Epic is older than tragedy. Epic evolved out of hymns to Gods and songs sung in praise of heroes. It has many things in common with tragedy. Tragedy came out of epic. Aristotle says that an epic is an imitation of action that is serious, whole and complete. Aristotle has said that one who knows tragedy also knows epic. Unlike tragedy an epic is meant to be read. An epic has plot, character, thought and diction. The plot may be simple or complex, just as the plot of a tragedy. The objective of an epic also is to produce catharsis in the readers by arousing the feelings of pity and fear in their minds. Though Aristotle does not say so explicitly, the plot is the most important constituent of an epic. However, an epic involves narration not dramatic action. It must have a beginning, a middle part, and an end. However, the parts are not to be organized as in the case of historical writings. In the case of historical writings the focus is not on a single action but a particular period of time. The historian refers to all the important persons and events in the period .The relations between the persons and events or between the persons may not be very clear. In an epic the poet focuses his attention on a particular action. According to Aristotle Homer is the best epic poet as he did not include everything that happened during the Trojan War. An epic can be long or short as there is no limit to narration. The poet has the freedom to move from place to place as he likes.
The poet may stay back and let the characters to speak. As the poet does not have to convince the audience in theatre as in the case of tragedy, he can indulge in his imagination and narrate things as he thinks. Aristotle also says that the heroic hexameter is the appropriate meter for the epic as it has the greatest stability. It helps the poet to employ various metaphors in his narration. The trochaic and iambic tetra meter is appropriate for dancing. Only the literate can read and enjoy epics. Anyone even if the person is illiterate, can watch and enjoy a tragedy. However, those who can read will be able to watch a tragedy and enjoy it. Aristotle believes that a tragedy can produce more pleasure than an epic can. And hence tragedy is the best form of poetry.

According to Aristotle, poetry is imitation or imaginative reconstruction of life. As he sees it tragedy is the “greatest form of poetry”. The Plot is the most important part of a tragedy. Plot may be defined as the logical combination of the actions. It expresses the casual relationships among the incidents. According to Aristotle, the plot must have ‘unity of actions’. It must have a beginning, a middle part and an end that cannot be interchanged. The playwright is to present the actions of the hero alone. He must be careful enough not to present the actions of other characters in the play. All actions of the hero need not be presented. Only those actions that have something to do with the tragedy that befalls the hero need be presented. These actions must be intimately connected with each other and must create an organic whole. It seems that Aristotle does not attach much importance to the ‘unity of time’ and the ‘unity of place’. He insisted that the plot must arouse the feelings of pity and fear in the spectators. The undeserved sufferings of the hero arouse the feelings of pity. And the fears of the worst that may happen to the hero arouse the feeling of fear. The ending of the tragedy must be sad. Only sad endings can create a sense of tragedy. The feelings can be aroused by way of theatrical effects such as physical torture, piteous lamentations and beggarly appearance. The two parts of the plot namely, complication and dénouement must be convincing. Aristotle speaks about two kinds of plots. Simple and complex. In a simple plot, there is no complication or confusion. The change of fortune comes about without a reversal or recognition. In a complex plot, the change of fortune comes about with recognition or reversal or both. The reversal in the play is referred to as ‘Peripetia’. It involves mistaking a friend for a foe and killing him, and a change of fortune from good to bad. Recognition is referred to as ‘Anagnorisis’. It involves the discovery of the nature of past actions and a change from ignorance to knowledge. Both of them have an element of surprise in them and are capable of moving the spectators.

Aristotle was not a literary critic in the modern sense of the term. However, he has expressed his views on poetry in his ‘Poetics’. According to Aristotle, tragedy is the greatest form of poetry. It is also the most complex form of poetry. He defines tragedy as “An imitation of action that is serious, complete and of certain magnitude, in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, several kinds being found at different parts of the play, in the form of action, not narrative, through pity and fear effecting proper purgation of these emotions.” Aristotle says that a good tragedy has six parts. In the order of importance, they are
v Plot
v Character
v Thought
v Music or Song
v Diction and
v Spectacle.
Of these, the first three constitute the tragedy proper. The last three are the media through which it is presented. Aristotle says that Plot, the arrangement of incidents, is the soul of the tragedy. And he goes on to say that there can be tragedy without character, but not without plot. A tragedy must arouse the feelings of ‘pity’ and ‘fear’ and purify the emotions of the spectators. Next only to plot is character that is followed by thought. The poet conveys the feelings of ‘pity’ and ‘fear’ through the medium of diction or words “embellished with each kind of artistic ornament” The spectacle “is least connected with the art of poetry”. Though it is the mechanical part of tragedy, it is not less important. The power of tragedy is felt thorough the representation of the actors. He does not agree with Plato, his teacher, that the tragedy has harmful effects on man. Plato feels that constant exposure to the sufferings of others will weaken our ability to endure pain, sufferings and the other feelings associated with them.Aistotle feels that constant exposure to the sufferings of others will arouse the feelings of pity and fear in the spectator and lead to what he calls ‘Catharsis’ or purgation of the feelings in their minds. When the spectators and the readers identify themselves with the hero, they are lifted out of themselves and emerge stronger and nobler that before.

Aristotle the famous disciple of Plato was not a literary critic in the modern sense of the term. However, in his book ‘Poetics’, Aristotle discusses the nature of poetry. Drawing upon the Greek literature, he puts forward cogent arguments about the nature of poetry. His approach is scientific and materialistic. He agrees with Plato and says that poetry is imitation like any other art. Artists and Poets imitate things. According to Aristotle, imitation is an inborn instinct. But he does not agree with the view of Plato that poetry is twice removed from reality, as it is an imitation of imitation. Accepting the given apparent world as real Aristotle holds that poetry represents life. Having said that, he classifies poetry in terms of their structure into different types such as ballad, epic, tragedy, satire so on. Poetry gives pleasure to the poet and the reader. Not only that, a poem reveals truths of universal kind. Comparing a poet with a historian, he says that a historian merely records what has happened in the past. But a poet is a prophet as well. He can also say what may happen in the future, what is possible according to the law of probability. Aristotle states that it is for the pleasure poetry offers and its ability to satisfy the basic instinct in man for rhythm, poetry is written and read. Unlike Plato, Aristotle does not see instruction as the basic function of poetry. However, if it instructs in addition to providing pleasure or if the instruction is incidental, it is acceptable. Such poetry serves two purposes, i.e., it gives pleasure and it inculcates moral values in the readers. Aristotle agrees with Plato that poetry appeals to emotions. But he does not accept the contention of Plato that poetry is harmful to society. He believes that poetry has a beneficial effect on society. He says that tragedy, the greatest form of poetry as he sees it, arouses the feelings of pity and fear in the minds of readers and spectators and refines their emotions. When one watches the sufferings of others in a tragedy or in other forms of poetry, the emotions of pity and fear in ones mind finds an outlet and one is relieved of the excess of these emotions. One feels lifted out of one self and becomes nobler than before.

Plato rightly says that poetry is the product of imagination not that of rational thinking. Therefore, the life portrayed in poetry is not real. It is just what the poet imagines it to be. Poetry is imitation of life which is an imitation of what he calls ‘Forms’. Therefore, poetry does not help the reader to understand the real. It is the nature of poetry. Everyone accepts this argument of Plato. Having discussed the nature of poetry, Plato goes on to discuss how and why poetry influences the readers. Poetry does not prompt the readers to think rationally. Poetry holds reason prisoner and sets man on a flight of fancy. In other words, poetry appeals to emotions and feelings, not to rational thinking. It gives pleasure not knowledge to the readers. According to Plato poetry often “fed and watered the passions” and “ruled” the readers. These comments show clearly that he was well aware of the poetic method. Plato classified poetry into dithyrambic and mimetic. The dithyrambic poetry is entirely lyrical. Poetry such as drama and epic are mimetic. In drama, the poet imitates the speech and actions of man. However, epic contains lyrics also. According to Plato, an epic is better than a drama. This is widely accepted even today. Plato also discusses the nature of the pleasures the tragedies and comedies arouse in the spectators. Although the explanations are not convincing, it was Plato who raised such questions first. We may not agree with Plato on many points. However is remains a fact that it was Plato who first discussed the nature of what we call literature today.

Function of Poetry
It may be said that Plato did not have a high opinion about poetry or poets. Being a philosopher, he looked at everything from a moral point of view. Therefore, he concluded that poetry took readers away from reality and that poetry does not make man wise and virtuous. He suggests truth as a test of poetry. However, Plato thinks that poetry can play an important role in society. According to Plato, who follows Socrates in these matters, giving pleasure to the reader should not be the main object of poetry or poet. Poetry to be worthwhile must instruct the reader. It must be able to lead the readers to the truth and make them aware of virtue. A poet must also be good teacher. Poetry should mould the character of man and take care of the interest of the state. For Plato pleasure is secondary to instruction. A poet must be able to trace the nature of beauty and perfection and instruct the readers and prompts them to lead a virtuous life. He must be concerned with the ideal forms of justice, goodness, beauty so on. He must write poems in praise of gods and great men and instil a sense of beauty and responsibility in the readers.

Plato’s views on Drama
Like poetry, drama also is a product of imagination so it cannot inculcate any moral values in the spectators. Drama is meant to be staged. Moreover, in order to please the diverse audience the playwright often plays to the gallery and presents quarrels and lamentations in tragedies and the cries of beasts in comedies. Such scenes appeal to the baser instincts in man. He is also aware of the effect of the roles on the mind of the actors. As the actors continuously imitate the actions of criminals, cowards and the like, there is a chance of these bad qualities influencing the actors. They suppress the actual nature of the actors and weaken their character. However if the characters are good they will leave a positive effect on the actors. Therefore, the tragic dramas that portray the noble part of life may be encouraged. Referring to the comic and tragic pleasures Plato says that indulgence in them is harmful to the individual and society. A fool acting as a wise man and a coward acting as a brave man evokes laughter in the audience. It is what the actor is and what he pretends to be that makes people laugh. Plato rightly says that such pleasure is malicious. One should never make fun of a man’s weakness. On the contrary, one should take pity with him. Then one would not laugh. Thus, the nature of tragic and comic pleasure is highly complicated.

Plato is still regarded as one of the greatest thinkers the world has ever seen. He is believed to have been the disciple of the legendary Socrates. He was not a literary critic in the modern sense of the term. He was a philosopher concerned with truth and reality. In the course of his enquiries into reality, Plato found himself faced with many issues. What was known as “imaginary writings”, mainly poetry was one of them. His observations on the nature of poetry are found in his books such as “Ion”, “Republic” so on. Plato says that poetry is the imitation of life. Life itself is not real but a reflection of what he calls, ‘Form’ or ‘Idea’ of life that exists somewhere else. Therefore, the life represented in poetry is not real .It is twice removed from reality. Plato points to the poet’s own admission that they write poetry when they are inspired. So the views expressed in poetry, says Plato, is not the outcome of rational thinking which alone, as he sees it, can lead us to the understanding of reality. Unlike philosophy which is based on cold reasoning. poetry is the product of sudden and momentary impulse. So it cannot improve the character of the citizens. As it is a product of inspiration rather than that of reflection, poetry appeals to emotion holding reason prisoner. To prove his arguments Plato refers to the weeping and wailings in the poetry of his time. Plato further holds that, poetry is not concerned with morality. It treats virtues and vices alike. Sometimes virtue triumphs at other times vice triumphs. Depicting triumphs of vice in poetry will demoralise the citizens and harm the society. The fall of good men depicted in the epics of Homer, in the verses of Hesiod and the tragedies of Sophocles etc disturbed Plato much. Moreover, the picture of Gods and heroes in their poetry are immoral and hence objectionable. Gods are often unjust, cruel and indulged in immoral and vengeful activities. The heroes are often influenced by the passions of pride, anger and grief. Plato felt that this type of poetry could harm the harmonious life of the people. According to Plato “Poetry fed and watered the passions instead of drying them up. People let them rule instead of ruling them as they ought to be ruled with a view to the happiness and virtues of mankind.”