Aristotle`s definition of tragedy formed the foundation for dramatic entertainment. Consider a contemporary play, novel, or movie that ends tragically and compare and contrast the elements of the piece to Aristotle`s understanding of plot structure and character.

According to Aristotle, a tragic plot “gives rise to a change from good fortune to bad fortune, or from bad fortune to good fortune.” In Brokeback Mountain (2005) we have an example of the first example, as we follow the secret relationship between two men in the 1960s which leads to the death of one of them in the hands of discrimination.

Explanation:

Furthermore, in Aristotle's hierarchical structure of the components of a tragedy, the character’s actions are defined by the theme of the plot. In this movie, the main characters´ actions (hiding, falling in love, keeping a secret relationship for years) are determined by that tragic destiny, they are dependant on the theme of the plot.

agamemnon was the leader of the greek troops in the trojan wars and orestes was his son. when agamemnon returned from the war, he was murdered by his wife's lover in conjunction with his wife. orestes could not stop them but he seeked vengeance for his father. after a long time, he found them and avenged his father while killing them. he killed his mother, but greek mythology claims that his act was just and he was spared the remorse and the guilt. there are a lot of similarities with the ulysses/telemachus father son pair. ulysses was also one of the leaders of the excursion to troy. he still has not returned home, but in a sense the suitors of penelope are marring his estate and his reputation. while penelope is faithful to ulysses, the suitors by taking hold of the palace and committing their shameful acts are dishonoring ulysses. in the same context, telemachus is asked just like orestes to restitution his father's honor, regardless of whether he is alive or dead. athena is him and encouraging him with this example and he himself feels the need to save his father