Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy: Its Implications

Aristotle defines tragedy as, “the imitation of an action, serious complete, and of a certain magnitude, in a language beautified in different parts with different kinds of embellishment, through action and not narration, and through scenes of pity and fear bringing about the ‘Catharsis’ of these (or such like) emotions.” This definition has wide implications. It falls, naturally, into two parts. The first part, from “The imitation of an action” to, “and not narration”, is concerned with Tragedy as one of the imitative arts, and points out its medium, objects, and manner of imitation. The second part is concerned with the function and emotional effect of Tragedy.

First, the definition distinguishes tragedy from other forms of poetry. Its object of imitation are, ‘serious action’, and hence it is different from Comedy which imitates the non-serious. Secondly, Tragedy on the basis of its manner of imitation is distinguished from the Epic which ‘narrates’ and does not represent through action. Thirdly, on the basis of its medium it is distinguished from the lyric. It employs several kinds of embellishments in different parts, i.e. verse in dialogue and song in the choric parts.

Next, Aristotle examines the plot of Tragedy. Tragedy imitates ‘action’ and its plot consists of a logical and inevitable sequence of events. The ‘action’ it imitates is its plot. The action must be complete, i.e. it must have a beginning, a middle and an end. “The beginning is that from which further action flows out, and which is intelligible in itself, and not consequent or dependent on any previous situation.” A satisfying end is that which follows inevitably from what has gone before, but which does not lead to further action. It marks the completion of the tragic action. The middle is that which follows inevitably upon what has gone before, and also leads on to an inevitable conclusion. At all points, “Aristotle emphasises that the tragic action must be in accordance with the laws of probability and necessity.”

The action of a tragedy must be of certain. ‘magnitude’, and the word may be taken to have been  used in the sense of, ‘size’ or, length’. It must be long enough to permit an orderly development of action to a catastrophe. Too short an action cannot be regarded as proper and beautiful, for its different parts will not be clearly visible, as in the case of a very small living creature. Neither should it be too long, for in that case it will not be taken in as an artistic whole by the memory. The action should be proportionate in the relation of the different parts to each other and to the whole. It must be an ‘organic’ whole.