Aristotle wrote the Poetics as a work of literary criticism. He reviewed and analyzed many plays written in his time. This essay discusses the features of Greek tragedy in the context of those Poetics and how these features are manifested in Sophocles' Oedipus. Greek tragedy has all the elements of drama presented by Aristotle in his Poetics. These elements are reversal, discovery and calamity. Further, according to Aristotle the divisions of tragedy are the prologue, episode, exode, and choral song. (Poetics 1452b). Oedipus, a tragedy written by Sophocles, embodies each of these characteristics and provides...
Oedipus, saved and raised by another, listens to yet another oracle and discovers the terrible truth of his fate, which is, of course, to kill his father and marry is mother. This is the plot. When he leaves his "father," not Laius, but the man who found and raised him the tragedy begins to unfold. In his attempts to escape the fate the Gods have chosen, he makes the decision that will seal it. He experiences a reversal in luck when he…
While the judges can be considered responsible for hamartia, Socrates himself is also accountable for hamartia when considering that he plays an important role in influencing the judges in wanting to put him to death. He actually has a choice, but he is reluctant to adopt an attitude that would induce feelings related to mercy. Ethos is also a dominant concept across Socrates' discourse, as he apparently believed that by influencing
Aristotle's Poetics Elements of Tragedy According to Aristotle, tragedy needs to be an imitation of life according to the law of probability or necessity. Tragedy is serious, complete, and has magnitude. It must have a beginning, middle, and end and be spoken in language that is fit for noble characters. Furthermore it must be acted, as opposed to epic poetry, which is narrated. Tragedy shows rather than tells. Finally it must result
Othello Aristotle's Poetics is the most informative piece of work on the nature of art. It is in the Poetics that Aristotle defines the fundamental nature of tragedy. For Aristotle, what defines tragedy (and all art, in general) is in the way that it is imitation (Golden 142). Every form of art (qua imitation) can be compared in terms of the artistic means, object, and manner used in their creation. In
Aristotle and Happiness What is the point of life? Happiness? Virtue? Power? All of these? The ancient Greek philosophers would have pushed us gently in the direction of virtue, although they would also have argued that both happiness and power derive from virtue and so the quest for a fulfilled life does not have to be seen in terms of a trade-off between doing good and doing well. This paper examines
Aristotle's Politics Dear Aristotle, I must say I was particularly impressed by your Politics. It was an interesting read precisely because it commented on the basic nature of man -- man is a political animal; of society, communities and the concept of the City. Living the modern world, the concept of "the City" has always confused me because modern urban settings seem so inhuman sometimes -- so immersed in modern materialism or
Poetry, Drama, Aristotle, Sophocles's Oedipus To Aristotle, Oedipus the King represented the embodiment of the perfect tragedy and the idealistic representation of a hero. He saw the renown figure of a hero battling mythical creatures transposed into the image of a hero battling with his own self, in terms of his existence and behaviour. He drew certain elements concerning tragedy in his work Poetics, where he also revealed the tragic hero
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now