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Hamlet Analyzed In Terms Of Aristotles Poetics
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Hamlet Analyzed in Terms of Aristotle's Poetics
Unknown Aristotle's Poetics is considered the guide to a well written tragedy; his methods have been used for centuries. In Aristotle's opinion, plot is the most important aspect of the tragedy, all other parts such as character, diction, and thought stem from the plot. Aristotle defines a tragedy as "...an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions"(p. 22). Shakespeare's Hamlet follows this definition for the most part, and even though it is not always in agreement with Aristotle's guidelines, it is still a great and effective tragedy. Aristotle states that tragedy is "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude"(p. 22). Hamlet is an excellent example of this. The play centers around Hamlet's quest to avenge his father's death, this is a serious action. It is also complete in the sense that all the loose ends are tied together in a sensible, believable manner. Hamlet is able to avenge his father's death by killing his uncle. Shakespeare also follows Aristotle's idea of the tragedy being of a certain magnitude. The characters are supposed to be the most perfect people whom the audience can still relate to. Hamlet is a wealthy ...
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