Macbeth: Aristotelian Tragedy
Kim Blair
Per.5
Interpretive Test
The definition of tragedy in an excerpt from Aristotle's "Poetics" is
the re-creation, complete within itself, of an important moral action. The
relevance of Aristotle's Poetics to Shakespeare's play Macbeth defines the
making of a dramatic tragedy and presents the general principles of the
construction of this genre.
Aristotle's attention throughout most of his Poetics is directed towards
the requirements and expectations of the plot. Plot, 'the soul of tragedy',
Aristotle says, must, be an imitation of a noble and complete action. In
Macbeth, Shakespear provides a complete action, that is it has what Aristotle
identifies as a beginning, a middle, and an end. These divisible sections must,
and do in the case of Macbeth, meet the criterion of their respective placement.
In an excerpt from Aristotle's "Poetics" it states:
"The separate parts into which tragedy is divided are: Prologue,......
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Approximate Word Count: 1758
Approximate Pages: 7 (260 words per double-spaced page) |