An ancient guide to “Tragedy” still used today.
Ancient Greek philosopher.
Lived from 384-322 B.C.E.
Student of Plato
Teacher of Alexander the Great
Studied and wrote about many topics including logic,
biology, ethics, psychology, politics and DRAMA.
 Wrote a treatise on Theatre (drama) called the Poetics.
 This work consisted of two portions:
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 One concerning Tragedy
 One concerning Comedy
 Only the half regarding Tragedy survives.
 This work is still referenced today … in relation to both
Tragedy and Comedy.
 Aristotle’s breakdown of
 The Poetics applies
the 6 elements of
Tragedy (Drama).
 Was written at least 50
years after the death of
Sophocles.
 Aristotle was a great
admirer of Sophocles’
Oedipus the King and
regarded it as the perfect
Tragedy.
perfectly to Oedipus the
King but also applies to
all Play scripts … even
today.
 Although the remaining
text of the Poetics was
written to describe
Tragedy it is applicable to
all theatrical text.
 Plot
 What happens in a play.
 Character
 The personalities represented.
 Theme
 The idea(s) conveyed by the play.
 Language
 The words chosen by the playwright and the way they are delivered by
the actor.
 Music
 Can mean both the rhythm or musical quality of the spoken words or in
more modern context the actual music used to enhance the play.
 Spectacle
 All the visual elements used in a theatrical work. Sets, costumes, make
up, props etc.
 The first four of Aristotle’s Poetics are not unique to
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Theatre. They are present in all kinds of literature.
Theatre is meant to be seen not read.
Although you can certainly enjoy reading a play its true
power is achieved from a fully realized production.
Technical elements enhance the piece.
Stage Directions are the side notes that appear in a script.
They are not meant to be read aloud to an audience but
instead are physically represented. These more often than
not help to propel the plot or heighten the theme.
A great deal can (and is) left up to interpretation.
 Aristotle considered plot the soul of a tragedy.
 The story must contain a beginning, middle and end.
 Background information such as setting (time and place) and an
introduction to characters (names) is called Exposition.
Exposition may also appear elsewhere throughout the play. It is
background information that has relevance to the story.
 The Inciting Action is the event that sets the course of events
into motion.
 Cause and Effect: Each part of the story must come as a result of
those that came before.
 There should be a unity of action: It is not enough for the course
of events to be episodic (tied together only by the fact that they
happen to the same person). For a good (strong) plot each event
must be connected to those that happened before it.
 Coincidental or irrational events should not be
included, but if necessary should have the “air of
design” – some fated connection to the events of the
play.
 The plot should be of a “certain magnitude”. It should
not be too brief (the more elements and themes the
playwright can bring together in an organic unity the
greater the artistic value and richness of the play.)
 The more universal and significant the meaning of the
play, the more the playwright can capture and hold the
emotions of the audience, the better the play will be.
 The events following the cause and effect chain after the
inciting action are called the Rising Action.
 The rising action is the result of some sort of Conflict.
Conflict can be:
 Person vs. Person – one character is at odds with another.
 Person vs. Society – a character has a problem with society.
 Person vs. Him/Herself – a character struggles with what to
do.
 Person vs. Nature- a characters has some problem with an
element of nature. (i.e. a snowstorm, a hurricane)
 Person vs. Fate – a character has to battle what seems an
uncontrollable problem.
 The Climax is the high point of the story. It is the
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culmination of events that creates the peak of the
conflict.
The climax features the highest point of conflict or
struggle.
It is not always the most important scene in a story.
An Anti-Climax may occur, which is when an
expectedly difficult event is revealed to be incredibly
easy or of minor importance.
The climax must be the result of the events that came
before and the cause of those that follow.
 The Falling Action comes after and shows the effects of
the climax on the characters, settings and previous
events.
 The Denouement (dey-noo-mehn) or resolution is the
completion of the story. It serves as a return to the
“normal” for the characters and as catharsis, or a
release of tension or anxiety, for the audience.
 Not all works have falling action or a denouement.
Some works simply end at the climax.
 Characters should support the plot. Personalities
should be interwoven into the cause and effect chain.
 The protagonist should be renowned and prosperousso that their reversal of fortune can go from good to
bad, thus creating a sense of pity and fear in the
audience. (By this rule a Tragedy must be about a well
to do person such as a king or prince etc.)
 In the ideal Tragedy the protagonist will unwittingly
bring about their own undoing. (Tragic Flaw, or
Miscalculation) Their intent is usually the opposite –
which creates what is called Tragic Irony.
 Characters should have the following qualities:
 Good or Fine – morally virtuous.
 Fitness of Character – true to type. A soldier is valiant, a
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young person can not be wise.
True to Life – realistic.
Consistent – True to themselves. Once character traits
are established they should continue throughout.
Necessary or Probable- Flaw must be a human
weakness, not a random or arbitrary characteristic.
True to Life and yet more beautiful – idealized.
 Protagonist – Main character. The events of the plot
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revolve around this character and the audience is intended
to feel the most empathy towards.
The protagonist is not always a “good guy”.
Antagonist – The main opposition for the Protagonist.
Hero – virtuous or “good” and Villain- “bad”
Foil – side kick. Puts other character into sharper focus.
Differing ideology and/or appearance. Don
Quixote/Sancho, Batman/Robin
Anti-Hero – Moral standards hazy. Not purely good or evil.
Punisher, Catwoman (in more modern incarnations)
Different from Unlikely hero who is an ordinary person
thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
 Archetypes or Stock
Characters: Generic
version of a personality.
 There is a vast list of
archetypical or stock
characters:
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Dumb Blonde
Wise Old Man
Arrogant Jock
Faded Beauty
Unlikely Hero
Damsel in Distress
Brainy Girl
Mischeivious Boy
 Flat Character
 Only has 1 or 2
characteristics.
 Easily summarized.
 Round Character
 More detailed.
 More difficult to
summarize.
 “Fleshed Out”.
 Often display the
inconsistencies and
internal struggles of real
people.