Classical Tragedy

Classical Tragedy

Classical tragedy preserves the unities -- one timespan, one setting, one story -- as they originated in the Greek theatre. It also defines a tragic plot as one with a royal character losing, through his own pride, a mighty prize. Modern tragedy redefines the genre, with ordinary protagonists, realistic timelines and settings, and multiple plots.

The genre of tragedy originates from ancient Greece. 5^th century BCE Athens had a sophisticated theatrical culture.

Earliest examples of classical tragedies include;

Oedipus Rex – first performed in 429 BCE,

Prometheus Bound – first performed 430 BCE,

The Oresteia  - first performed 458 BCE,

Aristotle

Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) numbers among the greatest philosophers of all time. He was judged solely in terms of his philosophical influence. He was also sent to Athens and studied under Plato for 20 years. His work (through translation) became the basis of western education for centuries.

Aristotle wrote his study of tragedy entitled Poetics

Aristotle noted tragedies should excite the emotions of pity and fear by bringing about catharsis. Its action should be simple and complete; presenting a reversal of fortune. It should involve persons who are ‘held in great esteem’.

According to Aristotle there were 6 essential components of a tragedy;

Six main elements: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle (scenic effect), and song (music), of which the first two are primary.

Aristotle goes on to discuss the structure of the ideal tragic plot and spends several chapters on its requirements. He says that the plot must be a complete whole — with a definite beginning, middle, and end — and its length should be such that the spectators can comprehend without difficulty both its separate parts and its overall unity. Moreover, the plot requires a single central theme in which all the elements are logically related to demonstrate the change in the protagonist's fortunes, with emphasis on the dramatic causation and probability of the events.

Aristotle has relatively less to say about the tragic hero because the incidents of tragedy are often beyond the hero's control or not closely related to his personality. The plot is intended to illustrate matters of cosmic rather than individual significance, and the protagonist is viewed primarily as the character who experiences the changes that take place. This stress placed by the Greek tragedians on the development of plot and action at the expense of character, and their general lack of interest in exploring psychological motivation, is one of the major differences between ancient and modern drama.

 

Since the aim of a tragedy is to arouse pity and fear through an alteration in the status of the central character, he must be a figure with whom the audience can identify and whose fate can trigger these emotions. Aristotle says that "pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves." He surveys various possible types of characters on the basis of these premises, then defines the ideal protagonist as. . . a man who is highly renowned and prosperous, but one who is not pre-eminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity but by some error of judgment or frailty; a personage like Oedipus.

Define the following elements/ingredients of Classical Tragedy:

1.Hamartia – the idea that the tragic hero makes a mistake- they cannot be someone who is completely all good or bad.

2.Tragic flaw - It is worth noting that some scholars believe the "flaw" was intended by Aristotle as a necessary corollary of his requirement that the hero should not be a completely admirable man.

3.Hubris – not listening to people and doing as you please anyway. A kind of excessive pride that causes the hero to ignore divine or important warnings, and to break moral codes. Thereby committing hamartia.

4.Peripeteia – opposite of hamartia; where the opposite of what was planned or hoped for by the protagonist takes place

5.Anagnorisis (recognition) - the point when the protagonist recognizes the truth of a situation, discovers another character's identity, or comes to a realization about himself. This sudden acquisition of knowledge or insight by the hero arouses the desired intense emotional reaction in the spectators.

6.Catharsis – should purge the pity and fear brought about by the tragic action being performed. The audience should feel content at the end and satisfied with how the plot ends.