Transcript Aristotle – On Tragedy

Group 5 Oral Report
David Fasolino, Robert Frick, Dusty Robinson, Hilda
Medina, Tamie Thompson, Angie Hambleton
About Aristotle
By Tamiane Thompson
His early years
• Aristotle was born in stagria, on
the border of Macedonia in 384
bce
• His mother, Phaestis, was from a
family of doctors
• His father Nichomachus was
court physician to King Amyntus
of macedonia and this began his
long association with the
macedonia court which
influenced his life greatly
• When he was still a boy his father
died
His schooling
• In 367, at the age of 17 his
guardian,proxenus sent him to
Athens, the intellectual center of
the world, to complete his
education
• He joined the academy and
studied under Plato,attending his
lectures for 20 years
• It was in later years that he began
to lecture on his own account,
especially the subject of rhetoric
• He was known for saying” He
loved the truth more than he
loved Plato and so he had no
mind to remain a mere disciple”
The years after Plato
• Plato died in 347
• Aristotle would have been his
rightful succeeded, however his
divergence from Plato's teachings
made it impossible
• In 347 Aristotle spent the next
four years conducting zoological
investigations on the islands of
assos and lesbos
• He was married twice, his second
wife Herpyllis bore him a son
named,Nichomachus
Back to Athens
• In 343 he was called to
macedonia by King
Philip to tutor the king’s
son- the future
alexander the great
• Seven years later
Aristotle returned to
Athens and founded the
school Lyceum, which
it’s ruins can still be
seen today
His teachings
• Aristotle taught in what later
became known as Peripatetics
meaning to walk about which he
did often as he discoursed
• He is said to be given two type of
lectures one in the morning for a
inner circle of advanced students
and one in the evening for the
general body of lovers of
knowledge
• He taught modern down-to-earth
philosphy,biology, politics, and
the rules of logic
His writings
• Aristotle main works are the prior
analytics (in which he describes
the rules of logic)
• The physics, the animal history,
the rhetoric, the poetics, the
metaphysics, the nicomachean
ethics, and the politics
• Most of his writings are lost.
What remains are his lectures
notes, which were rediscovered
in the first century and scholars
are re-examining the fragments
of his lost works.
Aristotle in exile
• Aristotle connection to Alexander proved a liability in
the end and on Alexander’s death in 323 b.c. the
Athenians went on a rampage against all who
associated with him
• The pro-Macedonian government was overthrown
and he was charged with impiety he fled Athens
• He fled to Chalcis in Euboea where he quoted “the
Athenians sin twice against philosophy referring of
course to the unjust trial and death of Socrates”
Aristotle’s death
• In his first year of his residence at
Chalcis he complained of a
stomach illness and died in 322
BCE
• A popular but again highly
questionable story says he
drowned investigating marine life
however no one knows exactly
what happened
• Aristotle’s philosophy, logic,
science, metaphysics, ethics,
politics, and system of deductive
reasoning have been important
ever since. In the middle ages,
the church used Aristotle to
explain its doctrines
Works cited
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Abbot, Christopher. “Aristotle” online image. Sep 9 2008
http://www.whitworth.edu/academic/Department/core/classics.html.
Gallon's. “Greek philosopher Aristotle”. Online image. October 4 2007. Sep 7 2008
http://www.ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/p/aristole.htm.
Hurtle,Philip. “Aristotle with Plato” online image. March 21 2007. Sept 6 2008
<htttp://www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/aristol.htm>.
Partige, Nancy. “Aristotle school” online image. April 3, 2006. Sept 6 2008
http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/aristotle.html.
Netherlors, David. “Alexander the great” online image. November 17 2007. sep 6
2008 http://www.yahoo.com/photos/netherlorsdavid/23467789/.
Ross, Lisa. “aristotle teachings”online image.flicker. September 13 2007 sep 6 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisaross/1236778/.
Seurouik neiumberbach band “Greek music: Liberian antonya greek hero” free
download music. Sep 6 2008.
http://www.freedownloadmusic.com/greekmusic/seuroikneiumberbach.htm.
Poetics – In A Nutshell

Dusty Robinson
"The educated differ from the uneducated as
much as the living from the dead."

Aristotle’s Poetics, written at
about 335 BCE, is
considered to be the first
systematic critical theory in
the world. For nearly 2,000
years it has inspired the
thoughts of writers,
philosophers and critics.
“All men by nature desire knowledge.”

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Aristotle identifies tragedy as the
most refined version of poetry,
among the three genres
(Tragedy, Epic, and Comedy)
Aristotle’s defines many key
literary components such as
mimesis (imitation), muthos
(plot), anagnorisis (discovery),
periperteia (reversal), hamartia
(misjudgment), and catharsis
(purifying or relieving of
emotions).
“Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.”

Tragedy ... is an imitation of an action that is
serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude;
in language embellished with each kind of
artistic ornament, the several kinds being found
in separate parts of the play; in the form of
action, not of narrative; through pity and fear
effecting the proper catharsis of these
emotions.
"Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the
consciousness that we deserve them."

Poetics was not widely influential during it's
time, but during the Age of Enlightenment,
Aristotle's views shaped the concept of tragedy.
Works Cited
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Aristotle, Malcolm , and Heath . Poetics. 1st ed. New York: Penguin Group
Incorporated, 1997.
Aristotle, and W. Rhys Roberts . Poetics and Rhetoric. 1st ed. New York: Barnes &
Noble, 2006.
Waggoner, Ben. "Aristotle." 09 June 1996. UCMP Berkeley. 8 Sep 2008
<http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html>.
"Poetics (Aristotle)." Wikipedia. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. September 9 20
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetics_(Aristotle)>.
"Poetics: 1780 Edition." Online Image. Wikisource. No date. September 9 2008
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikisource/en/thumb/d/d5/Aristotle_poetics.jpg/335px
Aristotle_poetics.jpg>.
"Tragedy and Comedy Masks." Online Image. civillibertarian.blogspot.com. 2007.
Sep 9 2008
<http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:iV0YLmkqOMTBnM:http://bp0.blogger.com
qHzlJ2hzJ8/RfbKPhkaktI/AAAAAAAAAbk/EytnkW9qXeA/s400/ComedyTragedy.jp
Aristotle on Plot
Angie Hambleton
Types of Plot
Simple
Unified construct of
necessary and
probable actions to
change future
Complex
•peripeteia or reversal
•Anagnorsis or recognition
The best way of presenting
tragic pleasure
Characteristics of Plot
• Unity of Action
– Necessity and probability
• Unity of Time
– Time by action understood by audience
Aristotle’s Definition of Plot
“The change of fortune from good to bad should
come about as a result, not of vice, but some
great error of frailty in character.”
Works Cited
• www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html
• www.english-literature.org/essays/aristotle_poetics.html
• http://www.cartoon-web.com/illus/proverbs/pro16-18.gif
• http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/isolated-objects/isolatedbackground-objects/5663100-clock.php?id=5663100
• http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/food-anddrink/baking/5948598-blueberry-pie.php?id=5948598
• http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/arts-and-entertainment/artsabstract/5203110-blue-energy.php?id=5203110
Aristotle’s Tragic Hero
By Hilda Medina
What is a Hero
Aristotle felt that the tragic
hero was neither
completely good nor
completely evil.
This hero will also be able to
provoke our pity and fear.
Our hero……
This hero also must
have hamartia, which
means a fatal flaw.
The most common
hamartia in Greek
tragedies was pride.
His Character
• Consistent: Our hero
should repeatedly
show the same traits
through out the play.
• Lifelike: He should
also appear as
humanly as possible
so we can relate to
him.
More on character
• Good: The hero would
have to demonstrate
through his speech and
actions that he is morally
sound.
• Appropriate: He would
also have to maintain
society's ideas on social
behaviors (men should be
manly and so forth).
Our Hero’s Stature
• The hero was one of
moral fiber that
behaved nobly.
• This did not
necessarily mean that
the person was a king
or queen but
someone who
behaved as one.
Their Outcome
• Death: Although Aristotle did not fell that the hero should
die (because it would provoke ill feelings in the viewers),
some of the tragic heroes died.
• Lesson: Aristotle felt that the best outcome for the tragic
hero would be to come out of the tragedy haven realized
their error in judgment and gained a life lesson from it.
Works Cited
• “Aristotle." Defining Tragedy. VCCS Litonline Introduction to
Literature. 06 Sept. 2008
<http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/aristotle.htm>.
• Heath, Malcolm, and Malcolm Heath. Poetics. New York: Penguin
Group (USA) Incorporated, 2004. The Internet Classics. 1994-2000.
06 Sept. 2008 <http://classics.mit.edu/aristotle/poetics.2.2.html>.
• "More Terms Defined." EGallery of Tragic Heroes. The Process. 06
Sept. 2008 <http://tttc.org/projects/jzarro2/process2.html>.
• Tartar, Stacy. "Aristotle's Tragic Hero." West Chester University. Fall
2001. West Chester University. 06 Sept. 2008 <http://brainstormservices.com/wcu-lit/tragedy.html>.
Aristotelian Catharsis
Robert Frick
Catharsis – κάθαρσις
• Medicine - Purgation,
especially for the digestive
system.
• A purifying or figurative
cleansing of the emotions,
especially pity and fear,
described by Aristotle as an
effect of tragic drama on its
audience.
• A release of emotional
tension, as after an
overwhelming experience,
that restores or refreshes
the spirit.
Ancient κάθαρσις - Lustration
• Ritual cleansing
with water
• Burnt offerings –
purification through
smoke
• Purges individuals
or whole cities of
crimes
Aristotle's Catharsis
• Briefly touched on in Poetics
• Stirring up pity and fear, then dispelling
them is the function of tragedy
• Promised a fuller explanation, but was
probably lost to history with his book on
Comedy.
Jakob Bernays – Uncle of Sigmund Freud
• Classical
interpretation comes
from Bernays
• We build up
undesirable emotions
which are evoked and
released through
tragedy.
• These emotions are
inherently negative.
Another Interpretation…
• Aristotle believed
emotions important for
decision-making and
character (Ethics)
• Example: Too much
fear = cowardly, too
little fear = foolhardy
Catharsis is not, then,
elimination; it is the reduction
of these emotions from
excess to balance.
Cathartic Relief in Literature
• “Agamemnon” ends
with its namesake,
his daughter, and his
wife dead in a series
of murders by one
another.
In Miller's All My Sons,
Joe Keller, the father,
commits suicide to
relieve the burden he
brought on his family.
The Shakespeare's
couple, Romeo and
Juliet, lay dead in the
end of their play.
Works Cited
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Engelman, Edmund. "Sigmund Freud." Online Image. The Library of Congress Prints &
Photographs Online Catalog. Nov 15 1998. Sep 6 2008
<http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html>.
Genius, Lisa. "Item # 002: Mary N.'s Book-Shaped Air Freshener." Online Image. Gouger Library
Supplies. Jan 11 2007. Sep 6 2008
<http://gougerlibrarysupplies.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html>.
Holman, Geoffrey. "Scale." Online Image. iStockphoto. March 6 2008. Sep 6 2008
<http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/industry/law-enforcement-and-crime/5548316scale.php?id=5548316>.
Janko, Richard. CATHARSIS. 1987. Sep 6 2008
<http://www.echonyc.com/~janedoe/classes/actreal/readings/catharsis.html>.
Nehring, Nancy. "olive branch, Olea europaea." Online Image. iStockphoto. Aug 16 2007. Sep 6
2008 <http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/nature/nature-symbols-metaphors/4024057-olivebranch-olea-europaea.php?id=4024057>.
Lord Leighton, Frederic . "The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets over the Dead
Bodies of Romeo and Juliet." Online Image. Museum Syndicate. No date. Sep 9 2008
<http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=11992>.
Rossetti, Francesco. "Balance." Online Image. iStockphoto. May 12 2008. Sep 6 2008
<http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/isolated-objects/isolated-background-objects/6109207balance.php?id=6109207>.
Slammer, Justin. "Agua Caliente, Finca El Paraíso, Guatemala ." Online Image. flickr. Sep 30
2006. Sep 6 2008 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinslammer/256532493/>.
The Stage and Special Effects
David Fasolino
Orchestra: The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a
level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who
were on the stage near the skene. The earliest orchestras were simply made of
hard earth, but in the Classical period some orchestras began to be paved with
marble and other materials. In the center of the orchestra there was often a
thymele, or altar. The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was about 60
feet in diameter.
Theatron: The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The
theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra, and often wrapped
around a large portion of the orchestra (see the diagram above). Spectators in the
fifth century BC probably sat on cushions or boards, but by the fourth century the
theatron of many Greek theaters had marble seats.
Skene: The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage. During
the 5th century, the stage of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was probably
raised only two or three steps above the level of the orchestra, and was about 25
feet wide and 10 feet deep. The skene was directly in back of the stage, and was
usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other building, depending on the needs
of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and
exits through them. There was also access to the roof of the skene from behind,
so that actors playing gods and other characters could appear on the roof, if
needed.
Parodos: The parodoi (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus
and some actors (such as those representing messengers or people returning
from abroad) made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to
enter and exit the theater before and after the performance.
There were several scenic elements commonly used in Greek theatre:
Machina, a crane that gave the impression of a flying actor (thus
providing deus ex machina).
Ekkyklema, a wheeled wagon used to bring dead characters into view
for the audience
Trap doors, or similar openings in the ground to lift people onto the
stage
Pinakes, pictures hung into the scene to show a scene's scenery
Thyromata, more complex pictures built into the second-level scene
(3rd level from ground)
Phallic props were used for satyr plays, symbolizing fertility in honor of
Dionysus.
Works Cited
• First Photo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GriechTheater2.P
NG
• Second Photo
http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/Theat
er.html
• Information from
http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/Theat
er.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_ancient_Gre
ece