Aristotle on the Paradox of Tragic Pleasure

Abstract

The paradox we usually call the paradox of negative emotions in art is quite plausibly at the very core of Aristotle’s approach to tragedy: since pity and fear, as Aristotle details them in his Rhetoric, are painful emotions when experienced in the real world, why is it so obviously and yet mysteriously the case that we nonetheless usually do enjoy attending tragic plays where pity and fear play a central role? Might it be the case that in fact our emotions in theatre are not ‘real’ emotions? Or that the way we experience such negative emotions is not the same as when we experience them in the real world? But it seems to be the case, as Plato and other ancient writers report, that a theatre audience does experience pain when crying and lamenting loudly Isn’t it the case then that the paradox must be internal to the very attending of a play? If so, then how are we to explain the fact that we nevertheless also experience pleasure in watching such a spectacle? Might it be that the pleasure we get from watching a play compensates in one way or another for the pain we experience at the same time? Or might it rather be the case that something helps transform that pain into pleasure?