Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy
Tragedy is one of the genres of plays and has been used exceptionally by the writers over the years. However, the definition of tragedy is complex and Aristotle’s definition has been accepted as the most appropriate. According to Aristotle, tragedy uses action that is direct rather than narrative to attain the result.
Further, he states that tragedy aims to make a catharsis happen in the audience where catharsis refers to the arousal of fear and pity amongst the audiences and then purge those emotions as they leave the theater. Shakespeare’s tragedies have all been great examples of the tragedy explained by Aristotle. Othello, the Moor of Venice in particular, has touched almost all the points that make it a perfect Aristotelian tragedy.
The aim of the essay is to discuss Aristotle’s concept of tragedy in details and establish Othello as a tragic hero and identify the play as a tragedy as per Aristotle’s definition.
Discussion
In his seminal work Poetics, the Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle included extensive explanations of several terms and concepts of literature that are used even today. His work on tragedy and the tragic hero in particular attracted much attention from the Elizabethan era writers in England. In the direct words of Aristotle, tragedy is “the imitation of an action that is serious and also as having magnitude, complete in itself” (James T Farrell). He further explains, “Tragedy is a form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear”.
From this definition of tragedy, one could clearly understand the fundamental difference between a work of tragedy and of other genres such as comedy and romance. The purging of the emotions (catharsis) like pity and fear is achieved when the audiences witness the protagonist experiencing certain disastrous and moving transformations.
Aristotle further stated that tragedy must include six chief elements – plot, character, thought, song, spectacle and diction. Out of these six elements, the first two, that is, plot and character are primary. Aristotle stated that the plot is the major element of any tragedy. Characters, he states, “come in as contributing to the action” but the plot is the “end of the tragedy” (Silvia Carli).
He described the plot as the first principle and character as the second principle in a tragedy. He further delves upon the importance the plot in tragedy and states that the plot should be an absolute whole with specific beginning, middle and end (Amechi N Akwanya). It should be so that the audiences are not faced with any difficulty comprehending the separate parts and the overall unity both. In addition, Aristotle states that the tragedy must have a plot that has one central theme where all the facts are related logically to show the misfortunes of the protagonist. It should be done while emphasizing on the “dramatic causation and probability of the events” (Silvia Carli).
Aristotle’s tragic hero is very complex and unique than are other heroes. The tragic hero as defined by Aristotle is the one who dwells upon success and power but later is found in misfortune and suffering. A flaw in his own character or a “fatal error of judgment”, states Aristotle, causes the suffering and misfortune. Oedipus, according to Aristotle is one of the finest examples of a tragic hero because he had to suffer despite being a noble man.
The Elements of Tragedy in Drama
Hamartia or tragic flaw is one of the major characteristics while hubris refers to too much pride and disregard for the natural arrangement of things (David Krasner). Peripeteia or a reversal of fortune caused by the judgmental error is another characteristic of the tragic hero. Further, the tragic hero also faces anagnorisis, referring to an instant when the hero makes a crucial discovery in the plot (Jonathan Lear).
An ancient Greek term, drama means a ‘deed’ or an ‘act’. In Poetics, Aristotle explained that drama refers to the different poetic compositions, which the actors ‘act’ in front of the audiences in a theater (Zornitsa Dimitrova). Within drama, Aristotle included the two forms – comedy and tragedy. Aristotle considered comedy as a drama since it included acts that made the spectators laugh. Tragedy is also considered a form of drama because the acts it represents make the audiences feel fear and pity (David Johnson).
Mimesis or imitation is one of the most vital components of drama, claimed Aristotle. He further claimed that dramatic texts and performances were imitations of deeds or actions performed in real life by the people. In his views, dramas present unique forms of poetry as these use actual ideas, texts and actions to create likely views of reality.
Aristotle’s idea about drama also revolves around the plot. According to Aristotle, a plot in drama must go through five stages starting with setting. The setting must be followed by rising action, then the climax and then the falling question. The last stage is the resolution.
William Shakespeare’s one of the most popular and influential plays, Othello, the Moor of Venice has all the elements of the Aristotelian tragedy and the tragic hero. It thus has all the components of a drama that Aristotle explained. The plot of the drama revolves around the story of Othello, a Moor who also happens to the general of the Venetian Army. Other main characters include Iago, Othello’s ensign and the chief antagonist of the drama, Desdemona, Othello’s wife and Cassio, the most loyal and beloved captain of Othello. The play has five acts within which the entire tragedy unfolds. At the end of the play, Othello ends up killing his wife Desdemona on instigation by Iago and then kills himself when the truth is revealed.
Othello is a brave, courageous and competent general as well a soldier. He is loyal to his Venetian people and the army despite being a Moor. The daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio, Desdemona falls in love with Othello and he elopes with her making the senator angry. Iago, Othello’s ensign takes this as an opportunity to destroy Othello by manipulating him. He succeeds in making Othello believe that Desdemona is infidel and Othello ends up murdering his own wife.
As evident, Othello is the perfect Aristotelian tragic hero, who possesses all the characteristics like hamartia, hubris, peripeteia and anagnorisis. As per Aristotle’s description, a tragic hero must have ‘tragic flaw’ (hamartia) and Othello has the tragic flaws, most prominent of which are gullibility and jealousy. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be noble and have goodness. Othello is a noble man as he possesses a high rank and has a good heart. Despite having goodness, Othello’s fatal tragic flaws lead to his downfall. Insecurity is another tragic flaw that Othello has because he is an alien to Venice because of his Moorish background.
The Tragic Hero in Aristotle’s Concept of Tragedy
This flaw further makes him an easy target for Iago to manipulate and destroy his own life. “She’s gone, I am abused, and my relief must be to loathe her. Oh, curse of marriage that we can call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites”(Othello, Act 3, Scene 3) (William Shakespeare). The reversal of Othello’s fate (peripeteia) begins when he starts suspecting Desdemona on instigation from Othello, especially the discovery of the fateful ‘handkerchief’. The anagnorisis for Othello occurs at the climax when he finds about the deceit of Iago and that Desdemona was innocent. The hubris in Othello is that he thinks he is a great general and he cannot go wrong in suspecting Desdemona and her infidelity. These flaws in Othello’s character make people pity him and fear for his actions and its consequences, which is another important requirement of a tragic hero.
Othello, the Moor of Venice also qualifies as an Aristotelian in that it succeeds in arousing pity and fear in the audiences and results in catharsis. Further, the plot of the drama has an explicit beginning, middle and an end. It is the most crucial element of a tragedy and in Othello; it has been given utmost importance. The ‘handkerchief’ episode is one prime example of the power of the plot. Then, the second most important element – character – plays the all-important role of arousing pity and fear and ultimately catharsis. Iago, in particular, is a character that is still regarded one of the deadliest villains ever created by Shakespeare (Laura DeLuca). This shows the amount of work that has been put into shaping and building the characters.
Conclusion
Overall, Othello could be rightfully labeled as Aristotelian’s tragedy and Othello as Aristotelian tragic hero. This is evident from the discussion above that sheds light on the concept of tragedy and the tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. The essay provided an extensive discussion on Aristotle’s concept of tragedy and then elaborated on the tragic hero. It was found that tragedy according to Aristotle is imitating and action, which is serious and arouses pity and fear in the audiences. Further, the tragic hero must be good but must have a tragic flaw that would lead to his downfall and resulting catharsis in the audiences. The analysis of the play by Shakespeare found that justifies Aristotelian tragedy and tragic hero completely.
Akwanya, Amechi N. “’Aristotle’s Double Bequest to Literary Theory and Two Discourses of Truth.’’.” International Journal of Humanities and SocialSciences (IJHSS) 3 (2014): 35-46.
Carli, Silvia. “The Love Affair between Philosophy and Poetry: Aristotle’s Poetics and Narrative Identity.” The Southern Journal of Philosophy 53.2 (2015): 151-177.
DeLuca, Laura. “The Manipulation of Masks: The Rhetoric and Deceit of Shakespeare’s Character Lago.” Bergen Scholarly Journal (2015): 25.
Dimitrova, Zornitsa. “A Drama of Potentialities—Toward an Ontology.” Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism 31.1 (2016): 65-85.
Farrell, James T. “Some Observations on Naturalism, So Called, in Fiction.” The Antioch Review 74.3 (2016): 528-544.
Johnson, David. “Beyond tragedy: Otelo Burning and the limits of post-apartheid nationalism.” Journal of African Cultural Studies 26.3 (2014): 348-351.
Krasner, David. “Tragedy and Dramatic Theatre by Hans-Thies Lehmann.” Theatre Journal 69.1 (2017): 121-122.
Lear, Jonathan. “Testing the limits: the place of tragedy in Aristotle’s ethics.” Aristotle and Moral Realism. Routledge, 2018. 61-98.
Shakespeare, William, Samuel Weller Singer, and William Watkiss Lloyd. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Vol. 10. G. Bell, 1875.
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