GED117-Week 3 (1 of 2)

Summary

In this lecture, Professor Wilnabantai delves into Aristotle's 'Poetics,' exploring the essence of Greek tragic drama. Aristotle posits that tragedy, a form of imitation, aims to evoke catharsis through pity and fear, purging spectators of these emotions. He emphasizes the plot as the soul of tragedy, with character in a supporting role. The ideal tragic hero, according to Aristotle, is renowned yet flawed, eliciting audience sympathy without moral offense. The lecture also touches on the structure of plots and the philosophical underpinnings of Greek drama, highlighting the difference between ancient and modern approaches to character and action.

Takeaways

• 🎭 Aristotle's Poetics is a study of Greek dramatic art, focusing on the nature and purpose of tragedy.
• 📚 Tragedy is an imitation of serious actions with a purpose, using direct action rather than narrative.
• 🎨 Poetry, including tragedy, is more philosophical and exalted than history, as it represents ideals and universals, not just facts.
• 😟 The aim of tragedy is catharsis, to evoke pity and fear in the audience and purge them of these emotions for a cleansing effect.
• 🔑 The six main elements of tragedy are plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song, with plot and character being primary.
• 📉 Plot is the most crucial element, as tragedy imitates action and life, not just people.
• 🧩 The ideal tragic plot should be a complete whole with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and should be comprehensible to the audience.
• 🎯 The protagonist in a tragedy should be someone the audience can identify with, experiencing a significant change that elicits pity and fear.
• 🤔 The protagonist's downfall is often due to an error in judgment (hamartia), not necessarily a moral flaw.
• 🌐 Tragedy often explores cosmic significance rather than individual psychology, differing from modern drama's focus.
• 📝 Aristotle's analysis of the tragic hero and plot structure provides valuable insights into Greek tragic drama and its philosophical underpinnings.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the provided transcript?

The speaker is Professor Wilnabantai, from the Department of Arts and Letters.

What is the main topic of discussion for the week in the transcript?

The main topic is Aristotle's 'Poetics,' specifically his study of Greek dramatic art.

According to Aristotle, what is the fundamental nature of tragedy?

Tragedy is a kind of imitation with a serious purpose, using direct action rather than narrative.

What does Aristotle consider as the aim of tragedy?

The aim of tragedy is to bring about a catharsis of the spectators, arousing feelings of pity and fear, and purging them of these emotions.

How does Aristotle differentiate poetry from history?

Aristotle states that poetry is more philosophical and exalted than history, as it imitates things as they could be, not just as they are.

What are the six main elements of tragedy according to Aristotle?

The six main elements are plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song, with plot and character being the primary elements.

Why does Aristotle consider the plot to be the most important element of tragedy?

Aristotle believes that the plot is the most important element because tragedy is an imitation of action and life, and without action, there cannot be a tragedy.

What does Aristotle say about the structure of the ideal tragic plot?

The ideal tragic plot should be a complete whole with a definite beginning, middle, and end, and its length should be comprehensible to the spectators.

What is the role of the tragic hero in Aristotle's view?

The tragic hero is the character who experiences the changes that take place, and the plot is intended to illustrate matters of cosmic rather than individual significance.

How does Aristotle define the ideal protagonist in a tragedy?

The ideal protagonist is a man who is highly renowned and prosperous but not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune is brought upon him by some error of judgment or frailty.

What is the term 'hamartia' and how is it related to the tragic hero?

Hamartia refers to the hero's error or frailty, which is often misleadingly explained as the tragic flaw that causes the hero's downfall or subjects him to retribution.

What does Aristotle suggest about the interpretation of the hero's fate in a tragedy?

Aristotle suggests that the hero's fate, despite its immediate cause, comes about because of the nature of the cosmic moral order and the role played by chance or destiny in human affairs.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Aristotle's Poetics and the Essence of Tragedy

In this segment, Professor Wilnabantai delves into Aristotle's 'Poetics,' a seminal work on Greek dramatic art. The professor explains that Aristotle posits tragedy as a form of imitation with a serious intent, using direct action to evoke a catharsis in the audience. This catharsis, aimed at purging emotions of pity and fear, is achieved through witnessing a significant change in the protagonist's fortunes. Aristotle identifies six main elements of tragedy, emphasizing plot and character as the primary components. The plot is considered the soul of tragedy, with action being the defining aspect of life and the end goal of a tragedy. The professor also discusses the structure of an ideal tragic plot, highlighting the need for a complete narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and a single central theme.

05:02

🌟 The Tragic Hero and the Role of Character in Greek Drama

The second paragraph focuses on the tragic hero and the role of character in Greek drama. Aristotle has less to say about the hero, as the incidents of tragedy often lie beyond the hero's control and are of cosmic rather than individual significance. The protagonist is seen as the character who undergoes the changes that elicit pity and fear in the audience. The ideal protagonist, according to Aristotle, is someone renowned and prosperous but not exceptionally virtuous, whose downfall is caused by an error in judgment, not vice. This error, or 'hamartia,' is not necessarily a tragic flaw but a limitation that makes the hero relatable and capable of evoking audience sympathy. The paragraph also touches on the broader philosophical implications of the typical plot and the role of chance or destiny in human affairs, suggesting that the hero's fate is a reflection of the cosmic moral order.

Keywords

💡Tragedy

Tragedy, as discussed by Aristotle in the video, is a form of drama characterized by serious themes and direct action, aiming to evoke pity and fear in the audience. It is considered a higher form of poetry due to its philosophical nature and its purpose of achieving catharsis. Examples include the works of Sophocles and Euripides.

💡Catharsis

Catharsis refers to the emotional release or purification experienced by the audience of a tragedy. Aristotle posits that the purpose of tragedy is to evoke sensations of pity and fear, leading to a cleansing of these emotions. This heightened understanding is achieved by witnessing the protagonist's dramatic change in fortune.

💡Plot

The plot is the sequence of events that make up a story in a tragedy, considered by Aristotle to be the most important element. It must have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and be structured in a way that the audience can easily follow. Aristotle emphasizes that the plot is the 'soul' of the tragedy, more important than character.

💡Character

Character refers to the individuals who populate the story of a tragedy. According to Aristotle, while important, character is secondary to plot. The protagonist should be a person with whom the audience can identify and whose fortunes can evoke pity and fear. The character's qualities contribute to the action but are not the primary focus.

💡Hamartia

Hamartia is often referred to as the tragic flaw or error in judgment of the protagonist that leads to their downfall. Aristotle explains that this flaw is not necessarily a moral failing but an error or frailty that brings about the tragic events. For instance, Oedipus's fate is sealed by his own actions driven by ignorance or misjudgment.

💡Mimesis

Mimesis is the imitation of life, which Aristotle argues is the essence of all forms of poetry, including tragedy. It involves representing things as they could be, focusing on universals and ideals rather than mere historical accuracy. This makes poetry a more philosophical and elevated medium compared to history.

💡Spectacle

Spectacle involves the visual elements of a tragedy, such as stagecraft and special effects. While Aristotle considers it less critical than plot and character, it still plays a role in engaging the audience and enhancing the dramatic experience.

💡Peripeteia

Peripeteia refers to a sudden reversal of fortune experienced by the protagonist. This dramatic shift is central to the plot of a tragedy and is intended to evoke feelings of pity and fear in the audience. It illustrates the unpredictable nature of human life and the impact of fate and chance.

💡Anagnorisis

Anagnorisis is the moment of critical discovery or recognition experienced by the protagonist. This revelation is crucial to the plot, often leading to the protagonist's realization of their own flaw or the true nature of their situation, thus deepening the tragedy.

💡Diction

Diction involves the choice of words and style of expression used in a tragedy. It contributes to the overall tone and helps convey the characters' thoughts and emotions. Aristotle regards it as one of the key elements of tragedy, though not as essential as plot and character.

Highlights

Aristotle's Poetics is a study of Greek dramatic art.

Tragedy is an imitation with a serious purpose, using direct action.

Poetry is more philosophical and exalted than history.

Tragedy aims to bring about catharsis, purging emotions of pity and fear.

Catharsis is achieved through witnessing a change in the protagonist's fortunes.

Tragedy has six main elements: plot, character, thought, spectacle, and song.

Plot and character are the primary elements of tragedy.

Aristotle emphasizes the plot as the most important element of tragedy.

Tragedy is an imitation of action and life, not of men.

The plot is the soul of a tragedy, with character in the second place.

The ideal tragic plot must be a complete whole with a clear structure.

The plot should have a single central theme with logically related elements.

Aristotle discusses the structure of the ideal tragic plot in detail.

The tragic hero is often beyond control or not closely related to his personality.

The protagonist should be relatable to the audience and trigger pity and fear.

The ideal protagonist is renowned and prosperous but not preeminently virtuous.

Hamartia, or the hero's error, is not necessarily a tragic flaw.

The hero's downfall is often due to ignorance or poor judgment.

Aristotle's concept of hamartia has been misinterpreted as a decisive flaw.

The remainder of the Poetics examines other elements and techniques of tragedy.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

hi everyone i am professor wilnabantai

of the department of arts and letters

last week we discussed about greek

theater

this week we will have aristotel's

poetics

in the poetics that's aristotle's famous

study of greek dramatic art aristotle

compares tragedy

to such metrical forms as comedy and

epic

he determines that tragedy

like all poetry is a kind of imitation

but adds that it has a serious purpose

and uses direct action

rather than narrative to achieve its

ends

he says that

poetic minesis is imitation of things as

they could be not as they are for

example

of universals and ideals thus poetry is

a more philosophical and exalted medium

than history

which merely records what has actually

happened the aim of tragedy

aristotle writes is to bring about a

catharsis of the spectators to arouse in

them sensations of pity

and fear and to purge them of these

emotions so that

they leave the theater feeling cleansed

and uplifted with a heightened

understanding of the ways of gods and

men this catharsis is brought about by

witnessing some disastrous and moving

change in the fortunes

of the drama's protagonist aristotle

recognized that the change might not be

disastrous but felt this was the kind

shown in the best tragedies

according to aristotel

tragedy has six main elements these are

plot character action addiction rather

thought

and

spectacle and song of which the first

two are primary

what are these two plot and character

most of the poetics

is devoted to analysis of the scope and

proper use of these elements

with illustrative examples

selected from many tragic dramas

especially those of sophocles

although eskiluz

europeedas

and some playwrights whose works

no longer survive are also cited now

several of aristotel's main points are

of great value for an understanding of

greek tragic drama particularly

significant is his statement

that the plot is the most important

element of tragedy tragedy is an

imitation

not of men

but of action and life

of misery

and happiness

life consists of action and its end is a

mode of activity

equality

now character determines

men's qualities but it is their action

that makes them happy or

wretched the purpose of action in the

tragedy therefore is not the

representation of character character

casts in as contributing

to the action hence

the incidence and the plot are the end

of the tragedy and the end

is the chief thing of all without action

there cannot be a tragedy then one

without character the plot then

is the first principle

and as it were the soul of a tragedy

character holds the second place arsenal

goes on to discuss the structure of the

ideal tragic plot and spends several

chapters on its requirements

he says that the plot must be a complete

whole

with a definite beginning middle and end

and its length should be such that the

spectators can comprehend without

difficulty

both its separate parts and its overall

unity moreover the plot requires a

single central theme

in which

all the elements are logically related

to demonstrate the change in the

organist's

fortunes

with emphasis on the dramatic causation

and probability of the events orisative

has relatively less to say about the

tragic hero because the incidents of

tragedy are often beyond the hero's

control

or not closely related to his

personality the plot is intended to

illustrate matters of cosmic

rather than individual significance and

the protagonist is viewed primarily as

the character who experiences the

changes that take place stress

placed by the greek tragedians

on the development of plot and action

at the expense of character and their

general lack of interest in exploring

psychological motivation

is one of the major differences between

ancient and modern drama since

the aim of a tragedy is to arouse

pity and fear through an alteration in

the status of the central character

he must be a figure within the audience

can identify

and whose fate can trigger these

emotions aristotle says that

pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune

fear by the misfortune of a man like

ourselves he surveys various possible

types of characters on the basis of

these premises

and then defines the ideal protagonist

as

a man who is highly renowned and

prosperous

but one who is not preeminently virtuous

and just

whose misfortune

horror is brought upon him

not by vice or depravity but by some

error of

judgment or frailty a personage like

odypus

in addition the hero should not offend

the moral sensibilities of the

spectators

and as a character

he must be true to type

true to life

and consistent

the heroes error or frailty

this is called hamarthia

is often

misleadingly explained as his tragic

flaw

in the sense of that personal quality

which

inevitably causes his downfall or

subjects him to retribution however over

emphasis

on a search for the decisive flaw

in the protagonist as a factor for

understanding the

tragedy can lead to superficial or false

interpretations it leads more attention

to personality than

the dramatist intended and

ignores the broader philosophical

implications

of

the typical plot's denomina it is true

that the hero frequently takes a step

that initiates the events of the tragedy

and owing to his own ignorance or poor

judgment

acts in such a way as to bring about his

own downfall so in a more sophisticated

and philosophical sense though

the hero's fate

despite

its immediate cause in his finite

comes about because

of the nature

of the cosmic moral order and the role

played by chance

or destiny in human affairs

unless the conclusions of most tragedies

are interpreted on this level the reader

is forced

to credit the greeks with the most

primitive of moral

systems

it is worth noting that samsung believe

the flaw was intended by aristotel as a

necessary coral yari of his

requirement

that the hero should not be a completely

admirable man a marithia or thus be the

factor

that

delimits the protagonist's imperfection

and keeps him on a human plane making it

possible for the audience to sympathize

with this view tends to give the flaw an

ethical definition but relates it only

to the spectator's

reactions

to the hero and does not increase its

importance for interpreting

the tragedies the remainder of the

poetics is given over to examination of

the other elements of tragedy and a

discussion of various techniques devices

and stylistic principles

[Music]

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