Hamlet
Aristotle's Poetics is considered the guide to a well written tragedy; his methods have been used for centuries. In this guide, he sets out the six elements that compose a great tragedy. In Aristotle's opinion, plot is the most important aspect of the tragedy. All other parts such as character, diction, and thought stem from the plot. Aristotle defines a tragedy as an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament. The ornaments are separate parts of the play in the form of action, not of narrative, and in the form of pity and fear effecting sympathy from the audience. Shakespeare's Hamlet follows this definition for the most part.The play centers around Hamlet's quest to avenge his father's death; this is a serious action. It is also complete in the sense that all the loose ends are tied together in a sensible, believable manner. Hamlet is able to avenge his father
Shakespeare utilizes diction perfectly and everything his characters say is appropriate for them to be saying. The audience feels pity for Ophelia throughout her ordeal as well. The gravediggers are common men and therefore they speak like common men. There is an obvious and necessary difference between the way he speaks and the way the gravediggers speak. For instance, the whole aspect of the subplot about Ophelia's insanity adds much to the play. The play spans over a significant period of time. Aristotle believes that in order for a tragedy to be effective, it must convey pity and fear. The audience can relate to this uncertain feeling and they are able to empathize with Hamlet. In reality, Hamlet would not have the same impact if it followed all the guidelines. He is also unsure of himself and how he should handle the situation. Also, the action occurs in various settings ranging from the palace to a plain in Denmark. Aristotle would not approve of all the subplots that occur within this play.
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