Video+Clip+Explication+Plot


 * Class Tragedy**

By: Naomi and Wies

media type="youtube" key="gIPptdPF9kk" height="344" width="425"

Naomi D. and Wies M.

Mr. Brunson

Honors English 10

5 March 2010 Explication of Class Tragedy

....... The definition of plot for a Greek tragedy in Aristotle's //Poetics// is the arrangement of incidents constructed by a cause-and-effect chain of actions (Aristotle). This chain of action is important because tragedy is an imitation of action and life and must teach morals (McManus). Therefore, it is the poet's responsibility to represent nature justly to teach these morals. The cause-and-effect chain is present both in nature as well as in the play. In the Xtranormal titled //Class Tragedy// by Wies M. and Naomi D., Aristotle's idea of the parts of plot developing the structure of the play as well as creating a unity of action, are represented. ....... The beginning of the plot is called the incentive moment, which starts the cause-and-effect chain of actions. The incentive moment is when the characters in the //Class Tragedy//, created by Wies and Naomi, decide to get together and work on the assignment (Naomi, Wies). This event starts the cause-and-effect chain. Discussing their plans leads to action, and is therefore in accordance to Aristotle's idea of plot, because each event is caused by the one before it. The complication or “desis”, occurs when the characters in //Class Tragedy// are ready to give their presentation and Sam presents a project that was unknown to Julie introducing the conflict (McManus, Naomi, Wies). This occurrence leads into the middle of the play, and is still following the continuous chain of cause-and-effect actions. The conflict between the characters follows the structure that was described above. Events that occur with outside intervention are called "episodic" and are usually not critical to understanding the play (McManus). Each incident is bound together by necessity, and leads to the next event. Due to this necessary sequence of scenes with no outside intervention, the Xtranormal is not considered “episodic”. As each scene and incident unfolds in the beginning of the Xtranormal play, one can see that Aristotle's parts of plot are combining, while creating a unity of action. ....... Next in the structure of the play, the incentive moment is followed by the middle which is created by earlier events that occur in the Xtranormal. After the incident in the Xtranormal, Julie confronts Sam about changing the project and making her have a worse grade (Naomi, Wies). This incident is part of the cause-and-effect chain as it leads to Sam facing a conflict that was not present before. When Sam realizes what he did in //Class Tragedy//, it represents anagnorisis, which is "a change from ignorance to knowledge" (Aristotle). As he realizes, Julie also finds out about Sam's plan of cheating. Her new knowledge causes the future events to happen as the teacher finds out about Sam's secret. The teacher finding out represents Aristotle's idea of peripetia towards Sam, which "occurs when a character produces an effect opposite to that which he intended to produce" (McManus). He intended to receive a good grade, but actually ended up getting in trouble. Not telling Julie made the conflict grow, because otherwise the teacher would have never found out. These incidents in the middle of the Xtranormal play, once again show how Aristotle's unity of action brings the play together. ....... Furthermore, while //Class Tragedy// exemplifies many of the traits of plot, it is also supported by the philosophy behind Aristotle's Poetics. According to Aristotle, the unity of action involves connecting all the events in a plot with no outside interference, while the three unities are a time frame of 24 hours, a single setting, and one complete action. (McManus) The unity of action is represented as all the events lead to the next with a probable sequence. The three unities are represented as it takes place in less than 24 hours, has the single setting of Sam and Julie’s school, and contains one complete action started by Sam being uncooperative. The cause-and-effect chain originates from Aristotle’s Law of Probability, meaning that events happen in a probable sequence, all relating to one another (Aristotle). This could be compared to a ball being rolled across a surface as it starts the chain of events, is given one push then keeps going in a continuous straight line until it stops. The ball won’t change direction unless interrupted by other objects, as this is a probable sequence and has happened before. Aristotle believed that plays should be "of a certain magnitude," not too simple, seeing as it must manipulate emotions, but not too complex so it can be understood clearly (Aristotle). If a play is too simple, the playwrights won't be able to teach their morals and manipulate the audience's emotions like they would when a play contains many events. As in //Class Tragedy//, the greater amount of events happening allows Wies and Naomi to better strike pity into the audience's emotions as they feel sorry for Julie for what Sam did to her. The unities, cause-and-effect chain, and magnitude of a play are all important philosophical parts to combine and make up a play described in Aristotle's Poetics. ....... To close off, Aristotle's states that, "Plot is the first principle, the most important feature of tragedy" (McManus). Using the structure of Aristotle's idea of plot makes it easier to create a meaningful tragedy. As it is the most important feature of tragedy, it is needed to develop the tragic play. Therefore to make the Xtranormal a Greek Tragedy, it was necessary to represent Aristotle's idea of all the different parts of plot combined to create the structure of the play as well as a unity of action. In conclusion, if one desires to write a Greek Tragedy, the most important feature is to follow the structure.

Works Cited ........ D., Naomi. M., Wies. “Class Tragedy.” Video. 1 March 2010. Youtube. Accessed 3 March 2010. ........ ........ McManus, Barbara F. //Outline of Aristotle’s// //Theory of Tragedy in the Poetics.// The College of New Rochelle. Web. November 1999.

........ Aristotle. //Poetics//. Trans. S. H. Butcher. //The Internet Classics Archive//. Web Atomic and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 13 Sept. 2007. Web. 4 Nov. 2008. .