Aristotle’s Elements of Tragedy Essay -- Creek, Poetics, Tragedy

Aristotle is one of the most important western philosophers in history that has influenced our society in many aspects. Many of Aristotles teachings have affected our world for many years and still continue to have such a big impact. Some of the subjects Aristotle has influenced include logic, physics, government and poetry. Aristotles study of poetry mainly focused on the elements to a good calamity. Some of his elements have been used in Greek tragedies and modern-day movies. The Greek play, Medea, and the modern movie, No Country for Old Men, use elements from Aristotle philosophy, while using similar and different techniques but both achieving an effective tragedy. In Aristotles book, Poetics, he defines tragedy as, an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and possessing magnitude in embellished language, each kind of which is used separately in the different parts in the mode of action and non narrated and effecting through pity and fear (Aristotle 1149). Tragedy creates a cause and effect chain of actions that clearly gives the audience ideas of possible events. The six parts to Aristotles elements of tragedy are Plot, character, language, thought, spectacle, and melody. According to Aristotle, the most important element is the plot. Aristotle writes in Poetics that, It is not for the purpose of presenting their characters that the agents engage in action, but rather it is for the sake of their actions that they take on the characters they have (Aristotle 1150). Plots should have a beginning, middle, and end that have a unity of actions throughout the play reservation it complete. In addition, the plot should be complex making it an effective tragedy. The second most important element is character. Characters... ...hough the two demonstrate the elements in different ways, they both achieve an effective tragedy. Now after nurture about Aristotles philosophy on tragedy, one can examine any type of tragic poetry, play, movie and analysis i f the elements are portrayed. Its interesting to ingest how much of Aristotles philosophy has effected poetry in the art of the Greek tragedy, Medea, and the modern movie, No Country for Old Men. Works CitedAristotle. Poetics. Trans. Gerald F. Else. Ann Arbor U of Michigan P, 1967. Dorsch, T. R., trans. and ed. Aristotle Horace Longinus Classical Literary Criticism. New York Penguin, 1965. Ley, Graham. The Ancient Greek Theater. Chicago U of Chicago P, 1991. Reinhold, Meyer. Classical Drama, Greek and Roman. New York Barrons, 1959.Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Vol. A. New York W.W. Norton &, 2012. Print.