Aristotle's Philosophy: Forms, Change and Imitation

• Aristotle lived from 384 to 322 BCE.
• Raphael's fresco, The School of Athens, depicts Plato pointing to the heavens and Aristotle gesturing towards the earth.
• Both Plato and Aristotle believed in unchanging, rational essences or Forms.
• Understanding something requires grasping its form.

Separation of Forms

• Aristotle disagreed with Plato's "separation of the Forms."
• Plato believed Forms were true reality, copied by the world, whereas Aristotle thought Forms are inseparable from things.
• The "unmoved Mover" is an exception as pure Form and the goal of all things.
• Everything consists of matter shaped by form.
• Form defines a thing's essence and potential.
• Everything strives to "grow into" its form.

Time, Change, and Passions

• Aristotle valued time and change.
• Aristotle was more accepting of passions compared to Plato as he thought morality was based on rational control of one's passions.

Imitation

• Aristotle thought art involves imitation (mimesis).
• Tragedy imitates "action and life, of happiness and misery."

Poetics

• Aristotle's Poetics discusses these themes in relation to the arts.
• Aristotle embraced the arousal of passions in Greek drama, unlike Plato.
• Catharsis is a purging of emotions "through pity and fear" in tragedy.
• Aristotle viewed emotional catharsis as a positive aspect of the arts.

The Unities

• The Poetics focuses on drama, especially tragedy.
• Aristotle offers a history of poetry and drama
• Aristotle offers a framework for evaluating tragic drama.
• The Poetics is the first systematic work of literary theory.
• Aristotle emphasizes the need for unity in a work.
• The plot should be unified with a setup, development, and conclusion.
• Surprises and twists are important to hold interest and arouse emotions.
• Protagonist characters should be consistent.
• The time of the action should be unified for memory.
• Aristotle thought action should occur within one day.
• Renaissance writers developed these "Unities" into a code of "decorum"
• Renaissance writers thought failure to observe the "Unities" was considered a work's failure.
• Aristotle is not responsible for the code's excesses.
• Aristotle's critical standards no longer dictate evaluations of works.
• The idea of catharsis is potent.
• Art portrays the universal, "not a thing that has been, but a kind of thing that might be."

Definition of Tragedy

• Tragedy imitates a serious, complete action of magnitude.
• Tragedy uses language with pleasurable accessories brought in separately.
• Tragedy is in dramatic, not narrative form.
• Tragedy uses incidents arousing pity and fear, accomplishing a catharsis of such emotions.

Six Elements of Tragic Drama

• Plot
• Character
• Diction
• Thought
• Spectacle
• Melody
• Diction and melody refer to style and music.
• "Spectacle" includes staging, lighting, sets, and costumes.
• "Thought" refers to the characters' thinking.
• Plot and character are the most important elements.
• Plot comes first.
• Characters are included for the sake of the action.
• Action must be consistent with and reveal character.