defining a tragedy
Defining a Tragedy Defining, a Tragedy Greek philosopher Aristotle proposes components of an ideal tragedy in his work, Tragedy and the Emotions of Pity and Fear. According to Aristotle, there are six components of a great tragedy: plot, character, thought, verbal expression, song, and visual adornment. He dissects these components in great detail and provides standards for all of them. In his play Bacchae, Euripides resembles much of Aristotle's components of an ideal tragedy. Euripides has only few deviations from the Aristotelian tragedy. To Aristotle, a tragedy is defined as an imitation of action and life, not of an imitation of men. Therefore, he places higher emphasis the role of plot in a tragedy, rather than the role of character. He describes the species and components of a plot in great detail. For completeness, a plot must have a beginning, middle, and an end. A plot should be structured so that every part is necessary for completeness. The elements of a plot are peripety, recognition, and pathos. Peripety is a change in fortune, recognition is a change from ignorance to knowledge, and pathos is a destructive or painful act. Furthermore, Aristotle states that a tragedy is not merely an imitation of actions, but of even
The term deus ex machina refers to a divine intervention to resolve a dramatic dilemma. This ability comes from the arts of politic and rhetoric. The ritual dresses provide a savage and fanatical mode throughout the play. A well-constructed plot should, therefore, not have a change of fortune from bad to good, but, on the other hand, from good to bad. The audience is left to feel pity and fear because Pentheus' own mother takes part in his killing. " This is a divine intervention at the end of a tragedy that provides a solution for the plot. The audience experiences a catharsis by realizing that civilization should make room for natural human urges toward ecstasy and joy. As Agave participates with the other women in tearing apart Pentheus, the chorus is horrified by the action. In a scene with Pentheus, Dionysus' words indicate the occurrence of various physical manifestations of his power: earthquake and partial collapse of the palace, lightning and a burst of flame from Semele's grave. He explains that this aspect can have strong emotional effect but is the least artistic element. Dionysus, at the end of the play, acts as a "deus ex machina. Dionysus reveals himself as a god and explains his punishment for his disbelievers. Dionysus says to Pentheus, "the vengeance for this outrage he will wreak whose being thou deniest. If they do not, those urges will sicken and destroy us from within. In respect to character, Aristotle defines a tragic hero as one who must have high status but must also be noble and virtuous.
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