2024, Vol. 6, Issue 11, Part A

Purification is a multifaceted concept that not only liberates one from the emotions of fear and compassion but also from a range of human emotions, especially in the arts more broadly, and in rituals and celebrations practiced by many cultures throughout history. These rituals aim for purification on two levels: communal and individual. On an individual level, especially for participants involved in the ritual or celebration, purification leads to a state of release, expelling evil spirits, which in turn brings about healing.

Aristotle viewed purification as more than just a remedy for ailments; it is also a means of enjoyment for the audience. Besides the aesthetic pleasure associated with the imaginative structure enabled by tragedy through imitation and illusion, there is also pleasure derived from the process of purification. Avicenna (Ibn Sina) similarly noted that imaginative speech, like poetry, is a form of expression that affects the soul, causing it to expand toward certain things and contract from others without reasoning, thought, or choice. Thus, the soul responds to such speech in a deeply human, non-intellectual manner.