De Poetica/The Poetics

De Poetica/The Poetics -Aristotle

How does Aristotle compare and contrast tragedy with epic? In Poetics Aristotle has given his conception of epic and tragedy with much importance. Both epic and tragedy are two distinct forms of poetic imitation. We find some points of similarity and dissimilarity between these two great forms of poetry. To discuss their forms, nature and function we should at first know their definitions. Let us focus on what we mean by these arts. Aristotle comments on tragedy with his popular definition-“Tragedy, then, is representation of an action that is worth serious attention, complete in itself, and of some amplitude in language enriched by a variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the party, presented in the form of action, not narration, by means of pity and fear bringing about purgation of such emotions”. From this definition we get some constituents or formative elements of tragedy such a: plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle and song. Tragedy has also some quantitative parts namely Prologue, Episode, Exude and choral song. Some world famous tragedies are Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Agamemnon by Aeschylus and Phadra by Sencca. Shakespeare’s King Lear, Macbeth, Othelo, Hamlet are the world famous tragedy. On the other hand, epic is a long narrative poem which deals with serious action involved in the life of a great hero/ heroes of his reputation, bravery and noble adventure, presented in a grand style or lofty manner sublimity and statelier both in content and form are always an inherent character. Virgil’s Aeneid and Milton’s Paradise Lost are some outstanding epics. A comparative and contrastive picture between a tragedy and epic is shown below.  Points of similarity: 1. Both tragedy and epic are dorms of imitation. 2. Plot, character thought and diction the common elements of both tragedy and epic. 3. There is unity in tragedy as well as in epic. 4. Both tragedy and epic may have either simple or complex plot. 5. In both arts the action is serious. 6. Characters are of noble nature in both tragedy and epic. 7. Both are objective and didactic in purpose.

De Poetica/The Poetics  Point of dissimilarity:

-Aristotle

1. Epic has no length-limit where as tragedy must have a considerable length. 2. Epic does not follow the unity of time and unity of place. But a classical tragedy maintains three dramatic unities. 3. In epic only one metre is used while in tragedy more than one metre may be used. 4. The manner of tragedy is spectacle or stage performance. On the contrary, the manner of epic is narration. 5. Tragedy has music and spectacle but epic lacks it. 6. The incidents in a tragedy in strongly related and essentially unified but in an epic incidents are numerous and comparatively loosely related. Observing all these difference between tragedy and epic Aristotle comments:” ……all the elements of epic find in tragedy, though not everything that belong to tragedy is to be found in epic” From the above discussion it is obvious to us that in spite of having some similarities in epic and tragedy, they are two different forms of poetics art. After showing these similarities and dissimilarities, Aristotle considers tragedy to be superior art to epic for compactness, wholeness, unity, scenic effect, music and better end. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note of readers:

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