ABSTRACT
Many studies have been undertaken on the concept of tragic error in Aristotle’s Poetics. Scholars have often tried to specify the kind of tragic error Aristotle has in mind, focusing especially on the question whether we should interpret the hamartia mentioned in Chapter 13 as an intellectual mistake or a moral flaw (1453a8–12). 1 There has been less discussion of what Aristotle means by “comic error.” 2 In part this is because Aristotle’s mention of the concept is brief and undeveloped. However, Aristotle’s idea of comic error is also significant. In this discussion, I aim to give one possible interpretation of comic error, in order to make sense of Aristotle’s thinking about dramatic action and characterization in the comic context.
