Aristotle
Tragedy and the Tragic Hero

Aristotle’s Life
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Student of the philosopher Plato
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Teacher to
Alexander the
Great
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Divided philosophical thought into ethics, physics, and logic

A General Definition of Tragedy
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Any serious and dignified drama that describes a conflict between the hero(protagonist) and a superior force(antagonist), and reaches a sorrowful conclusion that arouses pity or fear in the audience(catharsis).

Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy
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Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in 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 of these emotions.

Aristotle’s Poetics: Basic
Concepts
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Complex plots are better than simple ones
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Suffering is to be included in a tragic plot which should end unhappily.
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The pity and fear from which the tragedy evokes, should come from the events, not from the mere sight of something on stage.

Recognition and Reversal
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Recognition is a change from ignorance to knowledge.
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The new knowledge often identifies an unknown relative or dear one whom the hero should cherish but was about to harm or has just harmed.
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Reversal is a change of a situation to its opposite.

Characteristics of the Tragic Hero.
The Character…
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Is not all good or bad
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Is of the noble class or highly renowned and prosperous
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Has a tragic flaw
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Recognizes his error and accepts the consequences
• Arouses the audience’s pity and fear