Aristotle Poetics Essay

382 Words2 Pages
One of the key concepts of Aristotle's ideology is finding the purpose behind material objects and abstract ideas. The idea of purpose is evident throughout The Poetics of Aristotle in the manner he uses in his critical analysis of poetry. He first tries to find the meaning of poetry by examining the human nature behind art. It is suggested that humans are imaginative organisms who naturally enjoy imitation (Aristotle 6). He relates this to human learning and reasoning skills. For example, what people often find disgusting or distasteful in the real world, such as blood and gore, are considered fascinating representations when it comes to the mimetic arts. All in all, Aristotle sees human nature as an important aspect in poetry because human rationality allows people to recognize and understand imitations and what they represent, a trait that distinguishes us from other animals (Halliwell 43). Aristotle continues to examine the purpose behind poetry by exploring the different categories such as Comedy, Tragedy, and Epic Poetry. Comedy is Thesis: The methods Aristotle employs to analyze and critique poetry clearly demonstrates his religious and philosophical views, which have been greatly influenced by Plato. -addresses different kinds of poetry, structure of good poems, and division of poem into component parts. -defines poetry as medium of imitation (represent or duplicate life through character, emotion, or action) -Tragedy -person is nobler but several meters, narrative -Comedy -person is lower type -Epic Poetry -noble person but one type of meter Themes -Catharsis- best tragedies use reversal & recognition to achieve cath. Protagonist redemption and induces pity and fear in audience. -Complication and Denouement-two good parts to drama= complication (rising action) + denouement (falling action, loose ends tied) Two-fold movement fallow’s
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