ABSTRACT
A tragedy rouses the emotions from potentiality to activity by worthy and adequate stimuli; it controls them by directing them to the right objects in the right way; and exercises them within the limits of the play as the emotions of the good man would be exercised. When they subside to potentiality again after the play is over it is a more ‘trained’ potentiality than before. This is what Aristotle calls . Our responses are brought nearer to those
of the good and wise man. (pp. 109-10)
We may agree that this is an effect of tragedy-for the moment we are better, more sensitive and enlightened people in witnessing tragedy than
we commonly are-but we may wonder if Aristotle’s words allow us to assume he meant catharsis in this way, and if this utterance is adequate for the complexity of the tragic impact.
