Aristotle’s Poetics

This is a blog task assigned by Barad Sir. In here, I shall try to answer few questions to the best of my abilities. 

1. Have you studied any tragedies during B.A. programme? Who was/were the tragic protagonist/s in those tragedies? What was their ‘hamartia’?

During my BA programme I studied “King Lear”, a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It tells the story of an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their professions of love for him. However, his plan goes awry as his two elder daughter deceive him, leading to betrayal madness and the ultimate downfall of the once powerful king. The play explores themes of family, power, greed and the consequence of unchecked ambition showcasing the tragic consequences that can arise from misguided decisions in the complexities of human relationships.  

The tragic hero of this play is King Lear. King Lear’s Hamartia (tragic flaw) is his pride and lack of wisdom in judging the true intentions of those around him. He believes the flattery of his two older daughters and dismisses sincere love of his youngest daughter. This flawed judgement sets off a horrible chain of events that lead to his tragedy. 

2. Did the ‘Plot’ of those tragedies follow necessary rules and regulations proposed by Aristotle?

Aristotle’s Poetics is a foundational text on the theory of tragedy. It presents many principles that can be considered essential for tragedy. Many playwrights stick to these rules and regulations put forward by Aristotle. William Shakespeare, however, is not bounded by these principles. In his work, King Lear, he follows some of the rules and ignores others. A few examples are given below.

Unity Of Time and Place - Aristotle believed that the tragedy should take place within a single day, in a single location. Shakespeare breaks this rule, as King Lear takes place over several days and different places are used as settings. 

Tragic Hero - Aristotle believed that a tragedy should be centred on a tragic hero. Aristotle’s tragic hero archetype includes: a hero with noble birth, who has a tragic flaw, and falls from the position of power due to his flaw. King Lear possess these qualities and proves himself a part of Aristotle’s tragic hero tribe. 

Morality - According to Aristotle, tragic plays should reinforce moral values by rewarding, virtue and punishing vice. Shakespeare challenges this concept by portraying a world filled with deception, betrayal and suffering. The play confronts the audience with moral ambiguity.

Catharsis - Aristotle believed that tragedy should produce a catharsis or cleansing, in the audience. This catharsis is brought about by the audience's pity and fear for the tragic hero. Shakespeare, achieves this in “King Lear” by depicting the pitiful state of the Protagonist. 

Unity Of Action - Aristotle emphasises the importance of a tightly controlled plot with one main action, avoiding subplots. This rule is partially followed by Shakespeare in this play. The central focus revolves around King Lear‘s downfall and the consequences of his decisions. However, the play does have some sub-plots, such as the story of Gloucester and his sons, which add complexity and depth to the main plot and reinforce the main themes of the play.

In conclusion, Shakespeare, follow some rules put forward by Aristotle and ignores others. The result is a tragedy that is both complex and powerful.