Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
AristotleRead
Tragedy is an imitation not only of a complete action, but of events inspiring fear and pity. Such an effect is best produced when the events come on us by surprise; and the effect is heightened when, at the same time, they follow as cause and effect. The tragic wonder will then be great than if they happened of themselves or by accident; for even coincidences are most striking when they have an air of design.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Aristotle suggests that tragedy effectively evokes fear and pity by imitating a complete action, particularly when the events unfold unexpectedly with a sense of a causal relationship.
In this quote, Aristotle delves into the nature of tragedy in dramatic art, positing that a well-crafted tragic narrative generates a powerful emotional response by imitating a complete action that evokes fear and pity. He emphasizes that the impact of tragedy is intensified when the unfolding events are unexpected and appear to follow a logical cause-and-effect relationship, suggesting that resonance in tragedy arises from a perceived design, thus heightening the audience's emotional engagement.
Themes
TragedyFearPityCause And EffectArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the effectiveness of storytelling in film, one could use this quote to highlight how tragedy impacts audiences.
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