Aristotle’s Inspiration on the Work of Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is a product of his time, writing many tragedies, including Julius Caesar and Macbeth in 1599 and 1606. Shakespeare pursues great ambitions as he begins to write tragedies in 1598. Tragedy is defined as “the enactment of a heroic action, meant to provoke pity and fear in the audience” (Mahoney). It is understand that during his time, the composition of tragedy is the mark of a truly great writer. How is he to have written such tragedy, though? Aristotle accepts his instructor’s (Plato’s) challenge in the year 300 B.C. by authoring Poetics, in which he outlines a system by which writing tragedy should be based. Aristotle notes: “We maintain, therefore, that the first essential, the life and soul, so to speak, of Tragedy is the Plot” in Chapter 6 of Poetics. He subdivides the contents that every tragedic plot should possess, into three separate categories. First, a tragedy must contain a peripety- an instance of role reversal. Next, one of the main characters must encounter an agnorisis- a destiny-changing discovery. Lastly, a tragedy must contain some form of suffering. Peripety, agnorisis, and suffering are the three key aspects that any tragedic plot should contain, according to Aristotle, and because Shakespeare is a product of his time, his tragedies Julius Caesar and Macbeth contain each of these three elements.

Other posts on Julius Caesar:
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Julius Caesar, Act III (3) Issues
Julius Caesar, More Act III Issues
Caesar Discussion
The Life and Work of William Shakespeare
Information about Shakespeare's Caesar
Aristotle’s Inspiration on the Work of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography

Aristotle’s instructions for writing tragedy compliment what Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Plato each have expressed before, and are, therefore, not to be treated with the slightest umbrage or illegitimacy. The credibility of Aristotle’s work, therefore, goes without saying, and during Shakespeare’s time, writing tragedy based upon the teachings of Aristotle was the only means of correct tragedic composition. There exists a distinct reason for this, however. Shakespeare lived in a time when the Renaissance, of great classic literature and languages was sweeping across Europe. Aristotle lived in the fourth century B.C. and wrote in Greek, therefore he is considered to be part of the great “rebirth” that inspires Shakespeare in the composition of his tragedies.

“A peripety is the change of the kind described from one state of things within the play to its opposite,” says Aristotle in Chapter 11 of Poetics. In Act III of Julius Caesar, Brutus is confronted by an angry mob of Romans, who demand an explanation of him and his counterparts as to why they murdered Caesar. Brutus calms the crowd by promising an explanation very soon; however Antony, who is asked to help stall for the conspirators, takes advantage of his excellent ability to orate and begins to guilt trip the crowd for not having yet done something to avenge the death of their once soon-to-be dictator. Eventually, Antony reads Caesar’s will, which gives each citizen land and specie, and not long thereafter citizens shout “Revenge!—About!—Seek!—Burn!—Fire!—Kill!—Slay! Let not a traitor live.” (Shakespeare 61). In one foul swoop, it seems, matters have turned around for Brutus and his conniving friends. A peripety occurs whereby the reader expects Brutus’ exoneration without hesitation, but the Roman mob is lured into burning his house just a few minutes later. In Macbeth, the three witches have informed Macbeth that he is to become the king. Macbeth takes advantage of this, and, in seeking happiness, murders Duncan in cold blood, while he sleeps. Instead of reaping the happiness he expects, he is instead overwhelmed by a combination of guilt and sorrow. “I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on ‘t again I dare not” exclaims Macbeth as he attempts to comprehend the implications of his actions (Shakespeare 259). Shakespeare thus incorporates a peripety into Macbeth by turning Macbeth’s feeling of happiness completely around into that of misery. In this way, Shakespeare fulfills the first plot requirement that Aristotle insists every tragedy must include.

Other posts on Julius Caesar:
Information about Shakespeare's Caesar
Julius Caesar, Act III (3) Issues
Julius Caesar, More Act III Issues
Caesar Discussion
The Life and Work of William Shakespeare
Information about Shakespeare's Caesar
Aristotle’s Inspiration on the Work of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography

The second plot requirement of a tragedy, according to Aristotle, is agnorisis. The agnorisis is quite simply a discovery made somewhere in the work that largely impacts the overall outcome of the plot. In chapter 17 of Poetics, Aristotle outlines the five ways through which a discovery may be made: signs or marks; that made directly by the poet and not by the characters; memory; reasoning; or that made through faulty reasoning of another party. In the case of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare reveals through characters the ensuing plot line. Brutus exclaim, “I kiss they hand, but not in flattery, Caesar Desiring thee, that Publius Cimber may Have an immediate freedom of repeal” as he attempts to justify the act which he is about to commit as being for the good of the Roman public (Shakespeare 48). At this point, Caesar’s impending death is uncovered; this is the discovery that Shakespeare plants for his readers allowing them to discover the story’s true plot. Likewise, Macbeth too contains a major discovery that ultimately affects the play’s plot. After it is uncovered that Inverness can in fact come to High Dunsinane, the revelation that MacDuff is a C-section baby—“being of no woman born”—informs the reader that MacDuff is in fact mortal (Shakespeare 311). Given the fact that Macbeth is placed in a castle that is adjacent to a battlefield, Shakespeare lends the discovery that MacDuff will ultimately die. Thus a discovery in each play reveals new information and contributes greatly to plot development, a phenomenon that Aristotle requires in a tragedy.

Aristotle says “we may define [suffering] as an action of a destructive or painful nature” in Chapter 11 of Poetics. The term “suffering” is loosely referenced and can extend from literal murder on stage to psychological grief from an event. In Julius Caesar, the Roman citizens’ beloved war hero, Caesar, is murdered in a bold attempt to prevent him from becoming soul dictator over the Roman Empire. “If you have tears, prepare to shed them now,” says Antony as he addresses an angry mob of Romans who have just learned of Caesar’s death (Shakespeare 60). Suffering consumes the remainder of Act III and each of the conspirators is mobbed and their houses burned. The physical death and burning that ensue each contribute immensely to the general sentiment of suffering that the reader gains from learning of Rome’s true feelings: morbidity. In Macbeth, the murder of King Duncan is clearly an act against nature. Macbeth is perceived to consider Duncan as a noble, a friend, and a guest. For this reason, murdering him would be an act against nature. Aristotle asserts that a tragedy must contain suffering, and nature, in addition to Duncan, undoubtedly suffers when Macbeth murders Duncan. The deed opposes the moral foundation of nature, and its response, delivered by Lady Macbeth, is her admission to hearing “the owl scream and the crickets cry” (Shakespeare 258). Screaming and crying are emotions of suffering- those which do not require any further explanation than their psychological implications. There is very clearly a great deal of suffering in both Julius Caesar and Macbeth, which is very obvious and almost omnipresent throughout the plots of each of these plays. Shakespeare, in wishing to be known as a great writer, begins writing tragedy based on the principals of Aristotle’s Poetics. This is the most reputable source of expertise on writing tragedy during Shakespeare’s time, most notably due to the fact that the society in which Shakespeare lives is under a heavily neoclassicist influence, and he is a product of his time. In Poetics, Aristotle claims that while the plot of a tragedy is the most important aspect of it, it is not complete without exhibiting at least one instance each of peripety, agnorisis, and suffering. Each of these is fulfilled on more than one occasion in both of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Julius Caesar and Macbeth.

Other posts on Julius Caesar:
Information about Shakespeare's Caesar
Julius Caesar, Act III (3) Issues
Julius Caesar, More Act III Issues
Caesar Discussion
The Life and Work of William Shakespeare
Information about Shakespeare's Caesar
Aristotle’s Inspiration on the Work of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography

Works Cited

Mahoney, Anne. "Greek Tragedy: CL 55, Spring 2002." 28 Jan 2002. 22 May 2006 .
Shakespeare, William. Three Tragedies: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1965.