2015+AP+P2+Theory+of+Tragedy

Theory of Tragedy Aim: Adriano Explanation: The theory of tragedy is Aristotle’s description of what a “perfect tragedy” should be, based off of Sophocles’ story, Oedipus the King. As Aristotle wrote this description based on the story, Oedipus the King fits the description perfectly. However, it has been applied in many poems and plays since then. Aristotle’s idea on what this “perfect tragedy” is rather simple in its general idea, but complex in the details. The idea is that the plot of the tragedy is the most important part of the play. Each event is an effect of the previous event and the cause of another. The first events focus on the effects and the causes of such events are downplayed, while the ending focuses on the causes and downplays the effects. To summarize, the plot should take place entirely within the story that is shown with little or no outside influence from before or after the story told. After the plot, the most important part is a character and their consistency, attitude, and personality told through monologuing. Aristotle makes little mention of what to actually contain within the play beyond some various limits, implying generally that one may be as creative as one can possibly be as long as they follow a few guidelines in order to make their individual tragedy. His purpose in writing this explanation and set of guidelines is to help people write better and more entertaining plays.

Works Cited: Bellinger, Martha Fletcher. “Aristotle, Classic Technique, and Greek Drama”. //Moonstruck// //Drama Bookstore//. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927. 61-67. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

McManus, Barbara F. "Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy in the POETICS". //College of// //New Rochelle//. n.p., Nov 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

Macee: Cultural

Aristotle’s theory of tragedy explains the role of poetry and tragedy as a means to provide catharsis to the audience, purging them of tragic emotion and feelings in order to leave them uplifted (McManus 1). Aristotle’s inspiration for this theory of the “perfect tragedy” came based off of Sophocle’s Oedipus the King. While inspired by Sophocle’s work, Ancient Greece was culturally involved in theater and became an inspiration for both praise and criticism from Aristotle. While history does not give complete documentation as to which Greek plays Aristotle saw, his comments and observations of tragedy were derived from the Greek theater itself (Bellinger 1). Aristotle believed that many authors of his culture were too self-involved in their work, which defeated the purpose of the characters (Bellinger 1). However, despite his criticism for many authors in Ancient Greek theater and poetry, Oedipus the King remained as an inspiration to the Greek theater culture for the perfect tragedy. The use of language, irony, and complicated plot allowed for an imitation of actions rather than men, which is exactly what Aristotle believed a tragedy must accomplish (McManus 1). While Sophocle’s provided inspiration to Aristotle as the perfect writer, Greek theater provided a substantial amount of cultural influence to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy.

Works Cited: Bellinger, Martha Fletcher. “Aristotle, Classic Technique, and Greek Drama”. //Moonstruck// //Drama Bookstore//. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927. 61-67. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

McManus, Barbara F. "Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy in the POETICS". //College of// //New Rochelle//. n.p., Nov 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

Audience: Samuel



Tragedy itself is the representation of the realm of possibility, what may happen, not what has happened. This was intended to reach the audience in a way that history hasn’t, where history has consistently told the audience what has happened the theory of tragedy was that to reach the general audience in way that can challenge their thoughts in a revolutionary way; there must be the possibility of what may happen, there must be drama, there must be something to entice their interest while conveying the importance of the death and pain in life. In a time where there was such a massive poetic and acting movement, for the importance of death, pain, and disappointment to be seen, to be understood without exactly experiencing it, there was the portrayal through poetry, acting, and novels. To reach the audience where they would both be entertained and educated was the key importance of the theory of tragedy, which is why the main six aspects of this theory all tie into what are seen in every play or poem. With plot, character(s), language, thought, spectacle, and song, the story is created. What makes it a tragedy is how the plot unfolds, how the character is revealed, the thoughts and actions of the character, the tone which the language projects, and the emotion the musical evokes. When Aristotle created the theory of Tragedy it was intended for the people of Greece, but the theory of tragedy grew beyond just one society and thus one audience. Tragedy was solidified as a type of writing, and spread through multiple cultures, reaching more audiences. Many different authors took after this theory, most prominently William Shakespeare, writing tragedies such as Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.

Bellinger, Martha Fletcher. “Aristotle, Classic Technique, and Greek Drama”. //Moonstruck Drama Bookstore//. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927. 61-67. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

McManus, Barbara F. "Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy in the POETICS". //College of// //New Rochelle//. n.p., Nov 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

__Historical: Gabriel__ Point of Analysis Historical Visual G. W. F. Hegel Explanation and analysis Theory of tragedy in drama and literature has been highly developed and analyzed in human culture and literature. According to Notre Dame professor of German language and literature and concurrent professor of philosophy Mark Roche, "Next to Aristotle's account of tragedy, the theory of tragedy developed by the German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831) has become the most studied and quoted in the West" (11). In the first lecture of his lecture series //Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth //, prominent author Andrew C. Bradley describes that " Shakespeare in writing tragedy did represent a certain aspect of life in a certain way…" (5). Bradley takes apart Shakespeare's writing in an attempt to find out more about human society in Shakespeare's time through his lectures and states that in the "…medieval mind…" (6) a play was seen more as a narrative. Many of Shakespeare's works demonstrate a fall from some high status in society, such as from being a king, a noble or of some societal significance to some state of belittlement. According to Roche, Hegel considers these individuals as "heroes" who bravely assert some significant and just position but in doing so violate a contrary yet similarly legitimate position, falling prey to a one-sidedness defined by greatness and guilt.  In human culture since at least Shakespeare's time, there has been a considerable distinction between the highest and lowest members of society in terms of wealth and prestige. To a substantial degree these two estates are worlds in themselves, so such an often violent transition between such stations can be seen as of great interest among those involved in literature and history. In extensive analyses of philosophical and dramatic works authors like Roche and Bradley attempt to identify the causes and consequences of tragedy while referring to the works of intellectuals like Hegel. In addition to having changed dramatically over the course of history, society's view on tragedy has become significantly more studied and detailed.

Works Cited Bradley, Andrew C. //Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth ////.// 2nd ed. London: Macmillan, 1905. Print. Roche, Mark W. "Introduction to Hegel's Theory of Tragedy." // PhænEx // 1.2 (2006): 11-20. Web.