Aristotle’s definition and elements of tragedy has been modified and evolved through the works of Sophocles, William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller. These playwrights use Aristotle’s formula for tragedy as a base component of their versions of tragedy. The theory of evolution is brought in as a way to explain the survival of tragedy through time. Elements of tragedy can be viewed through several plays written by Sophocles, William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller, namely, Oedipus the King, Othello and Death Of a Salesman These plays can be viewed as the blueprints of tragedy, marking a way for improvement.
This research paper consists of origins of Tragedy. To understand the origins, this paper unlocks and unpacks Aristotle’s definition and characteristics
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Thespis is said to be the inventor of the term Tragedy. He introduced the ‘first actor’ as a dialogue partner for the chorus. The ‘second actor’ was introduced by Aeschylus. Sophocles created the ‘third actor’; this actor was given several roles to portray. Tragedies were performed as a competition; this competition was held during the festival for the God of theatre, wine and fertility (Dionysus). These festivals were held annually every March in the city of Athens. The festival consisted of three playwrights that presented three tragedies; this was in the form of a trilogy. Each tragedy was followed by a satyr. The satyr was used as a comic relief to the seriousness portrayed in the tragedies. Classical Greek tragedy is viewed as method that allows humans to “understand their limitations” (Steiner, 1980). Tragedy can be said to be “a dimension of a divine paradigm” (1980).
Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece. His interest in tragedy led him to analysis the formula for a tragedy. This analysis allowed him to create a set of guidelines that are still used today. The foundation of tragedy can be understood through Aristotle’s definition. One must understand that drama was not invented by Aristotle as he used other famous playwrights such as Sophocles to portray his main ideas of tragedy. Tragedy was viewed as the highest form of drama in the Greek era therefore; Aristotle based the idea of tragedy upon this belief. It is believed that Aristotle came very close to defining what makes a tragedy in his passage on Catharsis. Aristotle defines Tragedy
Throughout history, there have been numerous heroes who have been celebrated and decorated because of their accomplishments. On the other hand, there are also numerous heroes who would have been decorated, but experience a downfall that tarnishes their status. This concept, the tragic hero, is a theory first pondered by Aristotle. In order to fully understand the tragic hero, it is important to first define it. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is a character of noble stature, aligned with greatness but also flawed, experiences a downfall as a result of free choice, and does not wholly deserve their misfortune.
It is ironic how the Puritans were called to lived a life exactly as the bible says, yet many of them sinned and lived quite oppositely. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, touches on the misery during the Salem Witch Trials, and also how the Puritan community fell apart. The dark themes are common in most tragedies. Many of the main characters committed sins such as lust and greed, but the most detrimental sin committed was pride. Pride is prevalent in the actions of the tragic hero, John Proctor.
As such the emotions linked with tragedy in relation to the human condition are all universal leading to tragedy and the emotions associated becoming a common part of everyday life. Such as the sense of less felt upon the death of a decent human being or the fear that the events that happen hit too close to home causing realisation of their own suffering. As such tragedy is indeed a timeless genre whereupon the pathos and emotions which are invoked upon the audience can be directly linked back to the main character and their
During Sophocles’ time, plays pertaining to two genres- comedies and tragedies- were very popular. The story of the tragic hero was very popular where a man or woman would have idealistic and defining qualities coupled with a weakness or hamartia. The hero would recognize this weakness, as he or she would try to overcome or work around it. However, the hero would fail in this endeavor and would meet with a tragic end, which would be cathartic for the audience.1 Creon is an example of a tragic hero.
In A Lesson Before Dying, we see Jefferson’s rise from hog to hero, but in what sense is he a hero? Aristotle’s notion of a tragic hero includes many different aspects and qualifications. Jefferson certainly seems to embody many of the characteristics that we often associate with a classic hero, but this analysis will specifically dive into five of the characteristics described by Aristotle in determining a tragic hero. Though Jefferson does not neatly fit into every one of Aristotle’s categories, it is clear by his actions in A Lesson Before Dying that he is in fact a tragic hero. One of the characteristics of a tragic hero, as described by Aristotle, is that the hero should pass from fortune to misfortune due to some mistake or flaw.
According to A.C. Bradley, Shakespearean tragedy have the following elements “although a tragedy may have many characters, it is pre-eminently the story of one person or at most two. The story leads up to and included the death of the hero. The story depicts also the troubled part of the hero’s life which precede’s and leads up to his death. The hero is a conspicuous person, a person of high degree. The suffering and calamity are exceptional, of a striking kind.
In the Western world of literature, Aristotle is ingrained within the consciousness of the literally tradition. In fact, the philosophy based on Aristotle’s writings is known as Aristotelianism. An example of such influence comes from the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe who stated “Live and die in Aristotle’s works” (BrainyQuote). Aristotle’s beliefs in the essentials of tragedy and comedy can be found in Poetics.
One is familiar with Shakespeare’s tragedies such as “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”, “The Tragedy of Hamlet” and so forth. Shakespeare’s tragedies have been known for centuries as a reflection of the societies in different eras which appealed to many until today. They express the darkness that lies within the human’s soul and mind. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” are both remarkable works of Shakespeare’s that although they are of different plots, they both share indistinguishable characteristics and themes such as a tragic hero, tragic flaw and hero’s downfall. It had been noted that all Shakespearean tragedies reflect a flaw in the main character or a conflict with an overpowering force that can be observed in the characteristics of Julius Caesar’s, Brutus’s, and Macbeth’s.
He is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through an error of judgment.” Notice that Aristotle uses the words he, man, and him and not she, woman, or her. This hints that the tragic hero must be a man, not a woman. A tragic hero must also have certain characteristics such as hubris, hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, nemesis, and catharsis. These all mean that the character’s tragic downfall must have a beginning, middle, and end and emanate a feeling of pity and fear in the audience.
In his work, The Poetics Aristotle reflects on the role of pity and fear in tragedy, stating, “Tragedy is essentially an imitation not of persons but of action and of life; of happiness and misery. Add human happiness or misery takes the form of action… Character gives us qualities, but it is in our actions that we are happy or the reverse… The tragic pleasure is that of pity and fear” (Aristotle, The Poetics). Aristotle is probing one to conclude that tragedy is characterized by the pity and fear one evokes when individuals go against their presumed character and commit detrimental acts. Throughout his play Macbeth, Shakespeare, reminisces on the actions that gravitate an audience to render both fear and pity, which characterize a tragedy.
Shakespeare Play Name Institution Shakespeare Play In this paper, I am going to discuss two plays and the genre of revenge tragedy. William Shakespeare wrote two revenge tragedies, Titus Andronicus and Hamlet which gained popularity during that time. Currently, Hamlet has retained its popularity but Titus is one of the most despised plays of Shakespeare since it is offensive.
What “tragic ideas” do we see expressed in Sophocles’ drama? Answer with reference to the play Antigone. ‘Tragedy is the representation of a serious and complete set of events, having a certain size, with embellished language used distinctly in the various parts of the play, the representation being accomplished by people performing and not by narration, and through pity and fear achieving the catharsis of such emotion’- Aristotle, Poetics, Chapter 6. The play “Antigone” by Sophocles displays many qualities that make it a great tragedy.
Parallels between Aristotle’s Poetics and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Aristotle wrote Poetics in 335BC and in that discourse he defined the elements of a tragedy and compared it to other plays like an Epic. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, which was written over two thousand years after Aristotle’s Poetics, can easily be considered a modern Aristotelian tragedy. Thereby, a study of Death of a Salesman can help us to understand Aristotle’s Poetics. First off, Aristotle defines a tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language;… in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a
Greek theatre was formed back in 500 BC by the Greek civilisation that used performing, miming and dancing as ways and means to tell stories, imitate others and for their rituals. They were two forms of plays that were showcased in the City of Dionysia; tragedy and satyr. The City of Dionysia was the festival celebrating the God Dionysus. Throughout this essay I will be describing the characteristics of Greek tragedy while using Sophocles’ ‘ Oedipus the King’ as a reference.
Through the outcomes of both plays, the audience is able to receive some hard truths and be confronted with reality. In their respective ways, the two plays reveal truths about the human experience in the way that the plays are symbolic of very real human or societal problems. Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, has a fateful plot with a tragic ending. His play follows the conventions of tragedy, implementing plot, character development,