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Unit 1: Literary Terms: Classical and Aristotle’s Concept of Tragedy and Tragic Hero

10. A central action of the play springs from character and thought, manifested in the dialogue. Notes
11. The chorus most directly represents the action (or purpose) of the play.
12. Characters should be carefully delineated to contrast sharply with one another, should be full
of life individually, should vary ethically, should be probable, consistent, and should reflect
the central action of the play in the development of character.
13. The tragic hero should be a ruler or leader, whose character is good and whose misfortune is
brought about by some error or frailty.
14. Language should be elevated and in verse (which in fifth century BC was reminiscent of our
blank verse today) and should reflect rhetorical strategies of persuasion (primarily represented
in the Episodes and Choric Odes).
15. The special quality of man’s pleasure in tragedy comes from the purgation of the passions of
fear and pity felt by the audience as they watch the fate of the tragic hero unfold, recognizing in
it the universal human lot.

Parts of a Tragedy
Every tragedy as mentioned above must have six basic parts. They may be explained as below:

Plot
Of the six elements of tragedy as distinguished by Aristotle, plot is the most important. The best
tragic plot is single and complex, rather than double (“with opposite endings for good and bad”—
a characteristic of comedy in which the good are rewarded and the wicked punished). All plots
have some pathos (suffering), but a complex plot includes reversal and recognition.
(a) “Reversal” (peripeteia): occurs when a situation seems to developing in one direction, and
then suddenly “reverses” to another. For example, when Oedipus first hears of the death of
Polybus (his supposed father), the news at first seems good, but then is revealed to be
disastrous.
(b) “Recognition” (anagnorisis or “knowing again” or “knowing back” or “knowing
throughout”): a change from ignorance to awareness of a bond of love or hate. For example,
Oedipus kills his father in ignorance and then learns of his true relationship to the King of
Thebes.
Recognition scenes in tragedy are of some horrible event or secret, while those in comedy
usually reunite long-lost relatives or friends. A plot with tragic reversals and recognitions
best arouses pity and fear.
(c) “Suffering” (pathos): Also translated as “a calamity,” the third element of plot is “a destructive
or painful act.” The English words “sympathy,” “empathy,” and “apathy” (literally, absence
of suffering) all stem from this Greek word.

Character
Character has the second place in importance and should have the following qualities:
1. “Good or fine.” Aristotle relates this quality to moral purpose and says it is relative to class:
“Even a woman may be good, and also a slave, though the woman may be said to be an
inferior being, and the slave quite worthless.”
2. “Fitness of character” (true to type); e.g. valor is appropriate for a warrior but not for a woman.
3. “True to life” (realistic)
4. “Consistency” (true to themselves). Once a character’s personality and motivations are
established, these should continue throughout the play.

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