GED117-Week 3 (1 of 2)
Summary
TLDRIn 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
- ๐ญ Aristotle's Poetics is a study of Greek dramatic art, focusing on the nature and purpose of tragedy.
- ๐ Tragedy is an imitation of serious actions with a purpose, using direct action rather than narrative.
- ๐จ Poetry, including tragedy, is more philosophical and exalted than history, as it represents ideals and universals, not just facts.
- ๐ The aim of tragedy is catharsis, to evoke pity and fear in the audience and purge them of these emotions for a cleansing effect.
- ๐ The six main elements of tragedy are plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song, with plot and character being primary.
- ๐ Plot is the most crucial element, as tragedy imitates action and life, not just people.
- ๐งฉ The ideal tragic plot should be a complete whole with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and should be comprehensible to the audience.
- ๐ฏ The protagonist in a tragedy should be someone the audience can identify with, experiencing a significant change that elicits pity and fear.
- ๐ค The protagonist's downfall is often due to an error in judgment (hamartia), not necessarily a moral flaw.
- ๐ Tragedy often explores cosmic significance rather than individual psychology, differing from modern drama's focus.
- ๐ 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
๐ญ 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.
๐ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กTragedy
๐กCatharsis
๐กPlot
๐กCharacter
๐กHamartia
๐กMimesis
๐กSpectacle
๐กPeripeteia
๐กAnagnorisis
๐กDiction
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]
you
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