POETICS - Aristotle

Prepared by Beula Merlin

Aristotle is the great disciple of Plato. Dante called him “ the master of

those who know”. It was he took up the challenge of

Plato at the end of Republic . Poetry was not only pleasant , but

also useful for man and society. The poetics is a systematic exposition

of the theory and practice of poetry. The poetics is an epoch-making work. Poetic was published in about 335 B.C

INTRODUCTION

Introductory remarks on poetry and its classification.

Tragedy. Poetic diction. Narrative poetry and Tragedy .

Epic is compared with Tragedy.

Objections are answered.

Poetics is divided into six parts

There are three ways of imitation:-Means or medium of imitation – sound, form, color.

Objects of imitation – men in action.

Manner of imitation –narrative and dramatic.

ARISTOTLE AND THEORY OF IMITATION

According to Aristotle, “Tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude, in a language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, each kind brought separately in separate parts of the work, in the form of action and not in the narrative form, with incidents arousing fear and pity and wherewith to accomplish the Catharsis of such emotions”.

TRAGEDY: DEFINITION

CharacterPlotThoughtDiction and styleSong or melodySpectacle or stage effect

FORMATIVE PARTS OF TRAGEDY

Characters should be good.

Characters should be appropriate.

Characters should be true to life.

Characters should be consistent.

CHARACTER

Plot should be whole. It should have a magnitude.

Organic unity.Probability and Necessity.

Willing suspension of disbelief.

PLOT

Peripetia (Reversal).

Anagnorisis (Discovery).

Suffering .

FORMATIVE ELEMENTS OF PLOT

The ways with which thought can employed are ;Proof and refutation.Production of emotional effects.

Introduction of the importance or signification of anything.

THOUGHT

Diction is the choice and arrangement of words and image in a literary composition. According to Aristotle a poet may use six type of words ;1. Current ordinary terms.2. Foreign terms borrowed or

dialects.3. Metaphors4. Ornamental Periphrasis5. Invented words.6. Not invented, but made new

lengthening or shortening.

DICTION AND STYLE

Songs is the pleasurable addition to a play. In a tragedy, song is provided by the Chorus. The quantitative sections of tragedy are ;PrologueChoric song EpisodeExode

SONGS OR MELODY

*Spectacle is the mode of imitation by which the story is presented on a stage before an audience. It is the sight of disaster and Aristotle calls this spectacle. Spectacle can raise fear and pity in the spectator.

SPECTACLE OR STAGE EFFECT

Unity of plot in epic. Contrast between epic and

tragedy. Superiority of tragedy over epic. Tragedy is possible without

character but not without plot. Epic is of four types : simple and

complex, epic of character, epic of suffering.

Tragedy is of four types : The complex tragedy, the tragedy of suffering, the tragedy of character, the tragedy of spectacle.

EPIC AND TRAGEDY

THANK YOU

PREPARED BY,

BEULA MERLIN K.N