https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgNcAG5q_jM
JW:
Continuing with
Poetics and looking for parallels to "Mark":
Part X
Plots are either Simple or Complex, for the actions in real life, of which the plots are an imitation, obviously show a similar distinction. An action which is one and continuous in the sense above defined, I call Simple, when the change of fortune takes place without Reversal of the Situation and without Recognition
A Complex action is one in which the change is accompanied by such Reversal, or by Recognition, or by both[1]. These last should arise from the internal structure of the plot, so that what follows should be the necessary or probable result of the preceding action[2]. It makes all the difference whether any given event is a case of propter hoc or post hoc.
Part XI
Reversal of the Situation is a change by which the action veers round to its opposite[3], subject always to our rule of probability or necessity. Thus in the Oedipus, the messenger comes to cheer Oedipus and free him from his alarms about his mother, but by revealing who he is, he produces the opposite effect. Again in the Lynceus, Lynceus is being led away to his death, and Danaus goes with him, meaning to slay him; but the outcome of the preceding incidents is that Danaus is killed and Lynceus saved[4].
Recognition, as the name indicates, is a change from ignorance to knowledge[5], producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune.[6] The best form of recognition is coincident with a Reversal of the Situation[7], as in the Oedipus. There are indeed other forms. Even inanimate things of the most trivial kind may in a sense be objects of recognition. Again, we may recognize or discover whether a person has done a thing or not. But the recognition which is most intimately connected with the plot and action is, as we have said, the recognition of persons.[8] This recognition, combined with Reversal, will produce either pity or fear;[9] and actions producing these effects are those which, by our definition, Tragedy represents. Moreover, it is upon such situations that the issues of good or bad fortune will depend.[10] Recognition, then, being between persons, it may happen that one person only is recognized by the other- when the latter is already known- or it may be necessary that the recognition should be on both sides.[11] Thus Iphigenia is revealed to Orestes by the sending of the letter; but another act of recognition is required to make Orestes known to Iphigenia.
Two parts, then, of the Plot- Reversal of the Situation and Recognition- turn upon surprises.[12] A third part is the Scene of Suffering. The Scene of Suffering is a destructive or painful action, such as death on the stage, bodily agony, wounds, and the like.[13]
JW:
A(Aristotle) has already explained that the most important element of GT(Greek Tragedy) is plot. Now he explains the most important components of plot:
[1]
8
8:27 And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi: and on the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Who do men say that I am?
28 And they told him, saying, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, One of the prophets.
29 And he asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Recognition = Jesus is the Christ
Recognition = Christ means suffering
Reversal = Instead of a conquering Christ, the Christ will be conquered
Change of Fortune = Jesus will change from being crowd pleaser to crowd displeaser
Note the author has carefully placed the pivotal R & R scene exactly half the Way through. This author is fond of doubling literary contrivance and here the Reversal of GT is reversed. Good fortune (saving your life) is bad fortune and bad fortune (giving up your life) is good fortune.
[2] R & R should have a cause and effect relationship with what preceded. Jesus is recognized as the Christ because of the preceding T & H (Teaching & Healing) Ministry. Jesus' Ministry is reversed from T & H to Passion only after he is recognized as the Christ.
[3] The Recognition is what triggers the Reversal.
[4] "Mark" has the typical GT ironic reversal regarding death of the hero. "The Jews" think that by killing Jesus it prevents him from being the Messiah when it actually is what makes him the Messiah. They think they are preventing prophecy but they are fulfilling it. More doubling up of ironic contrivance as in addition to Peter fulfilling Jesus' prophecy while "The Jews" make fun of Jesus not being able to prophecy, the very act of the Jews making fun of Jesus' supposed inability is fulfillment of Jesus' ability.
[5] Note that all the lead in questions of Jesus highlight the ignorance before the knowledge.
[6] Peter is explicitly the one who recognizes Jesus and this produces hate between the two:
8:32 And he spake the saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33 But he turning about, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.
We also have the fit of the good/bad fortune contrast between Jesus/Peter.
[7] This could not fit any better. It is the Recognition of Jesus which is the cause of the Reversal.
[8] Classic GT. Recognition of a person.
[9]
9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered up into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he shall rise again.
32 But they understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
The response of the disciples is fear.
[10] "Mark" is all about good verses bad fortune
[11]
8:33 But he turning about, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.
True to GT form Peter recognizing Jesus as the Christ is coincident with Jesus recognizing Peter as the opposition.
[12] I have faith that "Mark" does have the obligatory scene of suffering. For the fans out there who like to play, note that suffering would be the most difficult thing for a play to show so a narrative form would need a lot of detail.
It should be clear by now to the objective student that plot is the heart of GT and ironic recognition, reversal and change of fortune is the heart of GT plot. "Mark" matches up extremely well to classic GT here so we are justified in simply describing "Mark" as Greek Tragedy while in detail noting some differences. On the other hand, with the strength of these parallels I think it is misleading not to describe "Mark" as GT.
Regarding other possible genres for "Mark", "Mark" has a primary source of The Jewish Bible and also sources of Paul and Josephus where the context is changed. "Mark" also has a primary theme of discrediting the supposed historical witness. We can therefore summarily execute Bios as a possible genre for "Mark" since everything about "Mark" is anti-biography. The extreme literary contrivance evidences genre. What genre has better parallels here than GT?
Joseph
DESTINY, n. A tyrant's authority for crime and fool's excuse for failure.
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