An Analysis of Hamlet under Aristotle's Theory of TragedyAristotle, as a world-renowned philosopher, gives a clear definition of tragedy in its head -influential work Poetics, a well-known Greek technical manual of literary criticism. In the words of Aristotle, a tragedy is "an imitation of a serious action, complete and of a certain magnitude, a language embellished with every kind of artistic ornament, the different species occurring in distinct parts of the play , the form of action, not of narrative, by pity and fear effecting the appropriate purging of these emotions” (Aristotle 12). He believes that a tragedy must be serious and complete in appropriate and pleasant language; the plot of the tragedy should be dramatic, the incidents of which will arouse pity and fear and ultimately accomplish a catharsis of emotions. His theory of tragedy has had a great influence on tragic theories of the last two thousand years. Shakespeare, as the greatest playwright in Western literature, also learned from this theory. Hamlet is one of the most influential tragedies written by Shakespeare. The play sharply focuses on the theme of moral corruption, betrayal, revenge and incest. This essay will first analyze Shakespeare's Hamlet according to Aristotle's theory of tragedy. Next, this essay will express a personal opinion on Aristotle's tragic theory. The purpose of this essay is to help the reader better understand Aristotle's theory of tragedy and Shakespeare's masterpiece, Hamlet. In Poetics, Aristotle defines plot as “the arrangement of incidents” (Aristotle 12). It states that there are six elements in every tragic play, which are plot, character, thought, diction, melody and spectacle, among which plot is placed in the first place in the paper.. .... n Aristotle's view of characters. Aristotle also suggests that a tragedy should have the power to provoke an emotion of pity and fear in the audience. The suffering and behavior of each character in Hamlet possesses this power. The author agrees with the Aristotelian analysis of Hamlet, the story of Hamlet was perfectly based on Aristotle's tragic theory. However, the author believes that tragedy does not always have to end in misery. A tragic story can also hide some happiness in the suffering and misery of the tragic hero(s), this way the audience can realize that there is still hope when your life is tragic and encourage people to strive to create a better life. QuotedAristotle. Poetic. Ed. Stephen Halliwell. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ., 2005. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.