Aristole: aspects of tragedy: the plot

- Mimesis is the “imitation of an action” and according to Aristotle, tragedy should be conveyed through drama rather than through narrative.

- The incentive moment is the beginning of the play, which starts the cause-and-effect chain of actions that lead to the tragedy.

- The denounement is the section of the play between the climax and resolution

- The deux ex machina is intervention outside of the internal incidents of the play which solves the seemingly unsolvable problem abruptly and suddenly, bringing about a suprising and perhaps improbable conclusion.

- The plot must be “of a certain magnitude,” both quantitatively (length, complexity) and qualitatively (“seriousness” and universal significance).