According to Aristotle, the audience should feel pity for the tragic hero and fear that the same fate could befall them.
According to Aristotle, the audience should feel both fear and pity while watching a tragedy. This emotional response, known as catharsis, allows the audience to experience a release of those emotions and gain a sense of emotional purification or relief.
Pity and fear
Pity and fear
According to Aristotle, the audience should feel pity for the tragic hero and fear that the same fate could befall them.
The audience should feel the protagonist suffers more than he or she deserves.
Aristotle's audience would say that an action is virtuous when it strikes a balance between extremes, as per his doctrine of the Golden Mean. They would also acknowledge the importance of ethics in achieving eudaemonia, or human flourishing.
Aristotle believed that a tragedy, as a form of art, should evoke fear and pity in the audience, leading to a purging or cleansing of these emotions. This process, known as catharsis, serves to provide a sense of emotional release and clarity, allowing the audience to experience a deeper understanding and connection with the human experience portrayed in the tragedy.
According to Aristotle, the tragic flaw, or "hamartia," is a character trait in a tragic hero that leads to their downfall. This flaw is often hubris, or excessive pride, which causes the hero to ignore warnings or make fatal mistakes. Aristotle believed that the audience should feel pity and fear for the hero as they suffer the consequences of their flaw.
anger, joy, revenge
Aristotle's statement about a clear beginning, middle, and end in a plot reflects the concept of unity of action in literature, where all elements of the story serve to advance the plot. By having a distinct structure with a cohesive storyline, the audience can better engage with the narrative and its development.
After experiencing pity and fear, Aristotle believed that playgoers would then undergo a form of emotional catharsis or purification. This process would lead to a release of these strong emotions and a sense of emotional relief or transformation in the audience.
joy
Aristotle believed that the pleasure proper to tragedy comes from the emotional release (catharsis) experienced by the audience as they witness the protagonist's downfall. This emotional purging allows the audience to feel a sense of relief and renewal, leading to a deeper understanding of human experience.