Catharsis as a vehicle of dramatic Influence : Aristotle, Horace and the Italian Renaissance theorists

Abstract

When Aristotle introduced catharsis as a final cause for tragedy, he touched upon an aspect of art which is universal. This concept born in antiquity has been exhausted by much speculation, probably because this formula that Aristotle has diagnosed has given a goal to various aspects of drama. The first is that the audience is given a definition of their experience, then the playwright is also provided with an ultimate aim, for which certain means are necessary to reach the effect he wants to achieve if he wants to hold an audience. And last but not least the actors themselves are not just presenting a role but creating an experience for themselves as well as their spectators. Unfortunately a study of Aristotle's Poetics leaves us in the mist of things since his discussion of the subject is brief. This is probably due to the fact that he might have taken it for granted that he was understood by his contemporaries. The whole treatise is itself fragmentary and this does not help to give a clear definition of Aristotle's intentions. One must also bear in mind the difficulties of translation, plus the different periods of civilisations and cultures which separate the ancient Greeks from the modem world