Poetic Justice !

Poetic Justice

Poetic justice was a term coined by Thomas Rimer, an English critic of the latter 17th century, to signify the need to distribute earthly rewards and punishments at the close of a literary work in proportion to the virtue or vice of the various characters. Rhymer believed that a drama or narrative should have a proper moral resolution and literary plots should end with the reward of the good and the punishment of the evil. The moral element in a literary work had been a consistent phenomena advocated by classical writer such as Aristotle, Horace, Plutarch and Quintillian. So, Rhymer’s phrasing is a reflection of a common place. Philip Sydney in defence argued that poetic justice was intact the reason that fiction should be allowed in a civilised nation.

Poetic justice often works with an ironic twist that stems from a character’s own action and leads towards a final conclusion. For, e.g. : Poetic justice in Macbeth is established as he is slain as he is  killed many people all of which were innocent and had done nothing wrong to him. Malcolm gets his poetic justice when he finally gets what he derived since his father’s death . In modern times, the morality aspect is not the main focus in literature, but there is a balance and logic that must be restored at the end of a story. For instance, in Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, a perfect balance is restored and it is the logic which triumphs when everyone gets what they deserve.