Poetics Key Terms

Exposition/ Protasis: A description and explanation of a presented idea or theory.

Inciting Incident: The key incident that encouraged or stirred up the chaos in which a tragedy revolves around.

Rising Action/ Epistasis: A series of related events which together build increasing suspense and tension leading up to the twist or climax.

Climax: The most suspenseful point of the tragedy, the culmination of the main problem in the plot.

Reversal/ Peripeteia: The sudden reversal of a character’s fortune.

Hamartia: A fatal flaw or mistake which leads to the downfall of a tragic hero.

Falling Action/ Catastasis: Occurring right after the climax, the falling action wraps up loose ends leading up to the denouement making the tragedy a whole.

Catastrophe: A disastrous event which causes immense damage and suffering to the characters affected.

Denouement: The final act or scene of the tragedy, in which all matters are resolved or explained, wrapping up the tragedy.

Recognition/ Anagnorisis: The moment in the tragedy when a character recognizes a critical discovery.

Catharsis: A process of releasing and providing relief from repressed emotions.

1. The Greek term for “imitation of action” is mimesis. What does Aristotle mean by “imitation of action”? Explain.

Aristotle means that, in tragedy, each action is acted out or copied and therefore dramatized to be more expressive than reality. This means that

2. Aristotle lists six traits that determine the quality of a tragedy. What are they?

Aristotle’s six traits are plot, character, diction (mere arrangement of the words), thought, spectacle and song.

3. Is there anything else you think might be important to creating a quality tragedy? Why/ why not?

Something important to creating a quality tragedy is by maintaining suspense (rising action) which builds towards a catastrophe which will lead to the tragic deaths and/or sufferings of many characters. The tension will build up emotion (eg. pity and fear)within the reader/ viewer and will, therefore, make the catharsis of emotions more satisfying.

Another is the structure, meaning that it must have a beginning (which introduces the problem which the plot revolves around) which is followed by the middle (which contains what naturally follows the beginning and builds up to the end) and then finishing with the end (all ends are tied to bring the tragedy to a whole). Each of the three parts must be as good as the others and demonstarte unity.

4. To Aristotle, which trait is the most important: plot or character? Support your answer with a quotation from the extract. Why does he argue that this trait is more important than the other? Do you agree or disagree with this theory? Why or why not?

Aristotle strongly believes that the plot is the most important of all, it is the first principle, it is the soul of the tragedy, even if the plot is filled with the most interesting characters, the events must drive the story and characters forward. “The most beautiful colours, laid on confusedly, will not give as much pleasure as the chalk outline of a portrait.” Though his beliefs can be argued either way, I agree with the plot being more important because characters alone are stuck in one place and are unable to change unless they are affected by the plot. Whilst writing a novel, the plot is thought of first and then the characters are developed within this plot.

5. What does Aristotle suggest here about causation and plot structure?

The plot of a tragedy must be a whole, meaning that it is well structured to have a beginning, which isn’t caused by something as it doesn’t follow anything, a middle, which is caused by the beginning and causes the end and an end which is naturally by the middle and doesn’t cause anything else to follow it.

6. What does Aristotle say about unity of action?

The one action which is imitated by the plot must be in structural union, meaning that “if any one of the parts are displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed.”

7. Where do subplots fit into Aristotle’s definition of “unity” … or do they?

The subplot isn’t part of the whole, it is a side story which isn’t in unity with the main plot or action and its “absence makes no visible difference” to the main plot. The subplot therefore supports the main plot and runs parallel to it.

8. How does Aristotle define peripeteia and anagnorisis?

Aristotle defines peripeteia as “a change by which the action veers round to its opposite, subject always to our rule of probability or necessity” and anagnorisis as “a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune.”

9. What is the connection between peripeteia, anagnorisis, the ‘scene of suffering’ and catharsis?

Peripeteia and anagnorisis are connected in that they both “turn upon surprises”, the result of these two steer the plot towards the ‘scene of suffering’, the penultimate end of the narrative which will evoke catharsis of pity and fear in the audience. All three are holistically interconnected to steer the plot towards the conclusion of the tragedy and cause catharsis in the audience.

10. According to Aristotle, what kind of reversal is best for evoking pity and fear in the audience?

Aristotle states that the best kind of anagnorisis is one that is a recognition of persons that is accompanied by peripeteia, the result of which will produce either pity or fear in the audience, the actions which produce this effect being what defines the tragedy.

11. Explain the types of anagnorisis that Aristotle discusses in this extract.

12. Which type of anagnorisis does Aristotle believe is the most effective and why?

There are five types of recognition discussed by Aristotle, ordered by least to most artistic forms. The first type is recognition by signs present at birth, pieces of evidence which have been there all along which offer critical discoveries to a character. The second is those acquired after birth, such as scars, tokens or gifts. The third is one that depends on memory, when the sight of something instigates a feeling. The fourth is by the process of reasoning, the false interference of another character to reveal a critical discovery to the tragic hero. Aristotle however, believes that the best of all types of recognition is those which arise from the incidents themselves, where the critical discovery naturally comes to reveal itself as opposed to with the “artificial aid of tokens or amulets”.

Paraphrase Aristotle’s explanation of catharsis.

Catharsis means that the “fear and pity may be aroused by spectacular means; but they may also result from the inner structure of the piece, which is the better way.” Aristotle believes the best way to achieve catharsis is for the plot to be so constructed that even by hearing the tale told, the audience will receive the same effects. He also states that actions capable of this effect must happen between persons who are friends or enemies.