Aristotle's poetics

Hello Readers! Myself payal Bambhaniya. I am pursuing master's degree from department of English, m.k. Bhavnagar university. Purpose of this blogging is to improve my writing skills.

Aristotle's poetics:-

Introduction :- 

Plato :- 

"Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance."- Plato

Born:- 428/427 Bc 

Died:- 348/347 Bc 

Occupation:- philosopher, writer

Nationality:- Greek

Notable work:- Apology, the republic, laws etc.

Plato is widely considered a pivotal figure in the history of ancient Greek and western philosophy along with his teacher Socrates and his most famous student, Aristotle.

Aristotle:-

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."-aristotle

Born:-384BCE

Died:-322BCE

Nationality:-greek

Occupation:- writer, teacher, Astronomer

Notable work:- poetics, on the soul, history of animals and ode to virtue

Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived and the first genuine scientist in history.he is a student of Plato.

Plato's main objection against poets and poetry:-

Poetry is inspiration and not rational, it's neither the correct means nor the method for finding out truth.

Poetry is written in state of frenzy.

Poetry is an art of imitation.

Aristotle's reply to Plato's charges

Poetry is not copying but making. Poet word comes from the Greek root

Poien:- to make

We learn by doing and making. Poetry represent reality in a useful way from which we can learn e.g. action of good man which are worth emulating.

Poetry v/s history

Poetry represent Universal's, what should be; as apposed to history, which represents particulars, of what has been or what is.

Poetry and catharsis:-

Poetry arouses the emotions in such a way as to increase our ability to concept them: catharsis.

Catharsis is the purification or purgation of the emotions especially pity and fear. Primarily through art.in criticism, catharsis is a metaphor used by Aristotle in the poetics to describe the effects of true tragedy on the spectator.

Theory of mimesis:-

Mimesis is a critical and philosophical terms that carries a wide range of meanings which includes imitation and mimicry. Aristotle is the founder and initaitor of this great haritage of literary criticism.

Hamartia:- 

It's an error of judgement or tragic flaw.this error of judgement may arise from 

1. Ignorance (odipus)

2.hasty and careless view (Othello)

3.decision taken voluntarily but not deliberately ( Hamlet, King Lear)

Definition of Tragedy:-

Tregedy is the branch of drama or novel.  In the  plot is the first principal the soul of tragedy.

Tragedy maintain three unities namely

1.unity of action

2.unity of time 

3.unity of place

According to Aristotle a successful tragedy is constituted by six components and they are:-

Plot, character, thought, Diction, songs and spectacle.

Plot:-

Plot is the first principal the soul of tragedy.

Plot is the structure of the play, and around which the material parts are laid, just as the soul is the structure or a man.

Here is the response to the understanding of bridge course:- Aristotle's poetics.

Q. 1  Have you studied any tragedies during B.A. programme? Who was/were the tragic protagonist in the those tragedies? What was their hamartia?

Yes, I have studied some tragedies during B.A. main to tragedy bi study they are all my sons and Othello.

Othello:-

Writer:- William Shakespeare

Protagonist:- Othello

Hamartia:- in this case, Othello's hamartia or internal tragic flaw, is his extreme jealousy. Shakespeare is full of great example of hamartia.

All my sons:-

Writer:- Arthur Miller

Protagonist:- Joe Keller

Hamartia:- according to Aristotle, a tragic hero must have hamartia, which is translated into tragic flaw. Joe's tragic flaw is pride.

Q.2 Did the plot of those tragedies follow necessary rules and regulations purposed by Aristotle?

According to Aristotle, plot is the most essential part of tragedy. He says that tragedy is an "imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude."

In a simple words, it can be said that deed, incidents, situations, motives and mental processes are all contained in the Idea of an action moving towards a specific end. All the above mentioned tragedies plot mostly follow the general concept of tragedy with some modifications rather than fixed rules and regulations purposed by Aristotle.

The tragedy Othello follows the chain of cause and effect observed by Othello's suspicious which cause jealous behaviour for Desdemona and this cause leads him to murder his own wife.

As far as the principal of probability and necessity is considered, the characters are true to nature beings, hence these kinds of incidents can be probably as well as possible too. So, the plot of the tragedy is true to that extent, that it be applicable to 21st century also.

Q.3 with the reference to the literary texts you have studied during B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which did not follow Aristotelian literary tradition.

Arthur Miller's "all my sons" is one of the texts which in some ways, follow a tradition of the Aristotelian tragedy as the tragic hero of the play, Joe Keller undergoes every major characteristics that a tragic hero of Aristotle fales.

Joe Keller fits in the frames of Aristotle's concept a tragic hero he is true to life, is consistent in his thoughts and actions, and is neither an outright Saint nor a wicked criminal but a representative of normal human beings.

Though it is considered as a modern tragedy Joe Keller, like Aristotelian hero suffer from

Hamartia:- he makes a terrible error of dispatching the faculty parts in his limited views for his business and his family. Joe suffers not as a result of any wise but as a consequence of his error in judgement.

Catharsis:- an essential function of tragedy is arousing pity and fear in a way to accomplish catharsis of emotions in all my sons.pity for character is felt thought the hardership of Larry Keller and the future of family members after Joe's suicide.

In short the play can be, in some fererance, called a model similar to Aristotelian tragedy but it cannot be an Aristotelian tragedy.

Othello:-

Another illustration is Othello a tragedy of an ideal situation where a rather good man meets a terrible end. The hero is a moor with a higher rank, and speaks acts and does in a very probable way which gives the necessary outcome of his character.

A tragic hero with hamartia:- 

Othello is a man of action; his tragic flaw is extreme jealousy. It's this jealous that leads to his catastrophic downfall. The villainous deeds of iago and his constant poisoning of Othello's ears will monstrous jealousy serve as a medium for murdering his own wife.

Catharsis:-  

Othello's cruel act of murdering Desdemona arouses pity and fear in readers and causes catharsis in such a way that a group of emotions is disturbed.