L.O. Aristolean analysis
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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According to Aristotle – there are three unities that a
drama needs to portray.
1. The unity of action: a play should have one main
action that it follows, with no or few subplots.
2. The unity of place: a play should cover a single
physical space and should not attempt to compress
geography, nor should the stage represent more
than one place.
3. The unity of time: the action in a play should take
place over no more than 24 hours.
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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Does this fit ‘King Lear’?
Shakespeare famously used ‘irregular’ unities.
He didn’t follow Aristotle’s unity of action, unity of
place or unity of time in ‘King Lear’.
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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Unity of action
How many main actions are there in King Lear?
How many sub-plots?
Unity of place
What locations is King Lear set in?
What characters travel where?
Unity of time
What is the timescale of King Lear?
How long does the action stretch?
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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“Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all
modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds
up to his readers a faithful mirrour of manners and of
life”
- Samuel Johnson ‘Preface to Shakespeare’ 1765
“Shakespeare has no heroes; his scenes are occupied
only by men, who act and speak as the reader thinks
that he should himself have spoken or acted on the
same occasion:”
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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Aristotle’s views on Tragedy
Tragedy is a representation of a serious, complete
action which has magnitude, in embellished speech,
with each of its elements [used] separately in the
[various] parts [of the play]; [represented] by people
acting and not by narration; accomplishing by means of
pity and terror the catharsis of such emotions.
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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Tragedy consists of six parts:
1. Plot (mythos)
2. Character (ethos)
3. Thought (dianoia)
4. Diction (lexis)
5. Melody (melos)
6. Spectacle (opsis)
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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1. PLOT
Key elements of the plot are reversals, recognitions and
suffering. The best plot should be "complex". It should
imitate actions arousing horror, fear and pity.
2. CHARACTER
It is much better if a tragical accident happens to a hero
because of a mistake he makes instead of things which
might happen anyway. That is because the audience is
more likely to be "moved" by it.
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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3. THOUGHT
spoken (usually) reasoning of human characters can explain
the characters or story background.
4. DICTION
The speech used and how it is constructed.
5. MELODY
The Chorus too should be regarded as one of the actors; it
should be an integral part of the whole, and share in the
action
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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6. SPECTACLE
For example: if play has "beautiful" costumes and "bad"
acting and "bad" story, there is "something wrong" with it.
Even though that "beauty" may save the play it is "not a nice
thing“.
Aristotle suggests that "spectacle has, indeed, an emotional
attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least
artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the
power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from
representation and actors. Besides, the production of
spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage
machinist than on that of the poet" [3].
L.O. Aristolean analysis
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