Aristotle’s Elements of Tragedy - 1473 Words

Aristotle is one of the most important western philosophers in history that has influenced our society in many aspects. Many of Aristotle’s teachings have affected our world for many years and still continue to have such a big impact. Some of the subjects Aristotle has influenced include: logic, physics, government and poetry. Aristotle’s study of poetry mainly focused on the elements to a good tragedy. Some of his elements have been used in Greek tragedies and modern movies. The Greek play, Medea, and the modern movie, No Country for Old Men, use elements from Aristotle philosophy, while using similar and different techniques but both achieving an effective tragedy. In Aristotle’s book, Poetics, he defines tragedy as, â€Å"an imitation of an†¦show more content†¦Deus ex machina is described as a plot device where an unsolvable problem is abruptly resolved by an unexpected interference. Aristotle clearly states in Poetics that the worst kind of plots is when the plots seem episodic and events happen in no sequence. He also stated to stay away from outside intervention, specifically deus ex machina. Although Medea didn’t follow that rule, the use of the outside intervention benefited the play. Therefore stating that Aristotle’s rules are not necessary for creating an effective tragedy. The third element used in Medea was language. The play used appropriate diction throughout the play to convey emotions felt by characters. The words and language used in the lines throughout Medea is effective because it expressed the characters emotions clearly. Medea says in the play: The pain that I’ve suffered, I’ve suffered so much worth oceans of weeping. O Children, accursed may you die-with your father! Your mother is hateful Go to hell, the whole household! Every last one† (quoted in Medea 117-120) The language used in this line shows how furious Medea. Not only is the language of the lines effective but also descriptions of the events occurred. The language used to describe actions gave intense and realistic images to the audience. This was used effective when the messenger was describing the explicit details of how the princess died from Medea’s cursed gifts. TheShow MoreRelatedOthello is Not a Tragic Hero Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesOthello is â€Å"Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?† Most readers are aware of the many famous deaths or acts of death within the Shakespearean plays. And when the main characters die in Shakespeare’s plays, indeed, the readers would categorize the play as a tragedy. The problem with any tragedy definition is that most tragic plays do not define the tragedy conditions explained or outlined by Aristotle. According to Telford (1961), a tragedy is a literary work that describes the downfallRead MoreAristotles Idea of Tragedy and the Play Fires in the Mirror1254 Words   |  6 Pageslook at tragedy. 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