Aristotle’s Poetics Explained — And Why It Matters For Screenwriters

Aristotle’s Poetics Explained — a summary of the iconic literary theory text, including the hierarchy of elements prescribed by the Greek philosopher and how writers can use them.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Aristotle's Poetics
01:03 - Aristotle and the Poetics History
03:06 - Chapter 1: Plot
08:20 - Chapter 2: Character
11:46 - Chapter 3: Thought
13:49 - Chapter 4: DIction
17:35 - Chapter 5: Spectacle and Song
20:57 - Takeaways

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ARISTOTLE’S POETICS EXPLAINED

Whether they’re aware of it or not, storytellers have been influenced by Aristotle’s Poetics for centuries. In the philosopher’s text, one of the first dedicated to literary theory, Aristotle lays out the groundwork for what he believes should be in every story. In this video, we will break down Poetics by Aristotle, hoping that writers can understand where these storytelling conventions come from and how they might use them in their own work.

WHAT IS ARISTOTLE’S POETICS

Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher who shared his thoughts and theories on everything from politics, art, science, economics, and philosophy. Poetics is the earliest surviving work of Greek literary theory. Aristotle uses the text to argue for specific elements of storytelling, specifically those that apply to tragic storytelling. Today, writers working in tragedy or not still borrow specific notions from Poetics, and its influence cannot be understated.

THEORY OF TRAGEDY

Aristotle presents the following hierarchy of importance to elements that should be included in a story: plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song.

Plot — For Aristotle, this is the most critical aspect of a story. He argues they should have a beginning, middle, and end, along with crucial story beats like peripeteia (reversal of fortune), anagnorisis (critical discovery), and catharsis (emotional relief). He also argues that plots should hinge on causality, where each event leads directly to the next and creates a cohesive narrative.

Character — In general, Aristotle believes that characters should essentially be good. They may dabble in moral gray areas, but their intentions and goals should be righteous.

Thought — Stories should make the audience think and draw connections between what is happening in the story and how we live our own lives. Today, we might understand this as the “theme” of the story.

Diction — Aristotle also valued elements of diction, including word choice, grammatical decisions, and sentence structure. In other words, they should be well-written.

Spectacle — This is primarily focused on the story's presentation to heighten the drama in the text. For example, a typical conversation around contemporary films is how spectacle overshadows the plot and characters.

Song — Musical accompaniment has been a part of theater and film productions from their beginnings. And while music does enhance the storytelling, it is still at the bottom of Aristotle’s list.

Aristotle’s Poetics is a fascinating text to study — some of it is outdated, but knowing how and why we tell stories the way we do is valuable knowledge for any storyteller.


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♬ SONGS USED:

“Action Drums” - Rhythm Scott
“SIcario” - Jóhan Johannsson
“Pier 12” - David Arnold
“Main Title (The Shining)” - Wendy Carlos + Rachel Elkind
“The Desert and the Robot Auction” - John Williams
“Fire Temple” - Bobby Krlic
“Grandma In Trouble” - mark Mothersbaugh
“Meeting Chubbs” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“Ripple In The Sand” - Hans Zimmer
“Max” - Elmer Bernstein
“Terrorist Entrance” - Michael Kamen
“Farewell” - Evgueni Galperine
“Hardest Geometry Problem In The World” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“He’s A Pirate” - Hans Zimmer
“All Of You Undisturbed Cities” - Tom Holkenborg
“Sarah On The Run” - Brad Fiedel
“Ace Of Hearts” - Ira Newborn
“The Bomb Run” - The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
“Where the Men Hunt” - Simon Franglen
“Warmth of Your Gaze” - Mark Monsoon
“A New Alliance” - John Williams
“Hymn For Nina” - Anthony Willis
“Tale of a Haunted Banker” - Christopher Young
“The Run” - Michael Abels
“High Rollin” - Stefano Mastronadi

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