Literary Terms PDF

Catharsis
The term 'Catharsis' occurs in Aristotle's definition of tragedy: “Tragedy is 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 Katharsis, or purgation, of these emotions.” The term 'Catharsis'
has been used only once in the course of the Poetics by Aristotle in the fourth chapter.
Yet there is hardly any other term which has given rise to so many different
interpretations and controversies but catharsis. The real difficulty arises out of the fact
that Aristotle does not define or explain this term. It has also been noted that the term
'Catharsis' has three meanings: it could mean "purgation" or "purification", or
"clarification". Critics have interpreted Aristotle's views in the light of each of these
three meanings but it has not done much to solve the difficulty. Only one thing has been
agreed upon by the critics that tragedy arouses pity and fear.
The terms, 'pity' and 'fear' are closely connected in Aristotelian theory of catharsis.
Aristotle says that pity is occasioned by undeserved misfortune on the hero, and fear
by the misfortune of one like ourselves. Anything that causes fear in us if it happens to
us, causes pity in us if it happens to others. The essential tragic effect depends on
maintaining the intimate alliance between pity and fear. According to Aristotle, pity
alone should not be evoked by tragedy; Butcher says that the requirement of Aristotle
is a combination of pity and fear.
Write a short note on “Peripeteia”.
In the “Poetics”, Aristotle devotes a major portion of his discussion of tragedy to plot.
Aristotle makes a distinction between simple and complex plots. A simple plot, he says,
is one in which the change of fortune occurs without any sudden reversals (Peripety) or
Discoveries (Anagnorisis). Peripeteia is a sudden change in a story which results in a
negative reversal of circumstances. Peripeteia is also known as the turning point, the
place in which the tragic protagonist’s fortune changes from good to bad. This literary
device is meant to surprise the audience, but is also meant to follow as a result of a
character’s previous actions or mistakes. ‘Peripety’ implies a sequence of events
bringing about an end, which is totally unexpected by the agent. The agent is trapped
in a set of circumstances with which he had so far been able to contend successfully. It
is quite easy to read the implication of ‘tragic irony’ into the concept of ‘peripety’. The
peripeties cited by Aristotle involve tragic irony.
In Sophocles’ play “Oedipus Rex”, peripeteia occurs when Oedipus learns of his parents’
true identity from the messenger. He realizes he has murdered his father and married
his mother, according to the prophecy. Abruptly, his good fortune is ruined and he stabs his
eyes out in dismay.
Aristotle’s Concept of the ideal tragic hero/ Hamartia
No passage in the Poetics, with the exception of the Catharsis phrase, has attracted so great
deal of critical attention as his concept of an ideal tragic hero. The function of a tragedy is to
arouse the emotions of pity and fear in the spectators, and Aristotle deduces the qualities of his
hero from this essential function. An ideal tragic hero should be good, but not too good or
perfect, for the fall of a perfectly good man from prosperity to adversity, would be odious and
repellent for the spectators. His fall will also not arouse the proper sentiment of pity, for he is
not like us and his undeserved fall would only shock and disgust. Moreover, his martyrdom is a
spiritual victory and the sense of moral triumph drowns the feeling of pity. The perfectly good
man or the saint is self-effacing and unselfish, so he tends to be passive and inactive.
The ideal tragic hero is a man who stands midway between the two extremes. He is not
eminently good or just, though he inclines to the side of goodness. He is like us, he has so much
of common humanity to arouse our interest and sympathy, but he is an idealised one. Aristotle
says that the tragic hero is not depraved or vicious, he is also not perfect at the same time, his
misfortune is brought upon him by some fault of his own. In this connection the Greek word
used here is "hamartia". The root meaning of Hamartia is "missing the mark". So the tragic hero
falls not because of some vice or depravity, but because of "miscalculation" on his part.
Hamartia is not a moralfailing, but unfortunately it has been translated rather loosely as,
"tragic flaw", by Bradley. Aristotle himself distinguishes hamartia from moral failing, and makes
it quite clear that he means by it some error of judgment. Butcher, Bywater, and Rostangi, all
these critics agree that 'Hamartia' is not a moral failing; but an error of judgment which a man
commits unconsciously or innocently. However, Humphrey House tells that Aristotle neither
does assert nor deny anything about the connection of hamartia with moral failings in the
hero. He says: "It may be accompanied by moral imperfection,but it is not in itself a moral
imperfection."
Thus Hamartia is an error of judgement or miscalculation, it may arise from any of the three
ways: First, it may arise from "ignorance of some material fact or circumstance", or secondly, it
may be an error arising from hasty or careless view of a given situation, or thirdly, it may be an
error voluntary but not deliberate, as in the case of acts committed in anger or passion.
Hubris
Hubris is a word with Greek roots. It means arrogance and excessive pride. This can be
something a character feels internally, but it usually translates to the character’s actions. The
etymology of the word “hubris” is fascinating. Originally, the word was used to describe the
character of humans who were so overconfident that they believed they could become
godlike. Over time, the English word came to mean a general overconfidence that may be
excessive enough to lead to a downfall.
In the play “Oedipus Rex”, Kind Oedipus defies the gods’ prophecy that he will kill his father
and murder his mother. Attempting to control and evade his own fate, he kills an old man
who turns out to be his father. Later he marries the queen of Thebes, who turns out to be his
mother. His attempt to defy the gods was considered hubris. In the legendary story of Icarus,
Icarus’s father made him a pair of wax wings and cautioned him not to fly too high with them.
Becoming overconfident, Icarus flew as high as he wanted. The sun melted his wings, and he
fell to his death.

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Catharsis

The term 'Catharsis' occurs in Aristotle's definition of tragedy: “Tragedy is an imitation

Write a short note on “Peripeteia”.

Aristotle’s Concept of the ideal tragic hero/ Hamartia

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