Aristotle’s Poetics is considered the guide to a well written tragedy; his methods have been used for centuries. In this guide, he sets out the six elements that compose a great tragedy. In Aristotle’s opinion, plot is the most important aspect of the tragedy. All other parts such as character, diction, and thought stem from the plot. Aristotle defines a tragedy as an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of …showed first 75 words of 663 total…

…showed last 75 words of 663 total…s Poetics. There are some aspects that Shakespeare does not follow; however the play still effects the audience in the desired manner. In reality, Hamlet would not have the same impact if it followed all the guidelines. For instance, the whole aspect of the subplot about Ophelia’s insanity adds much to the play. Shakespeare broke some of Aristotle’s rules, but still wrote an effective tragedy that has been appreciated by audiences for centuries.