Aristotelian literary tradition

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                       King Lear

  (Aristotelian Literary Tradition of Tragedy)

William Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the most powerful tragedies in English literature. It reflects many elements of the Aristotelian theory of tragedy, as described by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his book Poetics. Aristotle gave the basic structure of what makes a tragedy great. According to him, a tragedy must include:

●A tragic hero

●Hamartia (a tragic flaw)

●Reversal of fortune (peripeteia)

●Recognition or realization (anagnorisis)

●Catharsis (emotional purification)

Let’s explore how King Lear fits into this structure.

Tragic Hero: King Lear

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero should be a noble character – someone of high status but not perfect. 

            King Lear is a king, full of pride, power, and authority. However, he is also a human being with flaws. This makes the audience connect with him. He begins the play as a proud and commanding ruler but ends as a broken old man who has lost everything – his kingdom, his daughters, and his sanity.

Hamartia: Lear’s Tragic Flaw

Hamartia is the tragic flaw in the hero’s personality that leads to his downfall.

 In King Lear, the flaw is Lear’s pride and poor judgment. He decides to divide his kingdom based on how much his daughters claim to love him. He rewards fake praise and punishes honesty. He misjudges his loyal daughter Cordelia, banishes her, and blindly trusts his other daughters Goneril and Regan, who later betray him.

This wrong decision sets the whole tragedy into motion. It is not because of fate, but because of Lear’s own actions and errors that tragedy happens—exactly what Aristotle describes.

Reversal of Fortune: From King to Beggar

Peripeteia means a reversal of fortune. It means the hero falls from happiness and power into misery.

Lear goes from being a mighty king to a helpless, mad man wandering in a storm. He loses control of the kingdom, his power, and respect. His daughters, who pretended to love him, throw him out. He realizes too late who truly loved him.

This fall from greatness to suffering is what makes the tragedy powerful and emotional.

Anagnorisis: Realization and Recognition

Anagnorisis is when the hero realizes his mistake.

 King Lear slowly understands that Cordelia truly loved him, and that he had made a terrible error by trusting the wrong daughters. His moment of truth is heartbreaking. It is too late to change things. When he reunites with Cordelia, we see a softer, wiser Lear. His recognition makes the tragedy even more moving.

Catharsis: Emotional Release for the Audience

Aristotle says that a tragedy should bring out pity and fear in the audience and then cleanse those emotions. This is called catharsis.

In King Lear, we feel pity for the old king who trusted the wrong people and suffered so much. We feel fear because we see how pride, ego, and poor decisions can ruin lives—even powerful ones.

When Lear holds Cordelia’s dead body in his arms and dies heartbroken, the audience feels deep sorrow. But after that sadness, there is a strange peace. This emotional release is the essence of catharsis.

Why King Lear is a True Aristotelian Tragedy

King Lear strongly follows the Aristotelian tradition:

◇ A noble hero with a tragic flaw (hamartia)

◇A fall from greatness (peripeteia)

◇A painful realization (anagnorisis)

◇A powerful emotional response in the audience (catharsis)

Shakespeare doesn’t just follow the rules—he adds depth, poetry, and emotion. That’s why King Lear is still studied, loved, and remembered as one of the greatest tragedies in literature.

Though written hundreds of years apart, Shakespeare’s play and Aristotle’s ideas speak the same language of human emotion, error, and learning.

King Lear is not just a story of a king—it is the story of human weakness, love, regret, and the deep lessons that come from pain. That’s why it still touches hearts and minds today.

                                                   -Chetna Bhaliya

Reference:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373258361_Aristotle's_Poetics