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English 106
4 December 1996
Hamlet Analyzed in Terms of Aristotle's Poetics
Aristotle’s Poetics is considered the guide to a
well written tragedy; his methods have been used for
centuries. In Aristotle’s opinion, plot is the most
important aspect of the tragedy, all other parts such as
character, diction, and thought stem from the plot.
Aristotle defines a tragedy as “…an imitation of an
action that is serious, complete, and of a certain
magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of
artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in
separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not
of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper
purgation of these emotions”(p. 22). Shakespeare’s
Hamlet follows this definition for the most part, and
even though it is not always in agreement with
Aristotle’s guidelines, it is still a great and
effective tragedy.
Aristotle states that tragedy is “an imitation of
an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain
magnitude”(p. 22). Hamlet is an excellent example of
this. The play centers around Hamlet’s quest to avenge
his father’s death, this is a serious action. It is
also complete in the sense that all the loose ends are
tied together in a sensible, believable manner. Hamlet
is able to avenge his father’s death by killing his
uncle. Shakespeare also follows Aristotle’s idea of the
tragedy being of a certain magnitude. The characters
are supposed to be the most perfect people whom the
audience can still relate to. Hamlet is a wealthy
prince, however he deals with the same problems as the
common man. He is confused, paranoid, and angered about
the circumstances surrounding his father’s death. He is
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