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Complex Plot
A complication is the part of a tragic plot that includes everything from the beginning of the play up to the point of the change of fortune. A tragedy must have both complication and resolution, and a complication can even occur outside the events of a play, such as action that occurs before the play starts but has bearing on the plot. Complications and resolutions should be constructed with equal care, Aristotle says, to avoid one part of the play overshadowing another.
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Complication Term Timeline in Poetics
The timeline below shows where the term Complication appears in Poetics. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8. Other Aspects of Tragedy
8.5 Complication and Resolution. A tragedy must have complication and resolution. According to Aristotle, the complication is “everything from the beginning up to and...
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...include all the component parts, but it is usually judged by its plot. Therefore, both complication and resolution should be constructed with the same attention.
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