Aristotle's Poetics is considered the guide to a well written tragedy; his methods have been used for centuries. In Aristotle's opinion, plot is the most important aspect of the tragedy, all other parts such as character, diction, and thought stem from the plot. Aristotle defines a tragedy as " an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament".Shakespeare's Hamlet follows this definition for the most part, and even though it is not always in agreement with Aristotle's guidelines, it is still a great and effective tragedy. Aristotle states that tragedy is "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude". Hamlet is an excellent example of this. The play centers around Hamlet's quest to avenge his father's death, this is a serious action. It is also complete in the sense that all the loose ends are tied together in a sensible, believable manner. Hamlet is able to avenge his father's death by killing his uncle. Shakespeare also follows Aristotle's idea of the tragedy being of a certain magnitude. The characters are supposed to be the most perfect people whom the audience can still relate to. Hamlet is a wealthy prince, however he deals with the same problems as the common man. He is confused, paranoid, and angered about the circumstances surrounding his father's death. He is also unsure of himself and how he should handle the situation. .
Aristotle believes that in order for a tragedy to be effective, it must convey pity and fear. He defines pity as a felling that is aroused by "unmerited misfortune". Hamlet undoubtedly suffers this unmerited misfortune. He has done nothing to bring about his father's death. To make the situation even more painful, his mother has married his uncle whom he suspects is responsible for the tragedy. As the plot progresses, it becomes clear that the king is plotting to kill Hamlet and Hamlet is planning to kill the king.