Major of Casterbridge Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers of ancient Greece. His analysis of the ideal form of tragic plays became a guideline for subsequent playwrights of Western civilization. The most important element of Aristotelian tragedy is the experience of catharsis or arousing pity and fear in the audience. The effect that catharsis has on its audience depends on the actual concomitance of a complicated plot and a tragic hero. The plot, in Aristotelian tragedy, consists of reversal, recognition and final suffering. In The Mayor of Casterbridge Thomas Hardy fulfills the requirements of an Aristotelian tragedy by combining plot elements and the presence of a tragic hero to induce a cathartic ending to the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay An Aristotelian tragedy must contain the presence of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is “a leader of his society who mistakenly brings about his own downfall through some error of judgment or innate defect” (Banks IX). This novel follows the rise and fall of Michael Henchard, an impulsive haystacker who becomes proud mayor only to have his guilty acts fuel his downfall and death. At the beginning of the novel, Henchard is at the height of prosperity, as mayor of the city of Casterbridge he is highly esteemed by the citizens. However, Henchard's greatest flaw or hamartia is his pride and compulsive nature. His pride cannot bear that an employee and good friend, Farfrae, has become more popular than him in the town of Casterbridge. Henchard's insistence on creating competition between the two ultimately deprives him of his personal possessions, his public favor as mayor, and the two women in his life. Michael Henchard's excessive pride not only ruins his relationship with Farfrae, but also leads him to alienate Elizabeth-Jane. After discovering that Elizabeth-Jane is not his daughter, his paternal pride is hurt and, as a result, he becomes very cold towards her. “Henchard showed distinct disgust at the presence of this girl who was not his, every time he met her” (Hardy 203). Jane moves in with Lucetta to separate herself from an already strained relationship with Henchard. Once again, his pride prevents him from visiting Lucetta, which discourages her and forces her to "show Henchard all that warm loyalty no more" (Hardy 226). Michael Henchard's downfall, brought on by his excessive pride, allows the reader to characterize him as a tragic hero. Hardy's use of coincidence shares Aristotle's belief that plot is important in the creation of tragedy. Like Aristotle, Hardy believes in the importance of three plot elements in a tragedy: reversal, recognition, and final suffering. It combines the events of The Mayor of Casterbridge with these three elements to portray the rise and fall of Michael Henchard. By the time of Susan and Elizabeth-Jane's arrival, Henchard is the most influential man in Casterbridge. However, the town's revelation that he has sold his wife not only destroys Henchard's public reputation, but he loses position to his former friend Farfrae and makes him a social outcast. She recognizes that her true circumstances occur after the prince's visit to Casterbridge. During this visit, Henchard behaves eccentrically in a desperate attempt to regain some of his dignity. However, during the confrontation between him and Farfrae, he fully recognizes the loss of his status. This recognition of his current circumstances sets in motion his final suffering. Henchard suffers more than one death in the novel. Along with the death of both Susan.