According to Aristotle, tragedy depicts the downfall of a good person through some mistake. This evokes pity and fear in the audience, which is the natural human response to suffering that could happen to anyone. For Aristotle, a true tragedy arouses and then purges emotions. The demise of the tragic hero must result from their own flawed action, not just bad luck, and a nobler hero will elicit more grief at their downfall. The hero must be good but also bear responsibility for their fate through some choice or decision.

1. Aristotle:
"A man cannot become a hero
until he can see the root of his
own downfall."

2. Tragedy depicts the downfall of a
basically good person through some
fatal error or misjudgment,
producing suffering and insight on
the part of the protagonist and
arousing pity and fear on the part of
the audience.

3. According to Aristotle, pity and fear are the
natural human response to spectacles of
pain and suffering--especially to the sort of
suffering that can strike anybody at any
time. Aristotle goes on to say that tragedy
affects "the catharsis of these emotions"--
in effect arousing pity and fear only to
purge them, as when we exit a scary movie
feeling relieved or exhilarated.
A true tragedy should evoke pity
and fear on the part of the
audience.

4. As Aristotle points out, the fall of a
scoundrel or villain evokes applause rather
than pity. As a rule, the nobler and more
truly admirable a person is the greater will
be our anxiety or grief at his or her
downfall.
The tragic hero must be
essentially admirable and good

5. In Aristotle's view there is no such thing as an
innocent victim of tragedy, nor can a
genuinely tragic downfall ever be purely a
matter of blind accident or bad luck. Instead,
authentic tragedy must always be the product
of some fatal choice or action, for the tragic
hero must always bear at least some
responsibility for his own doom.
In a true tragedy, the hero's
demise must come as a result of
some personal error or decision.

6. In Aristotle's view there is no such thing as an
innocent victim of tragedy, nor can a
genuinely tragic downfall ever be purely a
matter of blind accident or bad luck. Instead,
authentic tragedy must always be the product
of some fatal choice or action, for the tragic
hero must always bear at least some
responsibility for his own doom.
In a true tragedy, the hero's
demise must come as a result of
some personal error or decision.