Considered a model for the mechanics of tragedy, Aristotle's Poetics revolves around the assumption that great tragic works must include a generous number of mimetic elements, or elements that readily imitate human life. Furthermore, well-organized tragic plots combine both the reversal of fate (peripeteia) and personal recognition (anagnorisis) that arise largely from a character's tragic flaw (hamartia). In relation to the structure proposed by Aristotle for tragedy, Sylvia Plath's story “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams” unintentionally recreates a tragic plot through the life and actions of the main character of the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" detailing a complex doctor-patient relationship between an unnamed main character and Johnny Panic himself. Working as a clerical assistant in an outpatient clinic, the unnamed character is responsible for recording doctors' tests. However, becoming more and more infatuated with Johnny Panic, she begins copying her patient's dreams into a notebook she calls Johnny Panic's "Bible". As the character strives to become more and more like Johnny Panic himself, he begins to discover a dark and sinister side to his idol. Yet instead of dissuading her from her relationship with Panic, this discovery only leads to a stronger obsession. He begins secretly reading and recording outdated dream logs during the short periods of time his colleagues are out of the office. Likewise, her growing obsession leads her to devise a plan to stay in his office overnight and accomplish more than she otherwise could. Unfortunately, on the first morning after her overnight stay, she was surprised by the director of the clinic and forced to be admitted to a wing of the hospital reserved for patients. While the story ends with her reluctantly receiving electroshock treatments, her last thoughts are only about the loss of Johnny Panic. In the Poetics, Aristotle states that a tragic character is neither particularly good nor particularly evil. In Plath's story, the nameless character is just that. She is not considered good because she violates the scope of her official duties for her own psychological fulfillment. Yet she does not commit any kind of atrocity that would characterize her as inherently bad or evil. Indeed, she has good intentions of becoming a devoted follower of Johnny Panic himself, but her intentions are continually thwarted by interruptions from her colleagues. Additionally, the main character remains consistent and realistic throughout the entire story. Acts properly in relation to her position as a secretary, carrying out her daily duties; however, he is unable to repress the growing obsession he has with Johnny Panic. After all, many ordinary people have found themselves involved with another person or acted out at some point in their lives. However, it is this same obsession that leads the unnamed character to his downfall. Ultimately, the character's tragic fate is the direct result of his dark obsession with something he believes to be good. Plath's character perfectly embodies not only this Aristotelian aspect of tragic failure, but also perfectly follows the above-mentioned structure for a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, complex plots must involve “revolution or discovery,” or both (210). In reference to Plath's story, the reversal of the female protagonist's fate occurs when she is caught reading the old diaries.