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Afeefa Nishaat

Professor Nidhi Vats

MA English Previous, Paper 0103

31 October 2018

Topic: The concept of 'Plot' in Aristotle's The Poetics

In "The Poetics" by Aristotle discusses poetry as art that thrives on imitation, or mimesis. While

Plato was inclined towards Epic Poetry, and Homeric epics, Aristotle is inclined towards

Tragedy, or tragic catharsis, which he describes as the dramatic form of imitation. Epic Poems

and Tragedy differ in the way of their means, object of mimesis, and their manner of imitations.

Aristotle deems imitation as natural to humans since every child learns by imitation. He

reiterates that poetry has its origins in imitation. Aristotle approaches poetry scientifically and

analyses poetry as a form of mimesis by means of language, rhythm and harmony.

Aristotle categorizes poetry on the nature of imitation– it's object, medium and mode. Epic

Poetry or Tragedy is the imitation of noble characters actions; Satire or Comedy is the imitation

of men worse than the average, the Ridiculous.

Aristotle discussed the most important components to the least that are required in the

construction of a good tragedy, namely Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Melody, and

Spectacle. Of all these components, Aristotle sustained plot as the primary component required

for writing a good tragedy and without which a tragedy cannot be written. Aristotle described

tragedy as the imitation of a serious action, complete in itself, holding magnitude, whose
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incidents performed dramatically arouse pity and fear, and bring about catharsis. In a story,

characters play a pivotal role but are always defined by its actions. In all humanity, every

emotion comes out in the form of action. Thus, actions(plot) defines the character. Aristotle

emphasizes the soul of a tragedy is its plot.

For a good tragedy, maintaining the unity of plot is foremost. The plot must have a beginning,

after which actions start taking place; it isn't necessary that it progresses from prior events;

progresses towards the middle, where the story has events behind and after it, and unfolds its

way to the ultimate climax. The end shouldn't be abrupt. It must have a definite end where all the

tensions are resolved and loose ends are tied; the hero attains triumph.

A good plot shouldn't be too elaborate because it becomes too much to keep in the perspective

for the audience, or too brief which would result in lack of public's interest; avoid any

unnecessary incidents; include only the probable and necessary that connect to the hero of the

tragedy. All the incidents of the whole must represent a cause-and-effect relationship, and be

placed as such that if one fragment is misplaced, the plot gets dislocated.

Everything depicted should be as close to reality as possible to maintain universality of tragedy.

If people feel that the hero acted as any human would act, then it would reach more people.

Everyone of us while reading a book or watching a movie/play try to identify ourselves in the

protagonist. If people cannot relate with the grandeur of the hero then tragedy will fail to evoke

feeling of fear and pity, resulting in failed attempt at evoking catharsis.

A plot can be either simple or enhanced in its complexities by the use of peripeteia, the reversal,

and anagnorisis, recognition. A good plot should allow its hero to transgress from joy to misery
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and revert to his ultimate victory and happiness from misery, serving the purpose and magnitude

of the story. In a plot, hero's misery should be the result of hamartia, or his character's error;

have a tragic deed, either done or left undone, and be addressed in full knowledge or in

ignorance.
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Works Cited

Aristotle. Aristotle's Poetics. New York :Hill and Wang, 1961. Print.

"Aristotelian Concept of Plot", Aristotle Study Centre, bachelorandmaster.com., 1 October 2018

< https://www.bachelorandmaster.com/criticaltheories/aristotelian-concept-of-

plot.html#.W7d_6WgzY2x>

Bartky, Elliot. "Plato and the Politics of Aristotle's Poetics". The Review of Politics

Vol. 54, No. 4, Special Sesquicentennial Issue (Autumn, 1992), pp. 589-619. Jstor.org.. 5

October 2018

< https://www.jstor.org/stable/1407670>

Dr Bhela, Anita. Aristotle’s Poetic Concept: An Analysis of Tragedy. University of Delhi.

Youtube.com. 4 June. 2017.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXcr4DDEw8Q&list=PL_a1TI5CC9RG_Mq-

kP4cTGnDOtGzymCNo&index=18>

"Plot and Character", Plato and Aristotle, sites.google.com, 28 September 2018.

<https://sites.google.com/site/nmeictproject/home/plot-and-character>

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Poetics.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. Web. 5

Oct. 2018.

< https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/poetics/citing/>