Eng

11
Revie
w

Poetic
s

Aristo -art is a representation of reality

tle -disavowing art/poetry is disavowing humanity
-treats poetry as a craft and a discipline
-legitimate branch of study
-poetry as a universal language of human
behaviour
-poetry describes actions of character that
might be any humans
-has positive effect on humans (catharsis
purges negative emotions out of ones self)
-gives pleasure to people in knowing that
things can be represented
-pleasure of being able to represent the things
you know in reality into the text through
language
-people takes pleasure in mimesis
-people can identify reality being represented
in the text and it gives them pleasure;mimesis.

Plato -supporter of the republic. Idealized what a

society should look like
-believer of world of forms (perfect world,
material world is an impefect imitation of this
world)
-poetry a degraded imitation twice removed
from the reality of the world of forms
-poetry stirs emotions in people that is
dangerous for society
-art/poetry is corrupting the truth
-the truth in the world of forms is the most
important thing

Tragic -reversal of position

Hero -recognition of his/her fate
-must come from high position to have a
remarkable tragic circumstance
-hamartia (a flaw; their tragic fate is due to
their own redeeming qualities and doing)
-not by some accident or wickedness

Repre -constitute what it means to be human

senta (1) to instruct
tion (2) to entertain
-dramas representing man doing by means of
text and image
-everyone delights in this
-relate things that may happen and not the
things that already happened
-Drama- representation of human actions. 2
types

Trage -Sophocles brought in 3 actors and scenery

dy -one revolution of the sun (one setting, one
occurrence, a span of a day)
 -representation of people better than we are
-hinges on our desire to improve ourselves
-makes us put ourselves in their predicaments
-gives us reflection, introspection, catharsis
-you dont want to be like them
-urges people to be a better person
-the best of humanity emerges when we are
faced with tragic situations
-we emerge as a better and more knowing
person out of a dramatic play or after reading a
dramatic text.

-representation of a serious complete

action (beg, middle, conclusion)
-which has magnitude (should have length
but only a length which is easily memorable)
-in embellished speech (rhythm and melody)
-with each of its elements used
separately in the play (spoken verses then
song)
(must not begin from a random point and
musnt conclude on a random point)
-represented by people acting and not by
narration
-accomplishing by means of pity and
terror catharsis
-exists w/o performance or actors

Epic -Unbounded in time

-single verse form; narrative
-a subset of tragedy

1)Plot -should have mimesis

s -must be plausible even if impossible
-logically connected order
-centred on one action rather than depicting
multiple divergent, unnecessary actions
-must have to be more action than character in
a drama
-the soul of tragedy
-should have probability (might be possible
although impossible) and necessity (not
episodic)
-transformation should be accompanied by
reversal (change of the actions to their
opposite) and recognition (a change from
ignorance to knowledge) in accordance with
probability and necessity.
-complex plots (reversal + recognition) will
contain both pity and terror

Catha -Purging out of all negative emotions inside of

rsis you
You become more level headed when leaving
the theatre
-we become more logical being when leaving
the theatre knowing what to do when the same
trouble comes to us.
-our emotion our released when a character in
the drama represents some part of the life
story you are going through
2)Cha -a tragedy can exist without
racter -they are included for the tragedy to have
s action
-secondary to plot
-a bunch of not so good characters making bad
choices here and there because of their
redeeming qualities
SHOULD BE
-a good character (a hero)
-appropriate
-life-like (believable)
-consistent

3)Tho -The way in which they use speech to

ught demonstrate something or indeed to make
some general statement
-being able to say what is a possible and
appropriate
-lines making sense
-answering the way it is expected from you

4)Dict -communications by means of language

ion -art of delivery, dialogue
-how words are chosen
-something is good when the phrases contain
idioms and metaphor
-pleasing to hear if there is a playing language

5)Spe -least particular to the art of poetic

ctacle composition
-terror and pity should not rely on this
-would make representation more real
-plot must not rely so much on this

6)Mel -musical accompaniment

ody -extension of the voice
-chorus is being the voice of the community
-a social commentary
-commenting on the events of the plot
-sets them apart from normal dialogue

Pity -for audience to feel sorry

and -to be invested in the character and pine for
terror the tragic hero
-to want the hero to succeed
-to fear for their safety and root for their
success

NOT:
-decent men undergoing a change from good
fortune to misfortune (shocking;undeserving)
-wicked men passing from misfortune to good
fortune (most untragic)
-wicked men from good fortune into misfortune
(moral satisfaction but no pity or terror;just like
us)

SHOULD:
-not superior in virtue and justice
-doesnt undergo misfortune due to vice and
wickedness
-due to error
 -has good reputation and good fortune
-act in ignorance but recognise it afterwards

-pleasure arises from these two in

representation

Oedip Rex
us

Sopho -most perfect plot

cles -must know oneself
-the struggle comes from our disconnect with
ourselves
-the most difficult conflict
-a dramatic masterpiece
-a Tragedy of fate; supreme will of the Gods vs.
futile attempts of men

1. -brawn, brain and philosopher King

Tragic -a good guy
Hero -inquisitive
-searches for truth
-good qualities
-it is these redeeming qualities that damns him
and made himself the very suspect of the
murder
-victims of his own doing
-biggest crimes; killing of father (eliminating
source of life) and fucking mother (being in the
same womb that you came from)
-doing it unwittingly; makes it more tragic;
reversal and recognition both at the same time
-fall from being a king and recognizing that the
cause of it is himself
-not knowing yourself is indeed the greatest
tragedy there is

2.Cho -everything we will encounter is already laid

ice out on us and no matter how hard we resist it,
and it will eventually happen
Free -hinges on our deep dark terror of our own
will future
-we cannot control our destinies before it
becomes a reality
-what if the things that we do to succeed are
actually the things that will lead us to our
doom
-You only need to follow what is laid out in front
of you
-no matter how hard we try it actually brings us
to our doom
-not about the choices that we make but the
very fact that we choose something.
-the act of choosing matters and exemplifies
your freedom and not the choices themselves
are the results of these decisions
-it is the fact that you can still a have the
liberty to pick any option even if a ll of these
options lead to your doom
-to be able to make a choice is what makes us
human

3.Trut -the reversal of seeing; gouging your eyes out

h and and knowing the truth
Blind -you lose sight in the literal sense but you gain
ness eyes in the metaphorical sense
-Tiresias- blind literally but can see
metaphorically
-seeing is always related to knowing
-prejudice in blind people
-lack knowledge has led him to do the things
that we did
-would you still want to know the truth
even if it causes you hurt?
-knowing thyself is a very difficult thing to do.
-you cant control the things that comes your
way but you can control your reaction to the
stimuli.
-Blindness is a thing worse than death
-physical death is mild compared to choose to
live your life in blindness
-death is quick, but being blind means you
refuse to see the things around
-to die continually everyday