Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. Its origins are obscure, but it is certainly derived from the rich poetic and religious traditions of ancient Greece. Its roots may be traced more specifically to the dithyrambs, the chants and dances honoring the Greek god Dionysus, later known to the Romans as Bacchus. These drunken, ecstatic performances were said to have been created by the satyrs, half-goat beings who surrounded Dionysus in his revelry, and the Greek words tragos meaning "goat" and aeidein "to sing" were combined in the word tragoidia, "goat-songs," from which the word "tragedy" is derived.
Aristotle’s famous definition of tragedy says : A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious, and also as having magnitude, complete in itself in language with pleasurable accessories, each kind brought in separately in the parts of the work; in a dramatic, not in a narrative form: with incidents arousing pity and fear; wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions. (Poetics, CH VI)
After having given a definition of tragedy, Aristotle comes to the consideration of the formative elements of tragedy. He gives six formative elements of tragedy— plot, character, thought, diction spectacle and song. Three of these namely. Plot, character, and thought are internal aspects; three, namely, diction, spectacle, and song, are external aspects. Diction and song are concerned with the medium of imitation, while spectacle, with the manner of imitation. Plot, character, and thought are concerned with the objects of imitation. The spectacle according to Aristotle, has more to do with the stage effects. A successful poet depends on his own writing than on spectacle to produce the effect he wants. Fear and pity, for instance, can be produced by spectacle, but that would be rather vulgar. Spectacle obviously means the appearance of the actors on stage, costume, scenic effect, and so on. Diction is, of course, the language through which the...