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“What a piece of work a man is,� says the title character, Hamlet, of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Shakespeare 2.2.327). Men are pieces of work, and some men like to make pieces of work, like Shakespeare and his numerous plays, and other men like to give their opinion on pieces of work. The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote about poetics, but more specifically he wrote about tragedy. Aristotle’s book, Poetics, defines tragedy as “an imitation, not only of a complete action, but also of incidents arousing pity and fear� (Aristotle 686). Not only did Aristotle define tragedy, but he also defined the tragic figure in tragedy. A perfect example of the tragic figure is Hamlet, a melancholic grieving prince who has recently lost his father. After the death of his father, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, takes the throne and marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The play begins with the late King Hamlet appearing to young Hamlet as a ghost.......

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