In the Poetics, Aristotle argues that all performance art begins with imitation. According to Aristotle, all theatrical pieces are fundamentally the same: writers and poets simply recreate what has already been created, varying and rearranging techniques such as music, structure, character, and style in order to produce their art. Specifically, he discusses the theatrical imitation of tragedy and its ability to provide a “proper purgation” of fear and pity. In other words, by reproducing or witnessing jarring actions that are “serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude,” humans can relieve their repressed emotions. This is what we, today, call catharsis. But what, exactly, is it? How do we achieve it? How do we create it? Can we influence others to experience catharsis through our own actions?
Aristotle writes that the best stories are tragedies - who, afterall, desires to spend two hours watching a two-act play about happy people doing happy things? Conflict drives theater, thus, all successful performances contain elements of tragedy. Therefore, ultimately, all performance produce acts of catharsis. Furthermore, everyone involved in performance feels a sense of catharsis: Writers do so while creating stories about their own personal conflicts; actors do so while reproducing emotions to convey each scene; audience members do so as they witness emotions they have experienced.
Even the characters within a story can experience catharsis. Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play provides a fascinating exploration of catharsis by presenting a play within a play. She examines the psychological effects on actors as they play biblical characters such as Christ, Pontius, and the virgin Mary year after year. Repression, a key element of pre-catharsis, plays a huge role in the story in the form of violence, sexuality, desire, and jealousy. For example, in the first act, by playing both Pontius and Satan, the character “Pontius” releases his repressed violent desires on his cousin, who plays Christ. However, in addition to allowing the actor to release his aggression, the act of playing Pontius in turn produces more aggression. The character Pontius enters into a feedback loop, in which his role simultaneously serves as a catharsis and a cause for repression.