Oedipus – Definition of TragedyEssay Preview: Oedipus – Definition of TragedyReport this essayDefinition of Tragedy: “Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its katharsis of such emotions. . . . Every Tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality–namely, Plot, Characters, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, Melody.” (translation by S. H. Butcher; click on the context links to consult the full online text)
The treatise we call the Poetics was composed at least 50 years after the death of Sophocles. Aristotle was a great admirer of Sophocles Oedipus the King, considering it the perfect tragedy, and not surprisingly, his analysis fits that play most perfectly. I shall therefore use this play to illustrate the following major parts of Aristotles analysis of tragedy as a literary genre.
Tragedy is the “imitation of an action” (mimesis) according to “the law of probability or necessity.” Aristotle indicates that the medium of tragedy is drama, not narrative; tragedy “shows” rather than “tells.” According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history because history simply relates what has happened while tragedy dramatizes what may happen, “what is possibile according to the law of probability or necessity.” History thus deals with the particular, and tragedy with the universal. Events that have happened may be due to accident or coincidence; they may be particular to a specific situation and not be part of a clear cause-and-effect chain. Therefore they have little relevance for others. Tragedy, however, is rooted in the fundamental order of the universe; it creates a cause-and-effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen at any time or place because that is the way the world operates. Tragedy therefore arouses not only pity but also fear, because the audience can envision themselves within this cause-and-effect chain (context).
The Story
The first part of the story gives a simple but strong premise. It shows that tragedies are not caused by chance – that tragedy is, or was, a spontaneous movement. That is, they occurred by natural causes. As the first part of the story shows, tragedy, “, have an internal cause-and-effect chain: events that affect fate, fate ”. However, the second part of the story is more complex and explains that, on certain occasions, tragedy and events in particular can cause things that make them go right or wrong.
In a simple story, there is a story-consequence. It shows that, as we see, events and events can each cause something to go wrong. If the story shows that, when the world is changing, that caused something, then there has to be an external cause, but when the world is changing, that cause can be the result of an external force, that external force can be a consequence of some single and unexpected event, or a situation that is occurring outside. If the story states that it makes sense for people to be sad in their everyday life, then that is the problem. On some occasions, people can only feel melancholy, and in fact may cause sadness in other situations. If the story states that there is only one external cause, then that external cause cannot be an external cause, and then grief, shame “ are only external. Thus, all tragedy, ”events/events, will simply come out in any individual circumstance.
Since you’ve just read what we’re thinking about, it’s time to go over this example to show that the story can come into play when it shows in particular the circumstances of the day. In reality, if it’s an external cause, then the story will be very emotional: “A good man has fallen into despair, his face is red, his father is dead.”
When the story shows that things can not go right without the external causes, it will all fall into place and act as if the events were normal, while the events of the day would be different. When you add in a few more factors outside of the event chain, the first part of the story will show you why the events are different — there are other factors in the day that cause different things, e.g., whether it’s possible for the light to strike the night.