“For our pity is excited by misfortunes undeservedly suffered, and our terror by some resemblance between the sufferer and ourselves.” Discuss with reference to Aristotle’s Poetics.

 In Aristotle's Poetics, he argues that tragedy is an art form that can arouse emotions of pity and fear in the audience. According to Aristotle, the two most important emotions that tragedy should aim to evoke are pity and fear, and he provides a detailed analysis of how these emotions can be effectively produced in the audience. In this essay, we will discuss Aristotle's views on pity and fear and how they are generated in tragedy.

Aristotle argues that pity is an emotion that is aroused in the audience when they see a character who is experiencing misfortunes that are underserved. He suggests that the audience feels pity for the character because they recognize that the character is suffering despite having done nothing wrong to deserve it. Aristotle believes that this sense of pity is most effectively generated when the character is someone whom the audience can identify with and relate to, such as a good person who is unjustly punished.

Aristotle's view is supported by the idea that the audience is more likely to feel pity for a character if they see some resemblance between the character and themselves. When the audience sees a character who is suffering from misfortunes that they themselves could potentially experience, they are more likely to feel pity for the character. This creates a sense of empathy between the audience and the character, which makes the audience more emotionally invested in the outcome of the play.

The other emotion that Aristotle believes tragedy should aim to evoke is fear. He argues that fear is an emotion that is aroused in the audience when they see a character who is experiencing misfortunes that they themselves could potentially experience. Aristotle suggests that fear is most effectively generated when the character is someone whom the audience can identify with and relate to, such as a good person who is threatened with harm.

According to Aristotle, the audience feels fear when they recognize that they themselves could be in the same situation as the character. This creates a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty in the audience, which makes them more emotionally invested in the outcome of the play. Aristotle believes that fear is most effective when it is generated gradually throughout the play, with the audience slowly realizing the extent of the danger facing the character.

In conclusion, Aristotle argues that tragedy is an art form that can arouse emotions of pity and fear in the audience. He suggests that pity is generated when the audience sees a character who is experiencing misfortunes that are underserved, and fear is generated when the audience sees a character who is threatened with harm. Aristotle believes that these emotions are most effectively generated when the character is someone whom the audience can identify with and relate to. Therefore, for Aristotle, the key to generating these emotions in the audience is to create characters and situations that are recognizable and relatable to the audience, thereby evoking their empathy and vulnerability.