Aristotle’s Six Golden Rules Of Screenwriting
It is obviously true that Aristotle was not a screenwriter. He never sat over a keyboard clicking away with his fingers while pondering the cinematic screenwriting themes and structure for the next great tense thriller or tragic drama.
No, he was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist — known as one of the greatest intellectual figures of all time. He was an intellectual master and authority of not only the sciences, but many of the arts well. He wrote papers and books on biology, botany, chemistry, ethics, history, logic, metaphysics, rhetoric, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, physics, poetics, political theory, psychology, and zoology.
But what stands out most for screenwriters — and all writers alike — are his six principles of storytelling.
Note: Past interpretations of his text listed seven principles (the extra being decor), but upon reviewing it, you’ll quickly discover that he only lists six.
His book Poetics delves into the analysis of tragedy and epic storytelling. Those were represented primarily in poetry and the stage — the storytelling platforms of his time.
Here we adapt and interpret his analysis into ways that writers can learn from and apply to their own stories.
1. Plot
Aristotle put plot as the first essential element of storytelling, referring to it as the life and soul of any story. He often referred to plot as action — the arrangement of incidents. Without action, there can be no character. Without action, there can be no implementation of an idea or concept.
“If you string together a set of speeches expressive of a character, and well finished in point of diction or thought, you will not produce the essential tragic effect with a play which has a plot and artistically constructed incidents.”
What Aristotle is saying in that passage — and about the importance of plot over everything — is that a great character can not hold the weight of a story. That character must be forced to take some form of action, be it external or internal, in order for the story to come alive. And that action is a direct result of the plot that you, the writer, conjures in the form of conflict thrown at the character.
He further states that all plots must have a beginning, middle, and an end. This is likely the root of the three act structure writers know today.
The beginning of your story often isn’t the result of something that came before it. The complexities of character (see below) can surely point to previous moments in that character’s life not shown, but the beginning of the story is where the actions first begin to take place. You show the character’s world and then confront them with some form of conflict that they must take action on.
The middle of your story is “that which follows something as some other thing follows it.” That passage is a brilliant simplification of the second act. Some stories have a call to adventure while others merely present conflicts that characters must either act on or suffer the consequences. Regardless, the second act showcases the character following — or retreating from — whatever is presented at the end of the first act.
The end of your story is “that which itself naturally follows some other thing, either by necessity or as a rule, but has nothing following it.” A simple and obvious definition. But he goes on to say that the ending is everything — the most important element of the plot. Without a satisfying ending to your story, the audience that has invested their time and emotions will be left unsatisfied. And offering no closure to the characters and their arcs will leave them wanting more. While that notion is good for cliffhanger films that are building to a potential sequel, there still has to be some form of closure that defines the end. Where audiences can stop, knowing that the end presented “has nothing following it.”
Aristotle points out bad plotting as being “episodic” where episodes or acts succeed one another, but without probable or necessary sequence. He says that bad writers stretch the plot or story beyond capacity, breaking the natural continuity.
In short, plots shouldn’t be overly complicated. They can be complex in their themes, but not at the expense of the core plot and characters.
As a bonus, Aristotle offered three parts of possible plots that writers can either choose from when plotting out a story or combine them to create an even better one.
Reversal of Intention is a “change by which action veers round to its opposite.” This is essentially a turning point in a story. For example, you look at First Blood where we see John Rambo trying to reconnect with a fellow soldier from the Vietnam war.
He discovers that his last remaining brother-in-arms has died, leaving Rambo left standing alone. As he is clearly trying to move on from the horrors of that war, he is confronted with the turning point of being wrongfully arrested.
This leads to Rambo having to return to his warrior ways, as opposed to him trying to move on from them when the story began.
Recognition is a “change from ignorance to knowledge.” This change takes place within the character(s) of the story and can either lead to positive or negative results after the knowledge is attained. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and his fellow hobbits have never stepped out of the Shire.
When they do, they are confronted by darkness and evil. They are forced to gain knowledge from those around them in order to survive.
Frodo in particular is taken on the greatest journey as he experiences the worst conditions and the worst evil while tasking himself to destroy the ring once and for all.
The Tragic Incident is a “destructive or painful action.” This is an event of large causalities, destructiveness, or overall danger that is ensued. Movies like Titanic, Patriots Day, The Towering Inferno, Deep Impact, and Independence Day are prime examples. Such stories can be based on true events — as is the case with Titanic and Patriots Day — or are fictional events which we now refer to as Disaster Movies. Characters are forced to deal with these tragic incidents and their character arcs are solely embedded within that framework.
2. Character
Aristotle listed character as secondary to plot because “character determines man’s qualities, but it is by their action that they are happy or the reverse.” Thus, character comes in as subsidiary to the actions or plot.
Without a compelling plot, there is no action or reaction that will create a compelling character.
“Character is that which reveals moral purpose showing what kinds of things a man chooses or avoids.” Despite being listed as secondary to plot, characters are crucial to the development of the story. If readers and audiences aren’t compassionate for the main characters, the plot won’t matter. And if they’re not meant to be compassionate for them — which can be the case for biopics and anti-hero stories — they must still be engaged by the character. Either by intrigue, curiosity, or the pure entertainment of seeing a character do what normal humans can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t.
He also lists four things that should be aimed at in regards to character. Mind you, upon review of his text, he does list some dated concepts which point to the inferiority of women and how female characters should be void of valor as it is “inappropriate.” Even the greatest minds have their own flaws — even if it was a sign of the times and culture. Two words — Wonder Woman.
Anyway, his four things to shoot for in character are…
It [the character] must be good. You could argue that not all main characters can be defined as good, but they must at least have some good traits for the audience to latch on to. He further states that “the character will be good if the purpose is good.” This notion is an excellent way for writers to find the center of their protagonists. If they are trying to do something good, that can and should reflect on their actions and reactions. You can also reverse that for antagonists and villains. If they are trying to do something bad, that can and should reflect their actions and reactions as well.
Propriety. Again, his dated feelings towards slaves and women should be discluded in the context of contemporary times, but the details or rules of behavior conventionally considered to be correct should reflect on whatever character that you choose to write. A police officer should do all he can to abide by the law. A lawyer should do all she can to adhere to the law and seek out justice. While this element can be bent and played with, the contemporary point is that writers should be true to the types of characters they choose to feature.
True to life. Similar to propriety, characters should be written in a realistic fashion that audiences can relate to. How many times have you watched a movie or television show and reacted to a character moment by saying or thinking, “Come on, no one would do that.” Exceptions to this rule would clearly be found in the horror genre where victims make questionable choices as far as where they go and what they do. Don’t answer the door!
Consistency. He muses that some characters should be consistently inconsistent, meaning that if you, the writer, commits to character flaws, those character flaws must be consistent throughout the story. Unless, of course, the character eventually gains knowledge to rectify those flaws. Regardless, characters must be consistent in their personalities, actions, and reactions in order to create a reliable vessel for the plot.
3. Thought
Aristotle defines Thought as “the faculty of saying what is possible or pertinent in given circumstances.” This is perhaps the most difficult element to interpret. Some point to it as theme. He goes on to say that “thought is found where something is proven to be or not to be.” One could argue that Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan questioned the theme of the glory of war that had been showcased in most World War II movies before it. His film clearly proved that no, there is no glory in war — just horror.
However, immense bravery and greatness can be found within the confines of that horror.
4. Diction
“The expression of the meaning in words; and its essence is the same in both verse and prose.”
Dialogue is an important element that can not be taken lightly. Too many scripts suffer from on-the-nose dialogue — words that are more interested in relaying information and exposition, as opposed to displaying the emotions, fears, struggles, and intentions of the character. The verse is the chunk of dialogue and the prose is the way it is written.
We’ve said before that there is no secret answer to great writing dialogue — but that doesn’t mean there is no place to find it. And the way you find great dialogue is by living through the characters that you write. What would they say? What would they not say? How would they say it? What would they gain from saying it? What would they gain from not saying it?
On a secondary note, verse and prose can be a vital part in scene description within a screenplay — or novel for you authors out there. The diction of your scene description can play a vital role in how the read of your material is experienced by the powers that be.
In both cases, pay particular attention to each and every line of dialogue or scene description. Ask yourself, “Does this need to be there? Am I saying the same thing twice or more? What repercussions are there for my character saying that line and am I ready to go down that road with them? Does the reader need this much detail or can I say more with less and let them fill in the rest?”
5. Song
Because Aristotle’s text was written in reference to plays, the music played a key part in the storytelling. For screenwriters, you never want to dictate particular song choices — or more specific, you never want to build your entire story around a specific set of songs. Why? Because if you put so much story stock into certain songs, what happens when it goes to a studio that doesn’t have the rights to those songs? It’s okay to mention a song in passing and it’s certainly okay to listen to songs for inspiration, but as soon as you incorporate them into your work, it’s a battle not worth embarking on if you luck out and your script garners attention.
That said, music itself can play a vital part of your conceptual process as you begin your visualization of the story. Listening to and creating temp soundtracks taken from the musical scores of other films can give writers emotional context and atmosphere while writing. Much like the music from a play or silent film. So consider incorporating musical scores into your process. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
6. Spectacle
Aristotle lists spectacle as the least important element of storytelling.
“Spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet.” That is an amazing line to read considering the text was written thousands of years ago — but it rings true today, doesn’t it? How many special effects-driven studio tent poles have failed at the box office — and why did they fail?” Because they are void of the principles listed above.
The spectacle can be intriguing and certainly does draw in a certain audience, but it should never prioritized above any of the other principles. It doesn’t matter what great action, horror, or comedic sequences you can conjure. If the story is void of plot, character, thought, diction, and yes, even some music — wink wink — the spectacle doesn’t matter.
To read Aristotle’s full text from Poetics, CLICK HERE. There are many different interpretations that you can make and there are also additional pages devoted to his further thoughts on plot.
Lessons from ancient Greece - Aristotle on storytelling
Storytelling is an ancient art that is still very much alive. Being able to tell a story your audiences will enjoy, remember, and engage with, is both compelling and difficult to accomplish. There are many ways to tell a story. What does Aristotle teach us about storytelling and how does that relate to PR?
Pity, Fear and Catharsis
According to Aristotle, a story must have pity, fear and catharsis. These are the basic elements to a compelling story. The main lesson in this is to keep your focus on the audience, and not on your characters, plot, or yourself as a writer. The concepts Aristotle mentions are chronological.
When creating a piece of content such as a blog post or a video, you are creating content to entertain your audience. In order to do that, your audience needs to feel some kind of connection to the characters of your story. They need to feel sympathy for your characters to be engaged with the story. The main character of an engaging blog might be the writer, an expert or a PR professional, for example.
When the audience feels sympathy for the characters of a story, they are compelled to continue reading or watching the story. If nothing noteworthy happens in a blog or video, it is not worth to continue following the story. A conflict of some sort is needed.
Ending a story with some sort of conclusion is the final step. This doesn’t have to be a happy ending, obviously you can write an unhappy ending also. But it does need to be an ending to the story which creates the catharsis. Leaving out an ending to any piece of content you create will leave the reader or viewer unsatisfied.
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“When you release the character from the jeopardy of whatever problematic situation they’re in, then the audience experiences catharsis. A sigh. Whew. That’s over!”
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Aristotle’s Framework for storytelling
Next to the three big ingredients for a story mentioned above, Aristotle thought of a valuable framework for stories also. In order to create a good story, you will need to create and think of these seven essential elements:
- Plot
- Character
- Theme
- Diction
- Melody
- Decor
- Spectacle
Before you start with your story, big or small, think of how these elements will contribute to the story and what they will consist of. All elements support each other and make up a good story. Thinking through what the framework of your story will be, gives you the opportunity to connect all these elements and prevent loose ends or plot holes. Start, for example, with a bulleted framework when writing an article to make sure you touch upon all essential elements.
Plot
The plot is, according to Aristotle, the most important aspect of a story. The plot defines what the story is about, and what your audience will experience. It includes a change of fortune that affects the main characters and will make your audience feel emotion(s).
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“The first essential, the life and soul, so to speak, of a story, is the Plot.”
Aristotle
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The plot will state what the essence of the story is. A good story will have a simple plot, that can be explained in just a few sentences. Your audience wants to be entertained by a believable story they can understand, a simple plot will do just that. Take, for example, Star Wars films. The plot is simple: in a far away galaxy, the good guys try to solve or prevent a war with the bad guys. Every film revolves around this basic idea, the characters and theme vary.
Character
No story can do without characters. The characters are the main elements that will create action, arouse emotion and connect with your audience. Your characters can be human, animals or even objects. Aristotle defined four character traits to keep in mind:
- a character must have one or more ‘good’ qualities that wins the respect of your readers
- the qualities of the character must make sense based on their identity
- the character must be believable
- the character must have consistent traits
A character which is shy and timid on one page and arrogant on another doesn’t make sense, a housekeeper that owns a castle and an expensive sports car neither. Make sure the character traits and lifestyle you pick to include in your story, make sense with the character’s background, personality and society you place them in. If you are talking about the professional life of an industry expert, it might be irrelevant to include their hobbies or household. This way, the main characters are easy for your readers to connect with and trust.
Theme
Theme is a pretty word for setting or surroundings. When creating a story, there is an environment involved that directly and indirectly affects the story, storyline and characters. Think about where you want the story to take place and how this will affect the characters, plot, actions and atmosphere of the story. Theme, or thought, is an essential element to the character and the plot.
This might be more directly relevant for fictional stories, but don’t skip this step when you are creating non-fictional professional content. You are creating an experience for your readers or viewers, what are the surroundings you can include to support the story and experience? Are you using a colourful quote, images or example to create a certain atmosphere? Is there any background information on interviewees you can include or information about your company that might support the plot of your story? Take TOMS Shoes for example. Their brand story has a particular setting that is vital to their identity: founder Blake Mycoskie was travelling through poor parts of Argentina when he thought of the idea for his business, he felt the need to help. Creating a compelling and interesting theme or surrounding for your story might just be the difference between a good and an excellent piece of copy!
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“Thought, on the other hand, is shown in all they say when proving or disproving some particular point, or enunciating some universal proposition.”
Aristotle
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Diction
Diction, choice of words or tone of voice are of vital importance to make sure your story resonates with your audience. Are you speaking the same language? Is your tone supporting the message you want to convey? And is the platform you chose complementary to the story and diction of your story?
All too often content is being produced without taking a proper look at diction. Take a second to think of the choice of words that will suit your brand story, plot, audience and platform of distribution. Do these connect or is there any friction between the preferred tone of voice of one of the elements and another? The right tone of voice for a brand is not set in stone, especially when communicating with different audiences who have different needs.
Melody
When thinking of melody, music and audio is what comes to mind. A recognizable melodic tune is a great way to brand your content, audiences who have heard the tune before will instantly recognize the music. Think of the tune of the Star Wars movies, hearing the melodic tune from these movies will instantly bring you back to the emotions you experienced when watching it.
But melody is much more than just music. The theory of Aristotle describes certain recognizable structures and patterns that can be used to communicate effectively with your audience. Using a recognizable lay-out for your website or blog post, a standard structure for your YouTube videos, the same host or model for your presentations and flyers will help your audience recognize your brand, your story and perhaps even your industry. Take Apple and McDonald’s. Any and every piece of their brand story is being recognized instantly all over the world, because these brands use a certain melody or structure in their PR and communications.
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“Privilege [..] dialogue over visual spectacle”
Aristotle
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Decor
The decor is the design of the surroundings of the story. Your story will take place in a certain setting or theme, that has a certain look and feel. This also goes for your brand story, blog post or video. What does your website design look like and how does this support your story? If you are creating a blog post or video, how does it look for your audience?
Think about the visual aspects of your content – your audience does. In fact, 90% of data that the brain processes is visual and 65% of people are visual learners. Look at Nike, their story focuses on a ‘hero’s journey’. Their decor is challenging, of humble origin and creates a believable setting for a hero that needs to take on a challenge on his or her own. Using a strong, understandable and believable decor for their story, they successfully inspire others to be their own heroes. Don’t miss out by forgetting to think about the decor of your story.
Spectacle
Aristotle defines spectacle as the stage appearance of the actors, or everything that is seen and heard on stage. This obviously derives from theatre that is performed on stage, but how does this translate to the content within your PR strategy? Think of your blog, social media platforms and events as ‘stages’ and think of all the action going on on these stages. Any visual display, spoken word, nonverbal communication and the written word all make up the spectacle.
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