literary criticism
We talked about the 6 constituent parts of a tragedy in the previous blog.
The plot or the arrangement of incidents is the most important part of tragedy.
Aristotle says- ‘without action there cannot be a tragedy; there may be without character.
‘character, determines men’s qualities, but it is by their actions that they are happy or reverse.
Therefore the deeds done by them (woven in the plot) is what matters the most. Since deeds issue from character, character is the next only in importance to plot.
Then follows thought- what a character thins during the career in the play.
Thought tells about men’s mental and emotional reactions to the circumstances in which they find themselves.
So plot, character and thought constitute the poet’s objects of imitation
Plot- action
Character- men
Thought- men’s mental and emotional reactions
Medium of diction- the means of expressing- song being a part of it.
Spectacle- connected least with the art of poetry- the work of the stage mechanics. It constitute the manner in which the play is presented to the public.
The structure of the plot-
Unity of action- Aristotle believed that it is necessary for a good plot to have unity in the actions taking place in the play. Only those action should appear in the play those are intimately connected with each other.
Unity of time- Aristotle mentioned it in passing about unity of time. He didn’t say that it was a condition for a good plot. He said that a tragedy should confine, as far as possible, to a single revolution of the sun or slightly exceed this limit.
Unity of place- Aristotle nowhere mentions about unity of place.