Aristotles Concept of Tragedy Applied to Hamlet Essay -- William Shak

Aristotles Concept of Tragedy Applied to juncture Aristotles concept of a well written tragedy is that it is an impersonation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain order of magnitude, in language embellished with each large-hearted of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate part of the play, the form of action, not of narrative, through pity and fear onusing the proper refining of these emotions (McManus). According to Aristotle, the plot is the soul of the tragedy from which the other parts much(prenominal) as characters, diction, thought, spectacle, and melody stem (McManus). Shakespeare skillfully applies Aristotles concept of tragedy, to crossroads in various ways, dramatizing what may happen or what is possible agree to the law of probability or necessity (McManus). Aristotle explains that the plot may be simple, having a change of fortune (catastrophe), or a Gordian plot, having two reversal of intention (peripeteia) and recognition (anagnorisis) along with the catastrophe (McManus). It is Aristotles thought that the complex plot is better. Aristotle would deem the plot of critical point as complex because it includes both peripeteia and anagnorsis which are combined to create the cause and effect chain. Peripeteia, as explained by Aristotle, happens when a character produces the opposite effect of which he mean to produce. There are several examples of this Hamlet mistaking Polonius as the king and thereby killing him, the poison on the sword which was intended for Hamlet kills Laertes, the poison placed in the goblet by the force which was intended for Hamlet, the Queen drinks and dies. These incidents are also termed as tragic irony. Aristotle explains that an anagnorisis is a... ...ess, murder, and death, sure meets Aristotles standard of an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude(McManus). The incidents of the suicide of Ophelia and the unt imely deaths of Hamlets father, Hamlets mother, Polonius, Larertes, and Hamlet himself accomplish the katharsis of emotions, arousing fear and pity in accordance with Astritotles theory of tragedy (McManus). Whether or not, if Aristotle would agree, let us not kibosh the tragedy of the noble heart of sweet prince Hamlet. BibliographyOutline of Aristotles theory of Tragedy in the Poetics Barbara F. McManus November 1999. November 20, 2008. http//www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.htmlHamlet, William Shakespeare. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Eds. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack, London Norton 2002. 2829-2918