Catharsis: Its Importance to Literature and Modern Society

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Catharsis
Catharsis is an important element in several tragic pieces of literature of the modern world. Catharsis originates from the Greek word “katharos,” meaning “pure” (Scheff 98). Today, catharsis means to cleanse or purge the soul through self-realization. According to the Greeks, catharsis is the most important element of Greek tragedy since it helps in cleansing or spiritual renewal. Catharsis helps people discharge their emotions to achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. The first person to mention catharsis was Aristotle during a seminal work on Greek theatre, Poetics.
According to Aristotle, tragedy’s function is to arouse the emotions of pity and fear thereafter affecting the catharsis of these emotions. Through catharsis, people can move past or overcome any kind of tragedy. It is a common phenomenon that tragedy arouses fear and pity, but it is vital noting that there are distinct differences in how these emotions result in pleasure (Nuttall 68). Over time, catharsis has taken the form of a medical metaphor of purgation, meaning that it affects the soul the same way medicine affects the body. Medicine heals the body while catharsis heals the soul, which is why it is a vital element of the Greek tragedy.
In several plays with tragedy, the protagonist goes through catharsis where they realize that damnation resulted from one’s actions. Through this realization, the protagonist’s soul gets cleansed, and they learn how to improve and avoid such tragedy in the future. The audience also experiences the same catharsis experienced by the actors. The audience will experience similar emotional states as those of the actors. After the actor gets cleansed and leaves the stage in a state of rejuvenation, the audience will also feel washed (Scheff 102). Even in modern society, catharsis plays a vital role in plays where the authors ensure the characters will relate to the audience.
Ajax was a great warrior during the Trojan war. After the Trojan war, there is competition between Ajax and Odysseus to win Achilles’ armor. Ajax cannot match the cunning ways of Odysseus. Ajax losses despite being the best fighter, and this comes with a lot of mental disturbances. The goddess Athena makes Ajax believe that Odysseus used some livestock as an army to win. Led by anger, Ajax goes ahead and kills the animals. Ajax finds it hard to live with the shame of losing to Odysseus and the act of killing i...