“Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy”

“Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy” 

S. B. Gardi DEPAERTMENT OF ENGLISH

M.K.BHAVNAGAR UNIVARSITY

Written by: Gohil Devikaba J

Roll no.: 06

Course Name: Literary Theory & Criticism: Western-1

About Aristotle’s life:

Aristotle was a great philosopher and scientist of Greek. He was born in the Macedonian city of Stagirus in 384 BCE. His father Nicomachus died when he was just a child. Then Proxenus of Atameus became his guardian. At the age of eighteen he joined Plato’s Academy and stay there until he became thirty-seven years old. He wrote on so many things. All most include all the things in his writing like theater, poetry and on science. Plato was his master. He also established a library in the Lyceum. Because he was the student of Plato, his thoughts were influenced by Plato. So he wanted to establish the views of Plato as Platonism.  

About plato:

Plato was the master of Aristotle and also great philosopher like Aristotle. The 4^th century BC to which he belonged was an age of inquiry and as such Plato’s chief interest was Philosophical investigations which form the subject of his great works in form of Dialogues. He was first systemic critic who inquired into the nature of imaginative literature and put forward theories which are both illuminating and provocative.

·       Literature provoke false image of God and Goddesses.

·       Poetry (literature) is an imitation of imitation twice removed from reality.

·       It can spoil the mind of children.

·       He was the lover of truth. And try to find out ‘WHAT IS TRUTH?’

Aristotle’s argument

In reply to Plato, Aristotle agrees with Plato that the poet is an imitator and especially creative art imitator. He imitates what was past or present or what is commonly believed and what is ideal.

aristotle’s define of this objection (definition of tragedy):

“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in the 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-catharsis of these and similar emotions.”  

Each word of the definition has their separate meaning. He then says that every artist is imitating from the life so they can’t imitate one’s whole life so they have to choose a particular part for their creativity. If the artist wants to represent a particular part of life then the artist must have an aim for that.

In the definition the word action has include all human activities like deeds, thoughts and feelings. He says that if the writer wants to imitate something in tragedy then he must take the serious side of life.

 In the definition the word complete refers to a proper beginning, middle and end. Before the play start if it is need to give some information about the play then it must be. If it will not happen then the beginning will be improper then the readers or audience will be unsatisfied with the drama. Then he says that the story must progress towards beginning to middle. And when the story moves towards end the story must concentrate on one’s life. After completing the action it must not continue. He said that every character and dialogue have its important in the play. If some dialogue or character is not needed then it must remove from the play.

He also talks about the duration of the play. He gives an official time of the play that it must be about three hours because if the play will be more than three hours then the audience will be tiered and if the play will be less than three hours then it will not create a perfect impression on the mind audience.

The language is also one of the important things of the drama because a drama is known by its language. In the drama there must be dialogues and discourse. Because he gives the definition of tragedy so he says that in a tragic drama the language must be tragic one. The language of the play must write with various artistic ornaments like rhythm, harmony and song. The language which we use in our daily routine life is not allowed because tragedy reflects one’s life’s serious part. So, the language must beautify with highly diction (choice of words). If it is needed then songs, poetry, poetic, dialogue and simple conversation etc. can be used in various part of the play.

The drama must perform on the stage. And because it is an imitation so there should be action, not the narration as we find in Epic poems. It means there should be a dramatic representation not a mere story-telling. Here he clarifies that which type of aim should be in a tragic drama. He says that the aim must be Nobel one. Like after watching the play the heart of the audience must fill with purification. By watching the play they must feel pity and fear. This process purifies the heart of the audience. And this whole process is known as “Catharsis”. This process is also known as the function of Tragedy. This function is the main function of the tragedy.

Aristotle provides a definition of tragedy that we can break into seven parts:

1.     It involves mimesis;

2.     It is serious;

3.     The action is complete and with magnitude;

4.     It is made up of language with the “aesthetic ornaments” of rhythm and harmony;

5.     These “aesthetic ornaments” are not used uniformly throughout, but are introduced in separate parts of the work, so that, for instance, some bites are spoken in verse and other bits are sung;

6.     It is performed rather than narrated; and

7.     It arouses the emotions of pity and fear and accomplishes a catharsis (purification or purgation or tempering/moderation or satisfaction) of these emotions.

Next, Aristotle asserts that any tragedy can be divided into six component parts, and that every tragedy is made up of these six parts with nothing else beside. There is

a)    The spectacle (opsis), which is the overall visual appearance of the stage and the actors. The means of imitation (language, rhythm, harmony) can be divided into

b)    Melody/songs (melos), and

c)     Diction (lexis) which has to do with the composition of the verses/versification of dialogues. The agents (medium) of the action can be understood in terms of

d)    Character (ethos) and

e)     Thought. Thought (dianoia) seems to denote the intellectual qualities of an agent while character seems to denote moral qualities (ethics) of an agent. Finally, there is

f)       The plot (fable), or mythos, which is the harmonious combination/arrangements of incidents and actions in the story.

Among these six, Aristotle argues that the plot is the most important. He compares “Plot with the soul of Tragedy.” He defines plot as ‘the harmonious arrangement of the incidents.’  Then he talks about more important things to least. As he already said that plot is the most important. Because he thinks that characters are require doing action and without plot they can’t act.

Then Aristotle talks about characters. Characters are those who perform on the stage. So, we can call them men in action.

Then he narrow down on thoughts which deals on a truth.

Then he talks about melody/songs which sounds pleasant.

Then at last he talks about spectacle. He said that spectacle must not be important for a poet. He gives more importance to songs or melody rather than spectacle.

Now, let’s see in detail that why Plot is more important according to Aristotle. He said that Plot is the first principle, the most important feature of tragedy. Because according to him not the story of the play but the way incidents are presented in the play that is important. He said that there must be cause and effect action through which the play moves. He said that divine element is not allowed in the play. And the protagonist must be the powerful person. The plot must be ‘whole’, with beginning, middle and end. The end must be conclusion whatever done by the characters in the earlier play. The plot must be ‘complete’ having ‘unity of action.’ By this he said that the structure of the play must be self-contained with the incidents bound together. Means, the events must be connected with each-other. In short, the plot must not be so long at length that audience can’t understand and also it must not be so complex one that can’t understand by the common people and complexity must work under the cause and effect chain. Unconsciously he gave the three unities, unity of time, unity of place and unity of action.

conclusion:

It is already said that he was a good reader so, when he gives the definition of tragedy in is mind he have the play ‘Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles. His whole definition we can apply to this play. When he says complete means when the play begins the day must be last day of the character’s life. Then at the end of the play come at a solution. We can find this type of solution in ‘Oedipus Rex’. His intensions were Nobel but it comes out as his sin so here we apply reversal of intention as early he talked about it. We can also find another play suitable to this tragedy is ‘Doctor Faustus’ by Christopher Marlowe.

It is true that with changing of we can’t apply this definition with every tragedy. But whatever he said from that I can that he was taking art as for the art seek. Aristotle tried to find out aesthetic delight from the art.