Aristotle's Concept regarding Plot
- 2. “A tragedy is impossible without plot, but there may be one without character.” Aristotle has considered plot as the “soul of tragedy”
- 3. is “Biological” He compares tragedy with a Living Organism “Skeleton”
- 4. In Greek, the word ‘Poet’ means “maker”. Story General Plot Specific The Poet reduces the story into its essentials, he sketches the general outline. The making of story into plot is called episodizing.
- 5. “… complete in itself, also having magnitude” Completeness=Proper/Logical Beginning Proper/Logical Middle Proper/Logical Ending Connected Incidents or Events Logical sequence
- 6. It involves Size or the Length of the plot. The proper magnitude demands that the plot be neither too short, nor too long. Beauty depends upon size. The length of the plot should be such that its parts can be easily remembered in relation to the whole.
- 8. Aristotle compares the action of a tragedy to a living organism. Structural unity Plot must not be ‘Episodic’.
- 9. The change from Happiness to Misery seems more appropriate for the arousal of pity and fear. Therefore, Aristotle seems to prefer the fatal plot to a fortunate plot.
- 10. Aristotle Prefers the complex plot as it is having both Peripety and Anagnorisis for the downfall of the hero. Peripety: Reversal of Situation Anagnorisis: Discovery ofTruth The best tragedy is the one which uses both these techniques at one time.
- 11. Peripety andAnagnorisis occurring simultaneously heightens the tragic effect. However in all cases these must occur according to the laws of probability and necessity, and not arbitrarily.
- 12. Complication It is that part of tragedy which extends from the part where the turning point occurs. Denouement It is that which extends from the turning point to the end of tragedy
- 14. The Denouement should be aimed towards a SINGLE end, and not towards the ‘double- end’ in which there are reward s for some of the persons and punishment for other. Aristotle is against ‘poetic justice’ in tragedy. Also againstTragicomedy.
- 15. 1) Unity of Place 2) Unity ofTime 3) Unity of Action
- 16. There has to be a single action consisting of episodes, which are logically connected and casually related.