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A simple plot is a plot in which a single, unified action is imitated and in which the change of fortune comes about without recognition or reversal. Episodic plots, in which the sequence of events is arbitrary and nonsensical, are, according to Aristotle, the worst kind of simple plot. As a general rule, Aristotle argues that complex plots are far superior to simple plots.
Simple Plot Quotes in Poetics
The Poetics quotes below are all either spoken by Simple Plot or refer to Simple Plot. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 7
Quotes
The construction of the best tragedy should be complex rather than simple; and it should also be an imitation of events that evoke fear and pity, since that is the distinctive feature of this kind of imitation. So it is clear first of all that decent men should not be seen undergoing a change from good fortune to bad fortune—this does not evoke fear or pity, but disgust. Nor should depraved people be seen undergoing a change from bad fortune to good fortune—this is the least tragic of all: it has none of the right effects, since it neither agreeable, nor does it evoke pity or fear. Nor again should a very wicked person fall from good fortune to bad fortune—that kind of structure would be agreeable, but would not excite pity or fear, since the one has to do with someone who is suffering undeservedly, the other with someone who is like ourselves (I mean, pity has to do with the underserving sufferer, fear with the person like us); so what happens will evoke neither pity nor fear.
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Simple Plot Term Timeline in Poetics
The timeline below shows where the term Simple Plot appears in Poetics. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5. Plot: Basic Concepts
5.6 Defective Plots. Episodic plots are by far the worst of the simple plots, Aristotle argues, which means the sequence of the episodes occur in such a way...
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Chapter 6. Plot: Species and Components
6.2 Simple and Complex Parts. According to Aristotle, plot is either simple or complex. A simple plot is a plot in which a single action of unity...
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Chapter 7. The Best Kinds of Tragic Plot
7.2 First Deduction. The best tragedy is complex, not simple, and it imitates events that provoke fear and pity in the audience. This process is...
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Chapter 8. Other Aspects of Tragedy
...tragedy of suffering, like plays about Ajax; tragedy of character, like Women of Phthia; and simple tragedy, like Prometheus and plays about the underworld. A tragedy should include all the component...
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Chapter 10. Epic
10.2 Kinds and Parts of Epic. Also like tragedy, an epic is either simple, complex, or based on suffering. The components of an epic are the same, too, except...
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