What does Aristotle mean by pleasure proper to tragedy?

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Poetics by Aristotle: we
must not demand of Tragedy any and every kind of pleasure, but only that which is proper
to it ....

In Aristotle's
Ethics (VII.11-14 and X.1-5), he describes
pleasure as (1) necessary to human life, (2) not solely derived
from the senses, and (3) the outgrowth or product of excellent activity, and (4) not
something to be sought deliberately as it is a product not an originating cause. Having
said this, compare Aristotle's idea of pleasure to our usual
contemporary understanding of
pleasure:

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American Heritage
Dictionary
pleasure:
1. The state or feeling of being
pleased or gratified.
2. A source of enjoyment or
delight

While there is
nothing here to contradict Aristotle, our contemporary understanding of
pleasure is devoid of the philosophical element and renders it more
akin to an emotion like joy or happiness.

When Aristotle
uses pleasure in reference to tragedy, he is speaking in
philosophical terms and not according to our current concept. Remembering that
pleasure comes as the product of
excellent activity that is fulfilled without hindrance or opposition, consider viewing a
tragedy as an activity.

Viewing a Greek tragedy might well
be considered an excellent activity as they were excellently crafted with high, elevated
diction and objectives. Therefore, by definition, a Greek tragedy may produce pleasure.
Further, a tragedy has qualities particular to it that are equally out of accord with
comedy and monstrousness. The sensation duly associated with tragedy is to be that of
the terrible. The appropriate product of pleasure would, as
Aristotle states, then be pity and fear. In other words, if one
feels pity for the characters, particularly the tragic hero, if one feels fear for the
heroes ultimate end, one has engaged in an excellent activity that has
produced pleasure proper to
tragedy.

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Those who employ spectacular means to create a
sense not of the terrible but only of the monstrous, are strangers to the purpose of
Tragedy; for we must not demand of Tragedy any and every kind of pleasure, but only that
which is proper to it. And since the pleasure which the poet should afford is that which
comes from pity and fear through
imitation, it is evident that this quality must be impressed upon the incidents.
(Poetics by
Aristotle)