ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -“Tragedy, ” says Aristotle, “is an imitation [mimēsis ] of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude…through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [catharsis] of these emotions.” Ambiguous means may be employed, Aristotle maintains in contrast to Plato, to a virtuous and purifying end.

Detailed explanation-2: -Aristotle observes that humans learn through imitation–think of how children learn to speak their native languages, for example, or how they learn to equate certain gestures with certain meanings–and that the pleasure we take in looking at imitations in art is rooted in the pleasure we take in learning.

Detailed explanation-3: -In Chapter 12, Aristotle discusses the quantitative elements of tragedy-the different parts of the performance.

Detailed explanation-4: -In Poetics, Aristotle suggests that the hero of a tragedy must evoke a sense of pity and fear within the audience, stating that “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity.” In essence, the focus of the hero should not be the loss of his goodness.