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

Aristotles Concept of Tragedy Applied to Hamlet Aristotles concept of a tumesce written tragedy is that it 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 move of the play, the form of action, not of narrative, through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions (McManus). According to Aristotle, the plot is the soul of the tragedy from which the other parts such as characters, diction, thought, spectacle, and melody stem (McManus). Shakespeargon skillfully applies Aristotles concept of tragedy, to Hamlet in various ways, dramatizing what may happen or what is possible accord to the law of probability or necessity (McManus). Aristotle explains that the plot may be simple, having a change of fortune (catastrophe), or a complex plot, having both substitution of intention (peripety) and recognition (anagnorisis) alo ng with the catastrophe (McManus). It is Aristotles belief that the complex plot is better. Aristotle would deem the plot of Hamlet 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 intended 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 King 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, certainly 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 untimely deaths of Hamlets father, Hamlet s mother, Polonius, Larertes, and Hamlet himself accomplish the katharsis of emotions, arousing fear and pity in treaty with Astritotles theory of tragedy (McManus). Whether or not, if Aristotle would agree, let us not forget the tragedy of the noble heart of sweet prince Hamlet. BibliographyOutline of Aristotles scheme 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