Question

Which element is the least important in tragedy, according to Aristotle?

• A. Plot
• B. Character
• C. Thought
• D. Spectacle

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Spectacle

According to Aristotle, spectacle is the least important element of tragedy. Aristotle believed that spectacle was more the work of the set designer than the poet. 

• Aristotle ranked the elements of tragedy in order of importance in his work Poetics. 

• He believed that plot was the most important element, followed by character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. 

• Aristotle believed that spectacle was a pleasurable accessory, but that it was not essential to the play. 

• He believed that the power of tragedy came from its plot, and that a well-written tragedy was more powerful than a series of well-written speeches. 

• Aristotle believed that the most powerful elements of a tragedy were the peripeteia and the anagnorisis, which are both elements of the plot.