ARISTOTLE'S DEFINITION OF TRAGEDY

Aristotle's definition of tragedy found in Poetics, is an analysis of Sophocles' Oedipus the King . It is a classical definition used throughout history to define tragedy, but also has been used for discussion of drama in general.

"Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear affecting the proper purgation of these emotions."

Notes on this definition from the classical point of view:

The imitation of the action --the arrangement of the incidents.

Serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude : Unity of plot demands the structural union of the parts so that if any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed.)

In Language embellished: The accepted verse of the era.

In the form of action : Denotes dramatic action, not activity, which is the movement of spirit behind the play. It is purposeful, varied, probable, and engages interest. For instance, "Find the killer of Laius" is the dramatic action of Oedipus the King . The entire play happens because of that action.

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