Fear, Pity, and Catharsis Theme Analysis

In Poetics, Aristotle argues that the true aim of tragedy is to bring about a “purification” of emotion. Aristotle claims that “one should not seek every pleasure from tragedy, but the one that is characteristic of it.” In other words, since fear and pity are characteristic of tragedy, these are the emotions a tragedy should produce in those who read or view it. This “purification,” or production of fear and pity in the audience, is also known by the Greek word catharsis, and catharsis is evidence of the successful construction of a tragedy. According to Aristotle, writers of tragic poetry “should produce the pleasure which comes from pity and fear, and should do so by means of imitation.” Such imitation is achieved one of two ways: through the representation of human suffering, which involves both destruction and pain, or the representation of events that occur “contrary to expectation but because of one another,” as they do in a tragic plot that involves reversal and recognition. In Poetics, Aristotle underscores the importance of catharsis through fear and pity in the construction and consumption of tragedies, and he ultimately argues that tragic plots involving reversal and recognition are best for producing feelings of fear and pity.

Aristotle maintains that catharsis is a crucial part of tragedy and that tragic plots should evoke fear and pity specifically, as these are the emotions most often associated with tragic plots. Most tragedies involve human suffering, which, according to Aristotle, “is an action that involves destruction or pain (e.g. deaths in full view, extreme agony, woundings and so on).”  Such “terrible and pitiable” actions, as Aristotle calls them, should produce the emotions of fear and pity in the audience. A tragedy that does not elicit these emotions fails to meet the purpose of tragedy: to imitate a specific action as closely and accurately as possible, which in this case is human suffering. Aristotle ultimately argues that people find pleasure in viewing distressing imitations, like those found in tragedy, as long as such imitations are viewed from a safe distance. Catharsis through tragedy not only allows the audience to view a distressing image, it allows them to vicariously experience the same emotions.   

According to Aristotle, the strongest catharsis comes from tragic plots that involve reversal. Aristotle defines reversal as “a change to the opposite in the actions being performed as stated—and this, as we have been saying, in accordance with probability or necessity.” In other words, catharsis is best achieved during tragedies in which events occur contrary to what is stated, as long as those events are necessary and feasible. Aristotle gives Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex as an example of tragic reversal: in Sophocles’s tragic play, a messenger comes to Oedipus to free him of the fear that he has committed incest with his mother, and in doing so, the messenger produces the “opposite result.” That is, instead of calming Oedipus’s fears, the messenger confirms Oedipus’s true identity and reveals that Oedipus really has committed incest and patricide. For Aristotle, catharsis is strongest in tragedies like Oedipus Rex, in which feelings of fear and pity are brought about because of an unexpected reversal of the plot. Unforeseen reversals add to astonishment, which, Aristotle maintains, is more powerful and complete when it is achieved spontaneously and happens for a reason.

In addition to reversals, Aristotle also argues that catharsis is best achieved through tragic plots that involve recognition. Aristotle defines recognition as “a change from ignorance to knowledge, disclosing either a close relationship or enmity, on the part of people marked out for good or bad fortune.” In other words, recognition is a sudden understanding or revelation, which for most of the plot remains unknown. Aristotle argues that there is more than one kind of recognition in tragedies. Recognition can occur “with respect to inanimate and chance objects; and it is also possible to recognize whether someone has or has not performed some action.” Recognition can also occur on both sides of a tragedy, as it does in Euripides’s Iphigeneia in Tauris, in which both Orestes and Iphigeneia recognize they are siblings, albeit at different times. However, Aristotle maintains, the type of recognition that involves good or bad fortune is particularly effective in the case of tragedy. Aristotle argues that recognition is most effective when it occurs at the same time as reversal, as it does in Oedipus Rex. In the play, Oedipus’s recognition of his true identity unfolds simultaneously with the plot’s reversal: when the messenger arrives with the intention of allaying Oedipus’s incestuous fears, they reveal that Oedipus has murdered his real father and married his mother. The dual surprise of an unexpected reversal and recognition produces the strongest feelings fear and pity, which, Aristotle argues, is the true objective of tragedy.

Tragedies like Oedipus Rex that involve a change of fortune through reversal, recognition, or both are what Aristotle refers to as complex plots, as compared to simple plots, which do not involve either reversal or recognition. Aristotle contends that such reversals and recognitions “must arise from the actual structure of the plot, so that they come about as a result of what has happened before, out of necessity or in accordance with probability.” Complex plots, Aristotle ultimately argues, are most effective at bringing about catharsis through feelings of pity and fear, which is the hallmark of a tragedy.