Aristotle's Poetics: Catharsis and Rasas

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There are distinct differences between the theories outlined within Aristotle’s Poetics and Bharata’s The Nāṭyaśāstra which both attempt to elaborate upon the audience relationship and the phenomenon produced relating to the theatrical experience. However, despite the dissimilarities there are components of catharsis and rasa that share common elements and ideas surrounding the creation and the effects of these experiences. Aristotle contends the cathartic nature of tragedy aids in purgation of emotion, however ultimately limiting it to the powers of tragedy as only creating this, where, contrarily, The Nāṭyaśāstra outlines the power any actor has in creating bhāva, leading to rasa. Whilst both theories do have common attributes in their aims of heightening an audience experience, it is the differentiating that outcomes that greatly affect their overall influence.

As outlined within Aristotle’s Poetics, the role of catharsis is to purify and purge the audience’s emotion through theatre, insisting that emotional change is akin to restoration and renewal of balance within the psyche. Differentiating from The Nāṭyaśāstra’s concept that rasas are only generated by bhāvas, Aristotle states catharsis occurs only from tragedies, which, he contends, is its sole source. Aristotle frequently asserts that tragedies are the only form capable of generating pity and fear, which, sequentially, is the only way the purgation, or catharsis, of an audience can manifest (The Poetics of Aristotle 10). Contrasting to the states of rasa, which are said to be unlimitedly generated from an actor’s bhāva, Aristotle insists that only tragedies have the right elements to create an impactful catharsis, thus limiting its occurrences. Furthermore, this no...

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...n of spiritual transcendence. Ultimately, the audience experience of rasa is akin to catharsis of ancient Greek theatre, but at the crux, rasa exceeds these core similarities and extends into affecting not only the mind but the overall psychological, physiological and spiritual states of the audience experience.

Works Cited

Aristotle. The Poetics of Aristotle. Trans. S. H. Butcher. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000. Print.
Bharata. The Nāṭyaśāstra. Trans. Adya Rangacharya. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2007. Print.
Gilbert, Allan H. "The Aristotelian Catharsis." The Philosophical Review 35.2 (1926): 301-14. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.
Lucas, F.L. Tragedy in Relation to Aristotle's Poetics. London: Hogarth Press, 1928. Print.
Swann, Darius L. "Indian and Greek Drama: Two Definitions." Comparative Drama 3.2 (1969): 110-9. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

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