ELEMENTS OF TRAGEDY
According to Aristotle, what are the six parts of tragedy?
Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song, Spectacle.
What makes a plot complete?
It must have a beginning, middle, and end that follow logically by necessity or probability.
What causes a tragic hero’s downfall?
Hamartia. an error in judgment, not moral wickedness.
What does tragedy produce through pity and fear?
Catharsis. the purification or purgation of these emotions.
How should the chorus function?
As a full participant in the action, not a separate musical interlude.
Why is plot the “soul of tragedy”?
Because tragedy imitates action, not people, and plot is the arrangement of the incidents, the essential action from which the tragic effect arises.
What effect is produced when events are both surprising and follow logically?
The strongest tragic effect of pity and fear, since the surprise also feels necessary.
Why can’t perfectly good or wicked people be tragic heroes?
Perfectly good → downfall is shocking, not tragic.
Completely wicked → evokes no pity.
Tragedy requires a character like us, falling through an error.
Why should catharsis come from the plot, not spectacle?
Because tragedy should work through the internal structure of events; spectacle is a lesser, non-artistic way to generate emotion.
What does Aristotle criticize about later poets’ choruses?
Their choral songs are irrelevant “interludes” that have nothing to do with the plot.
Which two parts are the medium of imitation?
Diction and Song.
Difference between simple and complex plot?
Simple: change of fortune occurs without reversal (peripeteia) or recognition (anagnorisis).
Complex: involves reversal, recognition, or both.
What recognition is the best?
Recognition that arises naturally from the plot itself, not by tokens or external clues.
Three major elements that produce the strongest tragic emotions?
Reversal (Peripeteia)
Recognition (Anagnorisis)
Scenes of suffering (Pathos)
What does Aristotle say about recognition by signs/tokens?
It is the least artistic form of recognition.
Which part of tragedy is the least artistic?
Spectacle, because it depends more on the stage machinist than on the poet.
Why is a Deus ex machina ending inferior?
Because the resolution must arise from the plot itself, not by sudden, external intervention.
Which relationships make tragic actions most effective?
Conflicts among family members (e.g., parent/child, siblings), because they produce the greatest pity and fear.
Why is the fall of a villain not tragic?
It does not inspire pity or fear, only moral satisfaction.
What style is clear but “mean”?
Style using only ordinary, everyday words.
Why can tragedy exist without character but not without plot?
Because the action is what makes tragedy; character is secondary and supports the plot, but the plot is essential to produce pity and fear.
What kind of unity should a poet construct?
A unity of action. a single, coherent action whose parts depend on each other. rather than everything that ever happened to a hero.
What four qualities should tragic characters possess?
Goodness
Appropriateness (behave fittingly for their type)
Lifelikeness (realistic)
Consistency (or consistency in their inconsistency)
What is the most truly tragic ending?
An ending where the good person falls from prosperity to adversity because of error. Not a happy ending for the good and bad alike.
Why is the use of metaphor the greatest mark of genius?
Because understanding resemblances and creating effective metaphors cannot be taught. it requires innate insight.