Discuss nature and relevance of ‘imitation’ to Aristotle’s Poetics and Stanislavsky’s An Actor Prepares.

Aristotle found the idea of imitating reality morally intrusive. He defined the difference between the arts and broke them down into separate components. These components can be separated into six; Firstly, imitation within a tragedy plot, which is the larger and higher form of art which began as improvisation and then moved into a a broader scope with more actors. Character’s are another component, in so far as you need someone to act out the plot. Thought, whereby ‘something is proved to be or not to be, or a general maxim is enunciated.” Diction is also a component this refers to the language and the meaning of what is being said. Finally the spectacle which deals with sets, costumes, masks etc. Aristotle was an empiricist, he theorised on what was going around him, it is also fair to say that he was a materialist, presenting life as it was lived. In his book the “Poetics’” the layout is simple and effective and makes up what appears to be a series of lecture notes, exam...