Custom Written Essays - Aristotle's Perspective on Hamlet One of the most important Elizabethan tragedies is William Shakespeare's Hamlet and one of the earliest critics of the tragedy is Aristotle. One way to measure Shakespeare's work is to evaluate it using the methods of classical critics and then see how it would have retained its meaning. Hamlet is one of the most recognizable and most often cited tragedies in all of English literature. Aristotle is concerned with the correct presentation of tragic works and poetry. Aristotle defines tragedy as: "...a representation of an action deserving serious attention, complete in itself and of a certain breadth; in a language enriched by a variety of artistic devices appropriate to the different parts of the work; presented in the form of action, not narrative; through pity and fear which bring about the purging of that emotion (Aristotle 38 - 9) Shakespeare uses character, plot and setting to create an atmosphere of disgust and a theme of righteous revenge, as opposed to fear and pity. therefore Aristotle would have disapproved of Hamlet. It is the above-mentioned elements, character, plot and setting, used in a non-Aristotelian way, that make Hamlet one of the most tragedies. famous in the English language. view that in certain cases revenge must be sought in order for the world to continue properly. This is the main plot of Hamlet, In the Poetics, Aristotle defines the plot element for us and shows us how he believes. that needs to be built. He also believes in various unities which, in his opinion, are necessary for a real tragedy. Aristotle believes in what he calls "Unity of Plot" (Aristotle 42 - 3). This "Unity" leaves no room for subplots, which are crucial to Hamlet's theme. Without Laertes' revenge subplot and Fortinbras' revenge subplot, we are left with a dismal play in which the ending, while necessary, is pointless. The three subplots together as a unit, allow us to understand what Shakespeare thought about revenge. Another of the ways Aristotle defines the plot in tragedy as “The noble actions and the actions of noble people” (Aristotle 35). According to this definition, Hamlet should be a noble person, who only does noble things.