What is a tragedy? According to Aristotle, there are eight rules that make up a tragedy. Some examples of common tragedies are Romeo and Juliet and Antigone. But, who doesn't love a good tragedy, right? Three of these eight rules are going to explain why some of these make it a tragedy. The rules of tragedy, according to Aristotle, are that all tragedies must include a chorus with three functions, the tragic hero must go through discovery and reversal stages, and the audience must go through catharsis; this can be applied to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and "Sophocles' is Antigone".
First off, one rule from Aristotle is having a chorus for three functions. These functions are to recall the past, comment on the present, and foretell the future. In Romeo and Juliet the chorus serves all of these three purposes in the prologue at the beginning of the play. In this prologue announced by the chorus, it says the past about Juliet and the family feud, in the present it talks about the wedding, and in the future about Juliet dying. Also in the play Antigone, the chorus serves the same purpose. For the play, the chorus talks about the past by explaining the war between Polynices and Eteocles. It comments on the present by talking about the proclamation stated by Creon about the burial, and in the future about the death (or suicide) of Haemon. In both of these plays the chorus has the same three criteria meaning that they are part of the tragedy category defined by Aristotle. .
Another example from Aristotle's rules of tragedy is the tragic hero must go through a "discovery and reversal "stage throughout the play. This will applies to Romeo and Juliet because Lord Capulet is considered the tragic hero. Lord Capulet is the tragic hero and goes through discovery and reversal because at first he discovers what he had done by pushing Juliet over the edge to marry Paris. Then he reverses what he can after Juliet killed herself along with Romeo and ends the family feud by putting up a statue of Romeo and Juliet, making him the tragic hero that went through discovery and reversal.
