OutlineDoT

I. Definition of tragedy ....... A. Tragedy .............. 1. Beginning ..................... a) //Poetics// was written 50 years after Sophocles ..................... b) Aristotle admired Sophocles and Oedipus Rex, the perfect tragedy ............................ 1) Fits with Aristotle’s analysis perfectly .............. 2. An imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of certain magnitude ..................... a) Complete, has beginning, middle and end ..................... b) Magnitude, 24 hours due to advancements of the time ..................... c) Life consists in action ..................... d) Doesn’t imitate man, imitates actions ..................... e) Everything is an action, even life .............. 3. Found in the form of action creating pity and fear ..................... a) Causes teaching to the audience by implementing fear in them ..................... b) Helps accomplish catharsis- cleansing of emotions .............. 4. 6 Parts (In order of importance) ..................... a) Plot ............................ 1) Soul of tragedy ............................ 2) Imitation of the actions ............................ 3) Arrangement of incidents in cause-and-effect in order for it to be perfect .................................. (a) Everything happens because it was bound to happen because of a previous event, cause-and-effect ............................ 4) Most powerful elements of tragedy .................................. (a) Peripeteia- reversal of the situation .................................. (b) Creates more pity and fear ..................... b) Character ............................ 1) Determines men’s qualities ............................ 2) Their happiness or sadness depends on their actions ............................ 3) Reveals moral purposes .................................. (a) Shows what the character wants to do and avoid ............................ 4) Shows moral excellence, that of a hero ............................ 5) Speeches doesn’t show what he choose to avoid .................................. (a) Not expressive of character ..................... c) Thought ............................ 1) Saying what is possible given the situation ............................ 2) Old poets make characters speak language of civil life ............................ 3) New poets make characters speak rhetorically ..................... d) Diction ............................ 1) The expression of the meaning in words .................................. (a) Expressing feelings in words ............................ 2) Same expression in verse as in prose ..................... e) Songs ............................ 1) Referred as embellishment ............................ 2) Another way of imitation ..................... f) Spectacle ............................ 1) Least connected with poetic side ............................ 2) Depends more on stage machinist than poet .................................. (a) Depends on what the stage crew do, not planned by the poet

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