Aristotle’s Poetic Devices: Intensifying the Tragic Emotion in Antigone

Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is the “representation of an action which is serious,

complete in itself, and of a certain limited length; it is expressed in speech beautified in different

ways in different parts of the play; it is acted not merely recited; and by exciting pity and fear it

produced relief from such emotions” (Else & Arbor, 1967). He believed that characters are not

enough to make a tragedy. In the play Antigone, he utilized two poetic devices to propel the

tragic nature of the play – reversal and recognition.

Aristotle put propelling devices to intensify the tragic story in the Antigone. He used

‘reversal’ (peripeteia) wherein the key action which is designed to produce one result leads to the

opposite (SparkNotes, 2016). This is when Antigone buries his brother after his death. This is

just an ordinary practice of burying a person but his brother has been serving the foreign army.

Due to her action, she was condemned of doing it so as it led to Antigone’s distress and decided

to hang herself. This is an act that led to several disastrous consequences.

Another poetic device is the recognition, (anagnorisis or "knowing again" or "knowing

back" or "knowing throughout"). This is a change from ignorance to awareness of a bond of hate

and love (SparkNotes, 2016). It also tackles human fate, destiny, and the will of gods. This is

found in the play when Antigone was caught burying his brother Polyneieces. Antigone was

sentenced to death. Haemon, her finacee and the son of Creon learned about this and tried to

persuade Creon to change his verdict. This is only when the oracle Tiresias appeared before

them and convinced Creon that it is the will of the gods to bury Polyneieces. However, it was

too late for Antigone already hung herself. Haemon also killed himself when he found her and

Creon’s wife also killed herself after knowing what happened to their son (Grene, n.d).
 The devices ‘reversal’ and ‘recognition’ has really appealed to the tragic nature of the

play Antigone. It has significantly touched the emotional breadth of the story that every reader

can also feel. It is really tragedy when you already have the solution but everything is too late

and all your loved ones are already gone.

References:

Else, Gerald F. & Arbor, Ann [Trans]. Poetics. [Aristotle] University of Michigan. 1967

SparkNotes. Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetorics. SparkNotes LLC. File retrieved 17th September
2016. <http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/aristotle/section9.rhtml>. 2016

Grene, David [Trans]. Antigone. File retrieved 17th September 2016

<http://hour25.heroesx.chs.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Antigone-Heroized-v5-for-
Hour-25-upload.pdf>. pp 161-211.