Plot is the narrative structure in which events are selected, arranged, and

interrelated in a way that provides a framework for the author’s message, or

theme, and for other elements such as characterization, symbol, and conflict,
to elicit the desired emotional response from the readers.
Aristotle argued that an effective plot must be a unified whole with causal
relationship among its parts, which can be divided into a beginning, a middle
and an end, such that no part of it can be removed without damaging the
whole and other parts. Of course the parts need not be structured
chronologically; rather, the best kind of plot, according to Aristotle, is that
which begins in medias res ("in the middle of things").

Comment on Aristotle’s views on plot and character.

Aristotle lays utmost stress on plot as the most important of all the formative
elements of a dramatic or narrative work. By plot Aristotle of course means
the arrangement and interrelation of events chosen and designed to engage
our attention and interest while also providing a framework for the
exposition of the author's thought or theme, and for other elements such as
characterization and conflict. It is distinguished from story, which refers to a
narrative of events ordered chronologically, not selectively, and with an
emphasis on establishing causality. Story is the raw material from which plot
is constructed. Crafting a plot requires choosing not only which element of
the story to include - and what order to tell them in – but also relating the
events of a story to one another so that causality may be established
convincingly.
Most critics agree with Aristotle's argument that effective plots must have
three relative parts – a beginning, a middle, and an end – that are complete in
themselves. Of course, these parts need not correlate temporally with the
story – for instance, when the beginning of a plot does not correspond with
the chronological beginning of the story but rather begins in medias res. This
Aristotelian tripartite conception of plot still sets the parameters of critical
discussion today.
Aristotle also argues that a plot must have (a) proper magnitude comprised
within such limits, that the sequence of events, according to the law of
probability or necessity, will admit of a change from bad fortune to good, or
from good fortune to bad; (b) unity such that when any of its parts, or
incidents, is removed, something seems to be missing. If a part can be
removed without affecting the whole then the work is episodic, rather than
plot-based, and, therefore, inferior; (c) universality, i.e., what may happen -
what is possible according to the law of probability or necessity, rather than
what has happened.
Aristotle classifies plot into two types: simple [haplos], and complex
[peplegmenos]. The simple plot is defined as a unified construct of
necessary and probable actions accompanied by a change of fortune. The
complex plot, says Aristotle, is accompanied by two other features, namely;
peripeteia or reversal, and anagnorisis, or recognition. It is this which
Aristotle feels is the best kind of tragic plot, in that it provides the best
possibility of delivering tragic pleasure.
Aristotle gives second place to character, the first he reserves for plot. He
argues that 'tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of an action’ and of life,
and life consists in action, and its end is a mode of action, not a quality. Now
character determines men's qualities, but it is by their actions that they are
happy or the reverse. Dramatic action, therefore, is not meant to represent
character, which comes in only as causal subsidiary to the actions'. Aristotle
goes so far as to say that without action there cannot be a tragedy, but there
may be one without character. Aristotle’s identification of plot as a work's
chief element faced increasing challenge in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. Many critics have focused on characterization as the defining
element of a literary work, viewing plot as a mere framework for
showcasing character. It is, however, absurd to make too subtle a point of
distinction between plot and character, because the actions (including verbal
discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters
in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral and
dispositional qualities. Plot and characters are therefore interdependent
critical concepts – as Henry James has said, "What is character but the
determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?"
(743)