Genre Studies- Unit III Catharsis

 

Catharsis

The term “Catharsis” was introduced by Aristotle. . It is an element of Tragedy. He coined the term “Catharsis”- which comes from the Greek “Kathairein” meaning “to cleanse or purge”- to describe the release of emotional tension that he believed spectators experienced while watching dramatic tragedy. It means Purgation of emotions. Purgation means “Purification”. It is related to pity and fear. Aristotle says that pity and fear are the two emotions which arouse tragic feeling in human. He further says that tragedy should end on a point where the audiences or the readers get a satisfying calm of the mind after suffering from intense emotion of fear, pity etc. According to him, it is the aim of tragedy to provide an outlet for human emotions. In literature, it is used for the cleansing of emotional rejuvenation of a person.

Originally, the term was used as a metaphor in “Poetics” by Aristotle, to explain the impact of tragedy on the audiences. He believed that Catharsis was the ultimate end of a tragic artistic work, and that it marked its quality.    

Though this term appears only once in Aristotle’s Poetics and without any definite meaning or explanation, but it has still been one of the most popular and sought after concept among scholars. Though critics have differed in their interpretation of this term, however, they have agreed upon the fact that tragedy arouses ‘pity’ and ‘fear’ which lead to ‘tragic pleasure’.

Example of Catharsis

Macbeth (by William Shakespeare)

The audience and the readers of Macbeth usually pity the tragic central figure of the Play because he was blinded by his destructive preoccupation with ambition.

In Act 1, he is made the thane of Cawdor by King Duncan, which makes him a prodigy, well regarded for his valor and talent. However, the era of his doom starts when he, like most people, gets carried away by ambition and the supernatural world as well. Subsequently, he loses his wife, his veracity, and eventually his life. Watching and reading such a scene triggers the memories of someone we have lost (either by death or by mere separation), and because we are able to relate to it, we suddenly release the emotions that we have been repressing.