The plot is more important than the character. As we know that the plot is primary the character is secondary in Poetics In this article, we try to elaborate, What is the relationship between plot and character by Aristotle in Poetics? Why is a plot more important than the character Aristotle in Poetics? What is a character in Aristotle’s Poetics? What is a plot in Poetics? What are character and plot? What is the relation between plot and character in full detail?
The Relationship Character and Plot in Poetics by Aristotle and Why is a Plot more Important than the Character
Aristotle has listed the formulated and fundamental parts of the tragedy in his book Poetics. He has focused on the importance of the plot in his debate. The plot is considered the primary, pivotal and soul element of the tragedy and the character is secondary Why is the plot more important than the character? It may be titled the skeleton of the Tragedy. The controversy arises from the fact that when he quoted his work; ‘’ a tragedy is impossible without plot, but there may be one without character.’’ The statement itself contains a lot of controversies. If we suppose that we can have a tragedy without a character then how will the action is being produced? He has considered the men in action as the object of imitation when he presents his theory of imitation. The statement has opened a new battle among the new critics. They tried to make relevance among the idea. He receives a lot of criticism for such a controversial statement. The new critics called him absurd for pouring such absurdity. They try to mock the idea that he believes that there is the possibility of tragedy without any character.
ETHOS and DIONOIA
Aristotle has given two words to identify the character of a person. Both are words that hint at the possibility of action. It is also used to relate the causes behind the execution of the action by the dramatic personage. Ethos is about the moral generation of a character. It hints at the elements which make a character strong morally. If a character is too much vicious and lacks moral constraints he cannot meet up the requirements of a tragedy. DIONNOIA IS about the intellectual and moral reasoning of a character. It relates to the outward actions commanded by the intellectual capabilities of the characters. The elements can be detected through the monologue delivered by the character during the course of tragic action. These formative elements are determined through the action of the characters. So we can realize the importance of character in the course of tragedy. Pleasure and catharsis are the essences of the tragedy. It can only be achieved as the result of an action performed by the dramatic personage. Aristotle advocates the concept of pleasure and unhappy ending in tragedy. All these strands are carried out through the use of dramatic action. The existence of the character is related to the tendency through which the action in the tragic play is introduced. We can analyze that he may have reported the sentence about the delineation of the character.
Formation of character
So, far as “The relationship character and Plot in Poetics by Aristotle” is concerned, the moral conduct of the characters is gained by their actions. Certain qualities can be represented best with the execution of the character. If we repeat some action during the course of life; it will be regarded as the habit of our nature and the bent of character and the mind. The formation of the character depends only on the execution of the action performed by the human being in the course of the tragic play. They do not act by their own desire but their moral bent drives them to act in a particular way. The dramatic personages act according to the specific pattern. The moral bent of the characters should be expressed in some cases. There is less need to depict the moral bent in the same dramatic actions because the dramatic personages don’t impose any choice. The character of the person shows a deviation and does not showcase any change. Nothing is revealed in such cases. So we can hint at the idea that there is no tragedy possible without the presence of the plot and there can be one without the character. The focus of the theory is on the individuality of the characters and the dramatic personages.
Character is subordinate to plot
Why is the plot more important than the character in Poetics by Aristotle? The relationship between character and plot in poetics by Aristotle can be judged the character has also importance but the plot is on the top The existence of the dramatic characters depends on the narration and the actions of the characters. The action of the dramatic personage leads to happiness and misery. It implies the idea that if a man commits wrong he will ultimately receive punishment and damnation. He will be responsible for his all actions and deeds. He is free to make choices and act in a particular way. Ethos drives them to act in that particular way. He considers the dramatic action and the play as the living soul and the organism. He believes in the beauty of sequence. He believes that the object is fascinating when arranged in a special pattern. The same is the case applied to the dramatic plot and structure. He arranges the events and actions in order to produce an organic whole and unity in the play. Tragedy becomes significant when the action is laid according to the fall from happiness to misery. There is necessary to end it with an unhappy stance in order to embellish the moral reasoning. The plot of the tragedy focuses on the production of emotions. The reversal of the fortune of the dramatic personages produces a special effect in order to express pleasure and pity.
The necessity of plot
In order to examine the relationship between the character and the plot in Poetics by Aristotle, we will have to consider the necessity of both to the tragic action of the play. In the dramatic places and actions, the story is not narrated rather it involves the execution of the action by some external agent. All these actions contribute to making unified events and thus the arrangement of these events is necessary to the demand of the tragedy. The tragedy involves the fall of the hero from prosperity to adversity. So for that purpose, all events will contribute to creating a special effect of purgation and pity and fear. The plot is the essential element of the tragic drama. The plot is about the depiction of tragic actions in a row. The plot of the tragic plot contains the kernel of the tragic action and the event. These two elements character and the plot seem to be fit or hostile to each other. All these elements work in relevance to execute tragedy. But the pot is necessary to the case as compared to the character.
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