Aristotle's Poetics

Question

How has Aristotle's term of imitation changed by the following quote? "For Tragedy is an

imitation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and misery. And life consists of action, and its end is a mode of activity, not a quality. And life consists of action, and its end is a mode of activity, not a quality."

Can you give example(s) that help me understand the definition that either approves his theory of tragedy, or might disapprove it.

Answer 1

Aristotle compared tragedy, as a dramatic art, to comedy or epic. He argues that a tragic play mimics life because it uses direct action to tell a story, not a narrative. He said that in tragedy the plot is central to the drama. In other words, the character's motivations is unknowable and unimportant. The actions of the protagonist is paramount. For example, Sophocles' Oedipus demonstrates how Aristotle viewed tragedy--Oedipus was not depraved, just a man whose error in judgement led to his misfortune.