Who was he?
What did he believe about theatre?
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He believed theatre came from the human desire to imitate
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He believed it was important for the audience to experience katharsis (catharsis)--emotional release
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He believed that a tragedy should be a complete story that was both serious and important
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He believed theatre was to enlighten and to entertain
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What does that mean?
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Protagonists (heroes or heroines) of Greek tragedies were usually royalty
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These protagonists had a tragic flaw or harmartia. Hamartia literally means "missing the mark" and refers to an obstacle that stands in the way of the protagonist reaching his/her goal.
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A protagonist's tragic flaw was often hubris, or pride (i.e. Odysseus)
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The tragic flaw was sometimes out of the protagonist's control (i.e. fate in Oedipus)
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Aristotle believed that audiences would feel both pity and fear for the protagonist
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He also believed that through watching the action play out on stage, audience members would be able to purge these emotions
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He came to the conclusion that tragedy could restore balance to people by purging them of these types of emotions
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Aristotle's 6 elements of drama:
1. Plot--the arrangement of dramatic events
2. Characters--the people in the play
3. Thought/Theme--the ideas within the play
4. Language--the poetry and dialogue
5. Music--sound (including vocalizations)
6. Spectacle--visual elements (like scenery)