Aristotle’s Poetics

Aristotle. 384 -322 bce. Greek philosopher, scientist, and dramaturg.

The Poetics was written circa 335 bce.

Believed to be the oldest extant work of dramatic theory.
Based on the dramatic works of the previous century, the Golden Age.
 The Elements of Drama
1. PLOT
The most important element, the “soul of tragedy.”

Defined as the arrangement of incidents.

Story tells us what happens, but the plot shows us how and in which order the story unfolds.

For a tragedy, Aristotle believed that simply recounting the plot should cause a reaction. (Example: “This is
a play about a king who discovers that he killed his father and then married and reproduced with his
mother.”)

Aristotle considered linear plots (causal) superior to episodic plots.

Most Greek tragedies and many other modern tragedies use a late point of attack in which the action of the
play begins late in the story.
 The Elements of Drama
2. CHARACTER

According to Aristotle, character is revealed through action.

He goes on to further describe the qualities of the tragic protagonist,

which will be covered in a subsequent PowerPoint.
 The Elements of Drama
3. THOUGHT (THEME)

The idea(s) that the author wants to convey with the play.

Some plays, often melodramas, impart simplistic themes (“Justice will

triumph,” “Love is eternal,” etc.).

Better plays deal with complex themes that often raise questions rather
than answering them.
 The Elements of Drama
4. DICTION (LANGUAGE)

Aristotle praised the language of the great Greek tragedies.

They were written in verse. Aristotle said that the poetry should include
“embellishments and ornamentation.”
 The Elements of Drama
5. SPECTACLE

The visual elements of a play, including sets and costumes. When artificial
lighting became available, it, too, became part of the spectacle.

When viewing a play, as opposed to reading it, the spectacle can become
the most important part of the play.

Notice that we always speak about “seeing” a play, as opposed to

“hearing” an opera.

The Greek word teatron, from which we get the word theatre, means
 The Elements of Drama
6. MUSIC

The auditory elements of a play.

Greek tragedies contained singing, chanting, dancing, and musical

accompaniment.

Background music and sound effects would be considered “music” to

Aristotle.
 Aristotle’s Poetics
SELF-TEST

In which century did Aristotle write The Poetics?

He examined the plays from which era?
Which play did he consider the best tragedy?
What are Aristotle’s six elements of drama? Give a brief description of each.
Which did he consider “the soul of tragedy” and the most important element?
What does the Greek word teatron mean?
Costume falls under which of Aristotle’s elements?
What separates a simplistic theme from a complex theme?
An offstage blast from a cannon would fall under which of Aristotle’s elements?
According to Aristotle, how is character revealed?
Which element, according to Aristotle, should include “embellishments and ornamentation”?