One doesn’t need to be a philosophy major to know of Aristotle, the ancient Greek thinker, writer, scientist, and teacher about whom modern broadcast personality and philosopher Bryan Magee once commented "it is doubtful whether any human being has ever known as much as he did".
Aristotle’s scientific and ethical theories, as influential as they were, are, for the most part, now considered obsolete. Among other quasi-scientific concepts, the four classical elements of Greece, earth, wind, fire, and water, were created by the famous Greek. Although Aristotle is often known only as a philosopher and scientist, he was also an avid supporter of the thespian arts. In his famous work, Poetics, he lays out the six elements that he feels are essential to drama.
From the time Aristotle listed them around 335 BC, the Six Elements of Drama have had a great influence on virtually every single western writer, playwright, and director from William Shakespeare to Henrik Ibsen. However, in recent years modern movie makers have strayed away from the traditional structure of the Six Elements, stressing some and neglecting others.
Aristotle’s First Dramatic Element: Plot
According to Aristotle, the finest play on the face of the earth was Oedipus Rex by the Athenian Sophocles. What made it so good, claimed Aristotle, was the complex organic nature of the plot (meaning at some point a main character underwent a drastic change in viewpoint or position.) Also, the protagonist underwent intense pain and suffering (spoiler alert: he gouged out his own eyes) which Aristotle said evoked emotions of fear and pity, a goal of any literary work.
Unfortunately, this image of the ideal play/movie has been repeatedly pounded into the ground by Hollywood. Every year, dozens of subpar films are released that feature a conflicted bad guy turning over a new leaf or vice versa. Now it seems that film writers have given up on the plot aspect of drama. Instead, they use regurgitated tripe that should not have been done once, but, because of the ease and simplicity of creating the script, has been done hundreds, if not thousands of times.
Aristotle’s Second Dramatic Element: Character
Aristotle’s ideal character is the source of whatever harm befalls him. Aristotle felt that a problem that is perceived as preventable would be more emotionally stressful to the audience than one that would happen no matter what. In addition to this stipulation, a character must be appropriate and consistent. The character’s personality must match his/her occupation, age etc. and a character must not exhibit unexplained sudden changes in behavior, respectively.
Most of the films in the modern era tend to neglect character development leading to linear personalities and predictable endings. Also, many times characters are thrown into the main problem of the movie without any chance to pre-emptively stop them. Aristotle would say this does not sufficiently stimulate the pity and anticipation of the viewer.
Aristotle’s Third Dramatic Element: Theme
A theme is two or more abstract concepts that are opposed to each other throughout the course of a production through the use of different characters and symbols, each representing one of the concepts. A simple and common example of this would be good vs. evil.
Most movies today actually do a fairly decent job of utilizing themes. Whether inadvertently or intentionally, virtually every film today has several contesting concepts. Some of the most common are, as previously stated, good vs. evil, young vs. old, fate vs. free will and freedom vs. slavery.
Aristotle’s Fourth Dramatic Element: Dialogue (aka Diction)
The characters’ dialogue must match their education, personality, and the situation. Speech should be clear, yet poetic when possible and express the emotional and moral status of the one speaking. A strict rule in Greek drama, and most drama in general, is that, unlike real life where there are often several people talking over each other, only one person can be talking at a time.
Dialogue is yet another area in which modern movie makers have fallen short. The scripts of most of today’s films are full of forced, clichéd dialogue and unreal drama.
Aristotle’s Fifth Dramatic Element: Rhythm (aka Song, Music)
Aristotle felt that the choir (virtually the only musical medium at the time) should be like an additional actor, blending in with the play to create mood.
Modern movies do a wonderful job with rhythm. Film soundtracks far outshine the ancient methods of incorporating music into the production. A skilled modern composer has all the tools necessary to evoke any conceivable emotion of the viewer.
Aristotle’s Sixth Dramatic Element: Spectacle
Spectacle refers to the visual aspects of a production such as costume, set, backdrop, props, makeup, and special effects. Aristotle referred to this as the “least artistic” of the six elements. He felt that spectacle alone could not make a great play.
Without a doubt, spectacle is the most important aspect of modern films. As technology has advanced so have the special effects of movies. The current epitome of spectacle is CGI. With a minimal budget, a group of techies can create a massive, realistic universe. Unfortunately, the magnificent spectacle may create a feeling of indifference towards the five more important elements that lead to the many mindless action, shoot ‘em up films that are released today.
Tristan Devereux - Tristan James Devereux was born on March 18, 1983 (though you would never guess it based on his picture.) As a child his favorite past ...
