Free Hamlet Essays: The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

Custom compose Essays - The Perspective of Aristotle on small town  One of the foremost Elizabethan tragedies is Hamlet by William Shakespe be and one of the earliest critics of tragedy is Aristotle. One way to verse Shakespeares work is to appraise it using the methods of classical critics and thereby to see how if it would seduce retained its meaning. Hamlet is one of the most recognizable and most frequently quoted tragedies in the all of English literature. Aristotle, is concerned with the decorous presentation of tragical plays and poetry. Aristotle defines tragedy as     ...a representation of an action that is worth serious attention,     fetch up in itself, and of some amplitude in language enriched by a     variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the     play presented in the form of action, not narration by means of pity     and charge bringing about the purgation of such emotion. (Aristotle 38 - 9)   Shakespeare uses character, eyepatch and orbit to create a mood of disgust and a reputation of ripe revenge, as opposed to fear and pity, hence Aristotle would have disapproved of Hamlet. It is the above mentioned elements character, patch and setting, used in a non- Aristotelian way, that makes Hamlet work as a one of the English languages most renown tragedies.             By proper revenge we refer to the Elizabethan view that revenge must be sought in certain cases, for the world to continue properly. This is the main plot of Hamlet. In Poetics, Aristotle defines for us, the element of plot and shows us how he believes it must be put together. He also believes in various unities which he states are necessary for a proper tragedy. Aristotle believes in what he calls Unity of plot (Aristotle 42 - 3). This Unity leaves no room for subplots, which are crucial to the theme of Hamlet. Without the subp lot of Laertes revenge and the subplot of Fortinbras revenge, we are left with a lugubrious play where the ending, although necessary, is pointless. The trey sub-plots together as a unit, allow us to understand what Shakespeare concept of revenge. Another of the ways Aristotle defines plot in tragedy as The portentous actions and the doings of impressive persons(Aristotle 35). By this definition, Hamlet should be a noble person, who does only noble things.