2. Aristotle .
• Ancient Greek Philosopher .
• Student of Greek Philosopher Pluto himself a student of Socrates .
• Estimated to have written 200 works
• Only 31 works of Aristotle are in circulation now .
His Major Works :-
• Categories .
• On Interpretation .
• Prior Analytics .
• Posterior Analytics .
• Poetics .
3. Preface to Poetics .
• Aristotle wrote this treatise as an answer to the argument made by
Plato in his tenth book Republic.
• Plato , in his Republic says that Poets should be discarded from the
society.
• Poetics is fragmentary . It originally consists of two books –former
dealing with Tragedy and Epic and latter with Comedy and other
subjects.
• But , we possess only the first one. The latter one seems to be
unrevised and incomplete too.
• Poetics is a classic work.
Difficulties and Misconceptions in Poetics.
1. Translation .
• There is a immense difference in the history of ancient Greek and
modern England .
• Greek language is much unconscious about grammar.
• In the Greek language , one in ten of the nouns has an exact English
equivalent translation.
• Thus , no translation written in normal English can reproduce the
style of Aristotle.
4. 2. Poesis (making) and Poetes (maker)
• Although, the word poesis and poetes are translated as making and maker
respectively, they are really not making but Imitation.
• Aristotle and Plato believed that art is imitation.
• Epos, Tragedy are the imitation of rhythm, language, and tune.
• Tragedy ‘imitates good man’ and comedy ‘imitates bad man.’
• Tragedy is also an imitation of eudaimonia – a word often translated as
‘happiness’ but meaning something more like ‘high life’ or ‘blessedness.’
3. Prattein / Proxis (to act)
• The translation of prattein or proxis is ‘to act’ or ‘action.’
• But , prattein has a intransitive meaning ‘to fare.’
• Tragedy shows how men ‘fare’ than how they ‘act.’
4. Hamartia (bad shot or error)
• Aristotle says that the tragic hero is the one who falls from high state or frame,
not through vice or depravity, but by some great hamartia.
• Hamartia translation goes as ‘bad shot’ or ‘error’ but used for ‘offence’ or ‘sin.’
• But, Aristotle means that the tragic hero is great man with some flaws in his life
or character.
5. Other Difficulties.
• Greek language is unconscious of grammar.
• Aristotle wrote Poetics at a time when the great age of Greek tragedy was
long past.
• Literature is a thing that grows and has a history.
Some of the Aristotle’s concepts from Poetics.
• Aristotle uses the word mythos practically in the sense of ‘plot’
• He says that Tragedy clings to the ‘historical names’ for an aesthetic reason.
• Aristotle says that Chorus should be an integral part of the play and it ‘should
be regarded as one of the actors.’
• Aristotle assumes that Anagnorisis and Peripeteia are two elements normally
present in any Tragedy that really has a plot except the simple ones.
• Aristotle stresses on the need of Unity in his work of art.
• He also demands that great art must have as it’s subject the great way of
living.
Translated by INGRAM BYWATER
With a Preface by GILBERT MURRAY.
