poetics-第2章

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rhythm。　Persons；　therefore；　starting　with　this　natural　gift



developed　by　degrees　their　special　aptitudes；　till　their　rude



improvisations　gave　birth　to　Poetry。



　　Poetry　now　diverged　in　two　directions；　according　to　the　individual



character　of　the　writers。　The　graver　spirits　imitated　noble　actions；



and　the　actions　of　good　men。　The　more　trivial　sort　imitated　the



actions　of　meaner　persons；　at　first　composing　satires；　as　the　former



did　hymns　to　the　gods　and　the　praises　of　famous　men。　A　poem　of　the



satirical　kind　cannot　indeed　be　put　down　to　any　author　earlier　than



Homer；　though　many　such　writers　probably　there　were。　But　from　Homer



onward；　instances　can　be　cited…　his　own　Margites；　for　example；　and



other　similar　compositions。　The　appropriate　meter　was　also　here



introduced；　hence　the　measure　is　still　called　the　iambic　or　lampooning



measure；　being　that　in　which　people　lampooned　one　another。　Thus　the



older　poets　were　distinguished　as　writers　of　heroic　or　of　lampooning



verse。



　　As；　in　the　serious　style；　Homer　is　pre…eminent　among　poets；　for　he



alone　combined　dramatic　form　with　excellence　of　imitation　so　he　too



first　laid　down　the　main　lines　of　comedy；　by　dramatizing　the　ludicrous



instead　of　writing　personal　satire。　His　Margites　bears　the　same



relation　to　comedy　that　the　Iliad　and　Odyssey　do　to　tragedy。　But



when　Tragedy　and　Comedy　came　to　light；　the　two　classes　of　poets



still　followed　their　natural　bent：　the　lampooners　became　writers　of



Comedy；　and　the　Epic　poets　were　succeeded　by　Tragedians；　since　the



drama　was　a　larger　and　higher　form　of　art。



　　Whether　Tragedy　has　as　yet　perfected　its　proper　types　or　not；　and



whether　it　is　to　be　judged　in　itself；　or　in　relation　also　to　the



audience…　this　raises　another　question。　Be　that　as　it　may；　Tragedy…　as



also　Comedy…　was　at　first　mere　improvisation。　The　one　originated



with　the　authors　of　the　Dithyramb；　the　other　with　those　of　the　phallic



songs；　which　are　still　in　use　in　many　of　our　cities。　Tragedy



advanced　by　slow　degrees；　each　new　element　that　showed　itself　was　in



turn　developed。　Having　passed　through　many　changes；　it　found　its



natural　form；　and　there　it　stopped。



　　Aeschylus　first　introduced　a　second　actor；　he　diminished　the



importance　of　the　Chorus；　and　assigned　the　leading　part　to　the



dialogue。　　Sophocles　raised　the　number　of　actors　to　three；　and　added



scene…painting。　Moreover；　it　was　not　till　late　that　the　short　plot　was



discarded　for　one　of　greater　compass；　and　the　grotesque　diction　of　the



earlier　satyric　form　for　the　stately　manner　of　Tragedy。　The　iambic



measure　then　replaced　the　trochaic　tetrameter；　which　was　originally



employed　when　the　poetry　was　of　the　satyric　order；　and　had　greater



with　dancing。　Once　dialogue　had　come　in；　Nature　herself　discovered　the



appropriate　measure。　For　the　iambic　is；　of　all　measures；　the　most



colloquial　we　see　it　in　the　fact　that　conversational　speech　runs



into　iambic　lines　more　frequently　than　into　any　other　kind　of　verse；



rarely　into　hexameters；　and　only　when　we　drop　the　colloquial



intonation。　The　additions　to　the　number　of　'episodes'　or　acts；　and　the



other　accessories　of　which　tradition　tells；　must　be　taken　as　already



described；　for　to　discuss　them　in　detail　would；　doubtless；　be　a



large　undertaking。



POETICS｜5



　　V







　　Comedy　is；　as　we　have　said；　an　imitation　of　characters　of　a　lower



type…　not；　however；　in　the　full　sense　of　the　word　bad；　the　ludicrous



being　merely　a　subdivision　of　the　ugly。　It　consists　in　some　defect



or　ugliness　which　is　not　painful　or　destructive。　To　take　an　obvious



example；　the　comic　mask　is　ugly　and　distorted；　but　does　not　imply



pain。



　　The　successive　changes　through　which　Tragedy　passed；　and　the　authors



of　these　changes；　are　well　known；　whereas　Comedy　has　had　no　history；



because　it　was　not　at　first　treated　seriously。　It　was　late　before



the　Archon　granted　a　comic　chorus　to　a　poet；　the　performers　were



till　then　voluntary。　Comedy　had　already　taken　definite　shape　when



comic　poets；　distinctively　so　called；　are　heard　of。　Who　furnished　it



with　masks；　or　prologues；　or　increased　the　number　of　actors…　these　and



other　similar　details　remain　unknown。　As　for　the　plot；　it　came



originally　from　Sicily；　but　of　Athenian　writers　Crates　was　the　first



who　abandoning　the　'iambic'　or　lampooning　form；　generalized　his　themes



and　plots。



　　Epic　poetry　agrees　with　Tragedy　in　so　far　as　it　is　an　imitation　in



verse　of　characters　of　a　higher　type。　They　differ　in　that　Epic



poetry　admits　but　one　kind　of　meter　and　is　narrative　in　form。　They



differ；　again；　in　their　length：　for　Tragedy　endeavors；　as　far　as



possible；　to　confine　itself　to　a　single　revolution　of　the　sun；　or



but　slightly　to　exceed　this　limit；　whereas　the　Epic　action　has　no



limits　of　time。　This；　then；　is　a　second　point　of　difference；　though　at



first　the　same　freedom　was　admitted　in　Tragedy　as　in　Epic　poetry。



　　Of　their　constituent　parts　some　are　common　to　both；　some　peculiar　to



Tragedy：　whoever；　therefore　knows　what　is　good　or　bad　Tragedy；　knows



also　about　Epic　poetry。　All　the　elements　of　an　Epic　poem　are　found



in　Tragedy；　but　the　elements　of　a　Tragedy　are　not　all　found　in　the



Epic　poem。



POETICS｜6



　　VI







　　Of　the　poetry　which　imitates　in　hexameter　verse；　and　of　Comedy；　we



will　speak　hereafter。　Let　us　now　discuss　Tragedy；　resuming　its



formal　definition；　as　resulting　from　what　has　been　already　said。



　　Tragedy；　then；　is　an　imitation　of　an　action　that　is　serious；



complete；　and　of　a　certain　magnitude；　in　language　embellished　with



each　kind　of　artistic　ornament；　the　several　kinds　being　found　in



separate　parts　of　the　play；　in　the　form　of　action；　not　of　narrative；



through　pity　and　fear　effecting　the　proper　purgation　of　these



emotions。　By　'language　embellished；'　I　mean　language　into　which



rhythm；　'harmony'　and　song　enter。　By　'the　several　kinds　in　separate



parts；'　I　mean；　that　some　parts　are　rendered　through　the　medium　of



verse　alone；　others　again　with　the　aid　of　song。



　　Now　as　tragic　imitation　implies　persons　acting；　it　necessarily



follows　in　the　first　place；　that　Spectacular　equipment　will　be　a



part　of　Tragedy。　Next；　Song　and　Diction；　for　these　are　the　media　of



imitation。　By　'Diction'　I　mean　the　mere　metrical　arrangement　of　the



words：　as　for　'Song；'　it　is　a　term　whose　sense　every　one　understands。



　　Again；　Tragedy　is　the　imitation　of　an　action；　and　an　action



implies　personal　agents；　who　necessarily　possess　certain　distinctive



qualities　both　of　character　and　thought；　for　it　is　by　these　that　we



qualify　actions　themselves；　and　these…　thought　and　character…　are



the　two　natural　causes　from　which　actions　spring；　and　on　actions　again



all　success　or　failure　depends。　Hence；　the　Plot　is　the　imitation　of



the　action…　for　by　plot　I　here　mean　the　arrangement　of　the



incidents。　By　Character　I　mean　that　in　virtue　of　which　we　ascribe



certain　qualities　to　the　agents。　Thought　is　required　wherever　a



statement　is　proved；　or；　it　may　be；　a　general　truth　enunciated。



Every　Tragedy；　therefore；　must　have　six　parts；　which　parts　determine



its　quality…　namely；　Plot；　Character；　Diction；　Thought；　Spectacle；



Song。　Two　of　the　parts　constitute　the　medium　of　imitation；　one　the



manner；　and　three　the　objects　of　imitation。　And　these　complete　the



fist。　These　elements　have　been　employed；　we　may　say；　by　the　poets　to　a



man；　in　fact；　every　play　contains　Spectacular　elements　as　well　as



Character；　Plot；　Diction；　Song；　and　Thought。



　　But　most　important　of　all　is　the　structure　of　the　incidents。　For



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；



ther