Aristotle's Poetics and Macbeth
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is an imitation of a complete action that is serious and important and artistically ornamented with several contributing elements. These contributory essentials are the makings of sublime art which arouses pity and fear in the audience leading to a purging of emotions, which results in a state of emotional fulfillment. Macbeth is considered as a Shakespearian tragedy recounting the events of a Scottish general who murders his King and gains the throne to eventually be assassinated by the King’s son.
Aristotle’s Poetics focuses on diction an important aspect of a tragedy. He posits that the language must be formal to convey the seriousness of the events as the play must not be “ludicrous or morally trivial. It is concerned with a serious end namely pity and fear- that well being which is the true end of life; human destiny in all its significance”(241). In Macbeth, the language does communicate formality as conveyed by the military officials who speak with the observation of rank, ‘But alls too weak for brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- disdaining fortune with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution. . .”. Diction in Macbeth also creates irony. The irony created is also a technique to build dramatic action, for example the chant of the witches “fair is foul and foul is fair” foreshadows the chant that Macbeth himself uses in his speech; this helps instill the emotional response of pity and fear. The Language of the play is lofty as it establishes the characters and the events with very poetic and sublime exhibition, such a reputation of exquisite language command, Shakespeare has earned throughout all his plays.
The plot is a main focal point in the poetics. Aristotle examines quite carefully the tools needed to create a truly mimetic representation of reality through art. The functionality of the play must, Aristotle purports, represent events in truth that exist in great probability to the action of
Aristotle’s Poetics focuses on diction an important aspect of a tragedy. He posits that the language must be formal to convey the seriousness of the events as the play must not be “ludicrous or morally trivial. It is concerned with a serious end namely pity and fear- that well being which is the true end of life; human destiny in all its significance”(241). In Macbeth, the language does communicate formality as conveyed by the military officials who speak with the observation of rank, ‘But alls too weak for brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- disdaining fortune with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution. . .”. Diction in Macbeth also creates irony. The irony created is also a technique to build dramatic action, for example the chant of the witches “fair is foul and foul is fair” foreshadows the chant that Macbeth himself uses in his speech; this helps instill the emotional response of pity and fear. The Language of the play is lofty as it establishes the characters and the events with very poetic and sublime exhibition, such a reputation of exquisite language command, Shakespeare has earned throughout all his plays.
The plot is a main focal point in the poetics. Aristotle examines quite carefully the tools needed to create a truly mimetic representation of reality through art. The functionality of the play must, Aristotle purports, represent events in truth that exist in great probability to the action of
Cited: Butcher, S. H., Aristotle, and John Gassner. Aristotle 's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art, with a Critical Text and Translation of the Poetics. With a Prefatory Essay, Aristotelian Literary Criticism,. New York: Dover Publications, 1951. Print. Draper, Ronald P. Tragedy Developments in Criticism: A Casebook. London: Macmillan, 1980. Print. SparkNotes Editors. "Macbeth." No Fear Shakespeare: Shakespeare 's Plays plus a Modern Translation You Can Understand. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. <http://nfs.sparknotes.com>. Williams, Raymond. Modern Tragedy. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1966. Print.