Jane Doe
Professor Urkel
ENG-225
24 February 2012
Application of Aristotle's Poetics in the work Apology by Plato According to Aristotle, the criterion that is expressed in Poetics should be based on the matter, subjects and method. For example; for matter, the melody, rhythm and language are the key considerations to be looked into. The subjects in Poetics usually bring out the character traits that are related to human characteristics. This is what brings out the difference between tragic events and comic events in a work of poetry. For tragic events, the character in most instances is usually considered to be more honest, serious and considered to be very important in society. While comic characters are usually considered to be less important in the society and not dignified. The method used could involve the use of direct speech, dialogue or quoted speech. These are the major poetic criteria used by Aristotle and applied in the work Apology by Plato. Plot structure and character are also an important part described Poetics. Plot structure is basically the plan of the work. For Apology, this can be considered into the action or the events that are taking place through this work. For example, there is recognition of the characters and an evidence of the suffering of the main character, Socrates. According to Aristotle, a good plot is one that is complex for the human understanding which can be seen in the Apology. There is the evidence of fear as well as pity for Socrates. For example, the main character in the Apology can be seen to be having a good fortune before he is accused but currently undergoing too much suffering. More so, Socrates is evidently an intelligent and important individual in the society a characteristic which is defined in Aristotle Poetics. His intelligence can be manifested through him saying, " O my friend, why do you who are a citizen of the great and mighty and wise city of Athens, care so much about laying up the greatest amount of money and honor and reputation, and so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul, which you never regard or heed at all? Are you not ashamed of this?" Since this work is more of a tragic event, plot is based on the suffering of the Socrates which can eventually lead into death or physical harming of a character. For Apology, Socrates suffering can be seen when he tells the courts, " Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy” The plot is mainly based on the Socrates being charged of corruption and influencing his behaviors to the rest of the society. The main character in Apology, Socrates, is considered a hero. This can be evidenced clearly from the charges that were put against him. He is considered to be a noble man who can have great impact on the society. The society seems to want to emulate everything that he does. In relation to Aristotle, a tragic event usually happens to the main character. For example, Socrates is seen to be a hero of the society. This can be evidenced from the society’s perception of the charged individual. Socrates had been charged of the mistakes he has made rather than the outcomes. According to Aristotle, the main character in poetry should be known to be good, but they should be able to make an interesting theme for the flow of the story. The character should also be appropriate for the role he or she plays. For the work, Apology, the character given to Socrates is appropriate since wise men are mainly considered to be old individuals and must have gone through a lot. It is also evident that from the work, Aristotle’s criterion has been followed. This is because, the Socrates is a wise and considered to be influential in the society. Through his dialogue, he can manifest himself to be fearless of the human’s knowledge and only believes in God’s reasoning and judgment. This gives the audience a chance of not being confused by the real character of Socrates. His consistent behavior is an evidence of his human characteristics. This tragedy form also involves some form of comedy in it just as Aristotle prescribes a good tragedy. This can be evidenced through the verdict part that Socrates brings in some dark humor into the court scene. Socrates believes that he would have won and he was defeated only on a small margin. He suggests that Meletus had a narrow escape and this was induced by the judges’ votes. Humor is also evidenced in event that Socrates is not proposing any penalty on him but instead suggesting a reward to be given to him like, free meals in a highly regarded building of the council members. The final judgment from the court can be seen to be death sentence which is a major characteristic of Aristotle criteria of poetry. Socrates despite being wise and important, he has to undergo a death penalty towards the corruption charges. Socrates has used rhetorical questions in very many instances to justify his position. This is another characteristic trait of a poetry based from Aristotle’s criteria. According to Aristotle, a character can use rhetoric questions to show his or her wise side and as well show the accusers of the other side of the coin. In Apology, Socrates has used rhetoric questions to bring in some sense into the mind of the judges and also the accuser. For example, he says, “And is there anyone who would rather be injured than benefited by those who live with him? Answer, my good friend; the law requires you to answer - does anyone like to be injured?” Through this rhetoric question, he is simply telling Meletus that no individual would like to be injured and he is suggesting to the accuser not to hurt him as he also has human feelings as much as he is considered with high regard to the rest of the society. Second characters according to Aristotle are meant to bring out the main meaning of the dialogue in a work. The second characters paint the scene of what is coming up next making most of the happenings to be more practical as from the first dialogue from the main character. For example, in Apology, the main character’s feelings and resentment can be felt easily through what Meletus as the second character is accusing Socrates to have done. The second character usually plays a major role in reversing the situation of the main character. The reversal of situations includes events like the main character becoming less rich if he or she was a wealthy individual. The perception of the main character to the society may also be reduced from noble perception to of an individual considered to be an outcast in the society. For the case of Socrates, he is forced to face a death penalty for allegations of corruption and teaching of bad faith to the youth. Therefore, Meletus completely changes the fate of Socrates, who is the main character.

Work cited
Aristotle. “Poetics.” Mit.edu. Web. 22 Feb 2013.
Plato & Jowett, Benjamin. “Apology.” Mit.edu. Web. 22 Feb 2013.