Mythos and catharsis in Aristotle’s Poetics

Abstract

The paper argues that catharsis in Aristotle’s Poetics is a two-pronged process, which applies both to the construction of the mythos by the poet and its reception by the audience. Catharsis may plausibly be taken as the poet’s distillation of events that constitute a mythos so as to clear away anything that might undermine its coherence or disturb its unity. The sequencing of fearful and pitiable events in the plot according to probability or necessity allows the audience to evaluate or reevaluate properly the relative importance of factors that determine or influence the behavior of the tragic characters and the fulfilment of their fate. In several cases at least, the plot also leads the audience to realize that other features such as the heroes’ social and intellectual advantages, which they and/or the characters may have considered important in principle, because of their cultural or social background, and/or in the early stages of the plot, were not involved in the downfall (or salvation) of the heroes. This gradual and plot-induced shift in the audience’s appreciation of the relative importance of various factors constitutes the catharsis experienced by the audience. They gain a clear(er) understanding of the reason(s) why the heroes suffer and how they bring about (or escape) disaster. Sophocles’ OT and Euripides’ IT, which Aristotle praises highly in the Poetics, are discussed as examples that illustrate how their plots lead the audience to experience catharsis.