Page 22 - DENG501_LITERARY_CRITICISM_AND_THEORIES
P. 22
Literary Criticism and Theories
Notes tragedy, and these chapters form the main body of the whole work. Chapters I-V contain an
introductory “discussion of Tragedy, Epic and Comedy, and Chapter IV gives a summary history
of the origin and development of Tragedy and Comedy, Chapter V gives a brief comparison
between Tragedy and Epic which is later elaborated in Chapter XXVI. Chapter XX-XXII deal with
the style and diction of poetry in general, and so also of tragedy. Only one chapter each is devoted
exclusively to Comedy, and Epic. Thus, it becomes clear that The Poetics is concerned chiefly with
Tragedy, which is regarded as the highest poetic form. “But the theory of Tragedy is worked out”, says
Abercrombie, with such insight and comprehension, that it becomes the type of the theory of literature.”
2.1 Concept of Tragedy
The Greek Conception of Tragedy
Before we proceed to consider Aristotle’s conception of Tragedy, a word of caution is necessary;
it must be constantly borne in mind that the Greek conception of tragedy was different from the
modern conception. Today, we regard Tragedy as a story with an unhappy ending. But this was
not Greek conception. In the Greek language, the word ‘tragedy’ means “a goat song”, and the word
came to be used for plays because of the practice of awarding goats to winners in a dramatic
contest. On the days of their dramatic festivals, four plays were performed on each of the days,
three generally serious in tone, and one satyr-play (or burlesque). For the Greeks, Tragedy simply
meant, “one of the three serious plays presented before the satyr-play at a dramatic festival.” Greek tragedies
were serious in tone, but many of them had happy endings. The Greek conception of tragedy
should be kept in mind, for Aristotle did to consider tragedy from the modern point of view. That
is why two out of the four possible tragic plots, mentioned in Chapter XIII, move from, “misery to
happiness”. It should also be borne in mind that Aristotle was not familiar with modern drama,
and his views are based entirely on the Greek drama which alone he knew.
Tragedy Differentiated from other Poetic-forms
Aristotle begins by pointing out that imitation is the common basis of all the fine Arts, which,
however, differ from each other in their medium of imitation, their objects of imitation, and their
manner of imitation. Thus poetry differs from painting and music in its medium of imitation.
Poetry itself is divisible into epic and dramatic on the basis of its manner of imitation. The Epic
narrates, while the Dramatic represents through action. The Dramatic poetry itself is distinguished
as Tragic or Comic on the basis of its objects of imitation. Tragedy imitates men as better, and
comedy as worse, than they really are. In this way, does Aristotle establish the unique nature of
Tragedy and differentiate it from the other kinds of poetry.
Tragedy: Its Origin: Its Superiority over the Epic
Next, Aristotle proceeds to trace the origin and development of poetry. In the beginning, poetry
was of two kinds. There were ‘Iambs’ or ‘invectives’, on the one hand, and hymns on the gods or
panegyrics on the great, on the other. The first, ‘Iambs’, or, ‘invectives’ developed into satiric
poetry, and the hymns and panegyrics into Epic, or Heroic poetry. Out of Heroic poetry, developed
Tragedy, and out of Satiric came the Comedy. As Tragedy is a later development, it is therefore,
a higher kind than the Epic. In Chapter XXVI of The Poetics, the Greek philosopher compares
Tragedy with Epic in a number of respects and demonstrates this superiority. Both Epic and
Tragedy imitate serious subjects in a grand kind of verse, but they differ in as much as Epic’’
imitates only in one kind of verse, and Tragedy uses different kinds of verse for its choral odes
and its dialogue. The Epic is more lengthy and so more comprehensive and varied, but the
Tragedy has much greater concentration and so is more effective. Besides this, the Tragedy has all
the elements which The Epic has, while there are certain elements of Tragedy which the Epic does
not have. The Epic lacks music and spectacle which are important constituents of Tragedy, and
which enhance its effect. It has also reality of presentation and of which the Epic lacks. The
Tragedy is superior, because, “All the parts of an epic are included in Tragedy; but those of Tragedy are
not all of them to be found in the Epic.”
16 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY