Sophocles’ Oedipus, from Shakespeare’s Othello, Moor of Venice, and from secondary sources to explain

literature describing and defining a tragedy and a tragic hero. He defines a tragedy as a dramatic piece of work that evokes the feelings of pity and fear within humans. Aristotle also states the tragic hero traits such as hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorsis, and catharsis, which all lead to the downfall of the character at the end of the story. In the 1500s, William Shakespeare wrote a plethora of different plays, both comedy and tragedy, for society. With his tragedies, he conveys the tragic hero of his

make plays and wide spread philosophies, but we’ll focus on the plays. However the type of play that was the most popular was a tragedy. A tragedy is where the main protagonist has fatal flaw that will lead to his/her demise. This was very popular in Greek culture in stories such as Achilles, Hercules, and others. A deciding factor of whether or not the play is a tragedy depends on the protagonist. Before, the definition of a tragic hero is a mighty warrior, born of noble descent, embarking in an

those persons who are marked for good fortune or bad.” Gerald F. Else of the University of Michigan expounds on this idea of peripeteia by saying, “This is the best way to spark and maintain attention throughout the various form and genres of drama, tragedy imitates good actions and, thereby, measures and depicts the well-being of its protagonist. But in his formal definition, as well as throughout the Poetics, Aristotle emphasizes that” Captain America, Civil War clearly utilizes the elements of reversal

Comedy and Tragedy | |       Comedy     According to Aristotle (who speculates on the matter in his Poetics), ancient comedy originated with the komos, a curious and improbable spectacle in which a company of festive males apparently sang, danced, and cavorted rollickingly around the image of a large phallus.  (If this theory is true, by the way, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "stand-up routine.")     Accurate or not, the linking of the origins of comedy to some sort of phallic

While Othello, the Moor of Venice is a heart wrenching tragedy, it is not quite an Aristotelian Tragedy as defined by Aristotle due to the fact the character Othello lacks a few of the elements to be considered a “tragic hero”. (Still working on hook, sentence structure and better thesis) Aristotle's Philosophy Aristotelian is referring to the Greek philosopher Aristotle or his philosophy (Webster Online Dictionary). According to Dunn (2006), Aristotle was born in 384 B.C.E. in Stagira. After

What is a hero? In traditional play write the hero is someone with pure qualities sent by either an unforeseen force, destiny, or a quest to save someone or a country. The word “hero” can be a loose term today, but the result is the same. The hero completes his mission, brings happiness to all, and continues living. In some tales, the hero does not make it, but still becomes a beacon of hope or falls valiantly causing an up roar by society to take matters into their own hands. The result? Happiness

What makes a tragedy a tragedy? According to Aristotle, specific criteria exist to define a well-written tragedy, and The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a quality example. In Poetics, Aristotle explains the standards to evaluate works of various authors and describes tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is complete, and whole, and of a certain magnitude” (VII). Tragedies must include a protagonist, referred to as the tragic hero, that encounters a complication and experiences a series of recognitions