Plot and Character
Aristotle argues that, among the six formative
elements, the plot is the most important element.The plot contains a beginning, a middle
and an end, where the beginning is what is "not posterior to
another thing," while the middle needs to have something
happened before, and something to happen after it, but after
the end there is nothing else." The characters serve to advance the action of the story,
not vice verse. The ends we pursue in life, our happiness and
our misery, all take the form of action. Tragedy is written not
merely to imitate man but to imitate man in action. That is.
according to Aristotle, happiness consists in a certain kind of
activity rather than in a certain quality of character. As David
Daiches says: "the way in which the action works itself out,
the whole casual chain which leads to the final outcome.Lastly, Aristotle notes that forming a
solid plot t is far more difficult than creating good characters
or diction.Incidents mean action, and tragedy is an imitation of actions,
both internal and external.