SOURCE: "Tragedy without Character: Poetics VI.1450^a 24," in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. XXVIII, No. 1, Fall, 1969, pp. 55-62.

In the following essay, Lord examines Aristotle's elevation of plot above all other elements of tragedy and argues that he does indeed assert that all aspects of character, including the concept of "hamartia," are a function of plot.

I

It is commonly believed that there are two kinds of readers or spectators. There are those who read primarily for plot, story, action, narrative, and who especially enjoy spectacle—the vulgar. Then there are those, the connoisseurs of letters, the cognoscenti—ourselves—who place a greater premium on character, thought, and diction. When we find Aristotle expressly giving the pride of place to plot among the six parts of Tragedy—Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Spectacle, and Music—we are instantly perplexed, if not outraged. Even those of us...