THE EVIDENCE OF ARISTOTLE’S TRAGIC CONCEPT IN J.P CLARK'S SONG OF A GOAT

ABSTRACT

This study is hinged on Aristotle's tragedy as a proof of his influence on playwrights. This study therefore gives a hindsight of the influence of Aristotle's tragic concept and style; a conveying embellishments in Clark's cultural heritage. This study also gives a proper historical perspectives on tragedy, nevertheless, due to vast geographical coverage of the different periods, the scope of the ages is delimited. This study also notes the moving elements and characteristics of tragedy as identified in Aristotle's poetics such as plot, character, language, thought, catharsis, hamartia among others as the evidence of Neo Aristotalian plays. In other words, this study is a focus on facts and observations of Aristotle's theory in J.P Clarks “Song of a Goat” in his “Three plays” as case study with the view to draw attention to how Aristotle in his Poetics has really influenced the works of writers and dramatic scholars who came after his time in their different seasons and how it affected how they saw the society they lived in. The methods adopted for this research is a qualitative research method. Our findings showed that Aristotle's tragic concept had influenced and is still influencing how scholars perceive the concept of Tragedy cultural or objectively. Based on the findings of our study, one of the recommendations, is that in order to effectively pinpoint Aristotle's concept in some playwrights' works, Song of a Goat should be used as a paradigm.