ABSTRACT
Aristotle proceeds to list the qualitative elements because he wants to crack open, so to speak, tragedy, as an imitation of an action, to see what it necessarily includes or involves. As an analogy, a philosopher might hold that a person, by definition, has a mind, but then go on to inquire as to what aspects of the mind contribute to a person's functioning so that he can be rational, and intelligent. Aristotle presents several arguments in Poetics 6 to establish the centrality of the plot as the primary element of tragedy. Thinking of the six qualitative elements of tragedy as forming a pyramid, with the plot forming the basis and the other elements contributing to the effect of tragedy. It provides a way to take Aristotle seriously when he stresses the primacy of plot over the other elements of tragedy, without thinking that he misunderstands the contribution that the other parts make to tragedy.
