Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy
Poetics is a notable literary work by Aristotle. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Poetics.
Answer
Write and explain Aristotle’s definition of tragedy.
Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was a great Greek thinker and writer. In his book “Poetics” (335 BCE), he gave a clear and famous definition of tragedy. According to him, tragedy is a serious and complete story. It is acted out on stage, not just told like a story. It uses beautiful language and songs. The aim of tragedy is to make people feel pity and fear. These strong feelings help to clean or purify the emotions. This emotional cleaning is called “catharsis.” Below, we break down his definition into simple points.
Serious and Complete Action: Tragedy imitates important, real-life actions. These actions are serious, complete, and meaningful. For example, “Oedipus Rex” shows a king’s downfall due to fate and mistakes. Unlike history (which tells facts), tragedy shows what could happen. It teaches moral lessons through imitation. The famous definition of tragedy is:
“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; … through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.”
Complete and Well-Structured Plot: Plot is the soul of tragedy. It must have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Events should connect logically, not randomly. A good plot follows cause and effect. For example, Oedipus’s curiosity leads him to discover his tragic fate. Aristotle prefers complex plots with twists (peripeteia) and discoveries (anagnorisis). Simple plots lack surprises and are less powerful. A strong plot makes tragedy impactful. About Plot, Aristotle says:
“…Now a whole is that which has a beginning, a middle and an end.”
Mimesis (Imitation): Tragedy is an imitation of real-life actions. It shows human life and problems through a serious story. It is not just told like a story but acted out on stage. This imitation helps people to understand real emotions, duties, and decisions in life. Imitation must be an action as described here:
“The objects the imitator represents are actions with agents who are necessarily either good men or
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