Aristotle was a Greek philosopher born in 384 BC who studied under Plato. In his work Poetics, he outlined his concept of tragedy. According to Aristotle, a tragedy must have unity of action, time, and place. It should evoke emotions of pity and fear in the audience and result in catharsis or purification. The tragic character should be neither perfectly good nor entirely evil, but realistic and consistent in their actions. The plot must depict a single, coherent action that leads to a change in fortune through probable and necessary events.

1. POETICS
BY
“ARISTOTLE”
PRESENTED BY:
MUGHEES KHAN
MILLAT COLLEGE JHANG

2. BIOGRAPHY
BORN IN “STAGIRA IN
384 BC”.
STUDENT OF “PLATO”.
FATHER, “NICOMACUS”
WAS A COURT
PHYSICIAN.
DIED IN 322 B.C IN
MOTHER’S CITY
“CHALCIS”.

3. Concept of Tragedy
► Serious Action
► Complete
► Must have an Ideal
Magnitude
► Attractive Language
► Pity & fear
► Catharsis

4. ACTION MUST BE COMPLETE
ACTION
BEGINNING END
MIDDLE

5. MAGNITUDE
► NOT SO BIG SIZE THAT
AUDIENCE FEEL
INCONVINEINCE TO HOLD
ATTENTION
► NOT SO SHORT THAT
INCIDENTS REMAIN
UNCLEAR
► AN IDEAL MAGNITUDE

6. ATTRACTIVE LANGUAGE
► TRAGEDY WAS
PRESENTED IN
VERSE FORM.
► CHORUS WAS
THERE TO SING
SONGS.
► THE VERSE
LANGUAGE
BEAUTIFIES &

7. PITY & FEAR; FUNCTION OF
TRAGEDY
► ARISTOTLE LEFT
THE TERM
UNEXPLAINED.
► MEANINGS:
PITY: FOR THE
TRAGIC
CHARACTERS.
FEAR: FOR
AUDIENCE, ITSELF.
► 3 MAJOR THEORIES
OF CATHARSIS.

8. 1- PURGATION THEORY
► A MEDICAL
INTERPRETATION.
► PASSINS & EMOTIONS ARE
REDUCED TO HEALTHY
BALANCE.
► TWO CONCEPTS OF THEORY
 LIKE CURING THE LIKE.
 UNLIKE CURING THE
UNLIKE.

9. I- LIKE CURING THE LIKE
► INWARD
RESTLESSNESS IS
CURED BY
OUTWARD
RESTLESSNESS.
► SAME SUBSTANCE
CURES THE SAME
THING

10. II- UNLIKE CURING THE
UNLIKE
► JUST LIKE ALLOPATHIC
TREATMENT
► A DIFFERENT
SUBSTANCE CURES
THE DIFFERENT THING
► THE FIRE OF PRIDE &
ANGER IS COOLED
DOWN BY WATERING
OF SOFT HEARTED
EMOTIONS.

11. 2- PURIFICATION THEORY
► IT MEANS MORAL
CODITIONING.
► NOT ONLY
EMOTIONAL RELIEF
BUT PURIFICATION
OF EMOTIONS.

12. 3- CLARIFICATION THEORY
► PITY & FEAR IS
CONNECTED WITH
INCIDENTS OF
TRAGEDY.
► EMOTIONS OF
AUDIENCE HAS
NOTHING TO DO
WITH CATHARSIS.

13. PLOT
► ARRANGMENTS OF
EVENTS IN LOGICAL
MANNERS.
► DEPICT A SINGLE
ACTION
► SIMPLE PLOT INVOLVES
NO VOILENT CHANGE
► COMPLEX PLOT
INVOLVES
“CHANGE OF
FORTUNE + AWARENESS OF
REALITY”.

14. PLOT
► WRITER SHOULD CUT
DOWN WHAT IS
UNNECESSARY.
► ONLY INCLUDE
NECESSARY &
PROBABLE ELEMENTS.
► NO SUPERFLOUS
DETAIL
► THIS IS ALSO CALLED
“ICE-BERG THEORY”

15. DRAMATIC UNITIES
► UNITY OF ACTION:
“ ACTION SHOULD BE LOGICAL
& COHERENT. IT MUST
LEADS TOWARDS SINGLE
END”
► UNITY OF TIME:
“ TIME SHOULD BE SINGLE
REVOLOUTION OF SUN OR
AN IDEAL, SUITABLE LIMIT”
► UNITY OF PLACE:
“ ACTIONS MUST NOT
PRESENTED ON DIFFERENT
PARTS ”
(ARISTOTLE MENTIONS ONLY
UNITY OF ACTION. LATER
BOTH ARE ASCRIBED TO

16. TRAGIC CHARACTER
► FOUR ESSENTIALS
OF A TRAGIC
CHARACTER…

17. TRAGIC CHARACTER
► GOODNESS
I- NEITHER TOO GOOD
NOR ENTIRELY
WICKED
PERSON.
II- AN INTERMEDIATE
SORT OF PERSON.

18. TRAGIC CHARACHTER
► TRUE TO TYPE/
APPROPRIATENESS
I- “MUST BE
REPRESENTATIVE OF
ITS CLASS”
II- “MUST TAKE
DECISIONS AS THAT
SPECIFIC
CLASS TAKES.”

19. TRAGIC CHARACHTER
► TRUE TO LIFE
MUST BELONG TO
HUMAN CLASS.
SHOULD NOT BE A
SUPERNATURAL
CREATION

20. TRAGIC CHARACHTER
► CONSISTENCY
 IT SHOULD REMAIN
CONSISTENT IN HIS
DOINGS.
 “OEDIPUS REX” IS A
FINE EXAMPLE OF IT.

21. SESSION ENDS HERE