Aristotle’s Theory Of Tragedy As Seen In Euripides’ Electra
Many aspects of Euripides’ play Electra fit into Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, however, some elements of the play are weak according to the theory. Aristotle proposed that a play would have to meet a certain criteria to be considered a good tragedy. He held that the play must center around a tragic figure, displaying hubris and nobility, who through hamartia undergoes a fall from happiness into misery. A discovery must take place in the tragic figure followed by a reversal in that what occurs is not the original expected outcome. The tragic character must then undergo tremendous suffering as a result of their own hamartia inspiring a sense of pity and fear within the audience. This ...
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and fear.
In Electra, both Orestes and Electra can be viewed as tragic figures, however Orestes is the better choice according to Aristotle. Orestes is the son of a king and is a prince, thus he is of a high birth. He has ethos, or a sense of right and wrong, in that he recognizes the injustices that have been done unto his father Agamemnon, his sister Electra, and himself by both Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Orestes is basically a good person in that he is motivated by justice and love of his sister and murdered father. He wishes to restore his sister and himself to the noble life they were born into and to avenge his father. This desire to avenge Agamemnon also shows Orestes’ hubris, or sense of pride. Only he is capable of avenging his father, punishing the adulterers who murdered him, and taking the throne back. However, Orestes is not perfect because he is almost ruled completely by his strong desire for vengeance that he arrives at conclusions quickly without ...
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Before Orestes’ decision to murder his mother he is not in a state of happiness. He has been exiled from his home, separated from his sister, his father has been murdered by his mother and her lover, and he has grown up abroad in a foreign land. In a sense, Orestes descends from misery to even greater misery as a result of his hamartia, which does not agree with Aritotle’s theory on tragedy.
Orestes’ discovery occurs when he realizes his hamartia, or the error in killing his own mother. After he and Electra have murdered Clytemnestra, Orestes states with sorrow, “...and my hand struck them down, to avenge wrong done to me! Where can I find tears enough?” (145). This shows that ...
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Aristotle’s Theory Of Tragedy As Seen In Euripides’ Electra. (2007, November 20). Retrieved April 25, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aristotles-Theory-Tragedy-Seen-Euripides-Electra/74607
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"Aristotle’s Theory Of Tragedy As Seen In Euripides’ Electra." Essayworld.com. November 20, 2007. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aristotles-Theory-Tragedy-Seen-Euripides-Electra/74607.
"Aristotle’s Theory Of Tragedy As Seen In Euripides’ Electra." Essayworld.com. November 20, 2007. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aristotles-Theory-Tragedy-Seen-Euripides-Electra/74607.
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