poetics-第3章

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their　actions　that　they　are　happy　or　the　reverse。　Dramatic　action；



therefore；　is　not　with　a　view　to　the　representation　of　character：



character　comes　in　as　subsidiary　to　the　actions。　Hence　the　incidents



and　the　plot　are　the　end　of　a　tragedy；　and　the　end　is　the　chief



thing　of　all。　Again；　without　action　there　cannot　be　a　tragedy；　there



may　be　without　character。　The　tragedies　of　most　of　our　modern　poets



fail　in　the　rendering　of　character；　and　of　poets　in　general　this　is



often　true。　It　is　the　same　in　painting；　and　here　lies　the　difference



between　Zeuxis　and　Polygnotus。　Polygnotus　delineates　character　well；



the　style　of　Zeuxis　is　devoid　of　ethical　quality。　Again；　if　you　string



together　a　set　of　speeches　expressive　of　character；　and　well



finished　in　point　of　diction　and　thought；　you　will　not　produce　the



essential　tragic　effect　nearly　so　well　as　with　a　play　which；　however



deficient　in　these　respects；　yet　has　a　plot　and　artistically



constructed　incidents。　Besides　which；　the　most　powerful　elements　of



emotional　interest　in　Tragedy…　Peripeteia　or　Reversal　of　the



Situation；　and　Recognition　scenes…　are　parts　of　the　plot。　A　further



proof　is；　that　novices　in　the　art　attain　to　finish　of　diction　and



precision　of　portraiture　before　they　can　construct　the　plot。　It　is　the



same　with　almost　all　the　early　poets。



　　The　plot；　then；　is　the　first　principle；　and；　as　it　were；　the　soul　of



a　tragedy；　Character　holds　the　second　place。　A　similar　fact　is　seen　in



painting。　The　most　beautiful　colors；　laid　on　confusedly；　will　not　give



as　much　pleasure　as　the　chalk　outline　of　a　portrait。　Thus　Tragedy　is



the　imitation　of　an　action；　and　of　the　agents　mainly　with　a　view　to



the　action。



　　Third　in　order　is　Thought…　that　is；　the　faculty　of　saying　what　is



possible　and　pertinent　in　given　circumstances。　In　the　case　of　oratory；



this　is　the　function　of　the　political　art　and　of　the　art　of



rhetoric：　and　so　indeed　the　older　poets　make　their　characters　speak



the　language　of　civic　life；　the　poets　of　our　time；　the　language　of　the



rhetoricians。　Character　is　that　which　reveals　moral　purpose；　showing



what　kind　of　things　a　man　chooses　or　avoids。　Speeches；　therefore；



which　do　not　make　this　manifest；　or　in　which　the　speaker　does　not



choose　or　avoid　anything　whatever；　are　not　expressive　of　character。



Thought；　on　the　other　hand；　is　found　where　something　is　proved　to　be



or　not　to　be；　or　a　general　maxim　is　enunciated。



　　Fourth　among　the　elements　enumerated　comes　Diction；　by　which　I　mean；



as　has　been　already　said；　the　expression　of　the　meaning　in　words；



and　its　essence　is　the　same　both　in　verse　and　prose。



　　Of　the　remaining　elements　Song　holds　the　chief　place　among　the



embellishments



　　The　Spectacle　has；　indeed；　an　emotional　attraction　of　its　own；



but；　of　all　the　parts；　it　is　the　least　artistic；　and　connected　least



with　the　art　of　poetry。　For　the　power　of　Tragedy；　we　may　be　sure；　is



felt　even　apart　from　representation　and　actors。　Besides；　the



production　of　spectacular　effects　depends　more　on　the　art　of　the　stage



machinist　than　on　that　of　the　poet。



POETICS｜7



　　VII







　　These　principles　being　established；　let　us　now　discuss　the　proper



structure　of　the　Plot；　since　this　is　the　first　and　most　important



thing　in　Tragedy。



　　Now；　according　to　our　definition　Tragedy　is　an　imitation　of　an



action　that　is　complete；　and　whole；　and　of　a　certain　magnitude；　for



there　may　be　a　whole　that　is　wanting　in　magnitude。　A　whole　is　that



which　has　a　beginning；　a　middle；　and　an　end。　A　beginning　is　that　which



does　not　itself　follow　anything　by　causal　necessity；　but　after　which



something　naturally　is　or　comes　to　be。　An　end；　on　the　contrary；　is



that　which　itself　naturally　follows　some　other　thing；　either　by



necessity；　or　as　a　rule；　but　has　nothing　following　it。　A　middle　is



that　which　follows　something　as　some　other　thing　follows　it。　A　well



constructed　plot；　therefore；　must　neither　begin　nor　end　at



haphazard；　but　conform　to　these　principles。



　　Again；　a　beautiful　object；　whether　it　be　a　living　organism　or　any



whole　composed　of　parts；　must　not　only　have　an　orderly　arrangement



of　parts；　but　must　also　be　of　a　certain　magnitude；　for　beauty



depends　on　magnitude　and　order。　Hence　a　very　small　animal　organism



cannot　be　beautiful；　for　the　view　of　it　is　confused；　the　object



being　seen　in　an　almost　imperceptible　moment　of　time。　Nor；　again；



can　one　of　vast　size　be　beautiful；　for　as　the　eye　cannot　take　it　all



in　at　once；　the　unity　and　sense　of　the　whole　is　lost　for　the



spectator；　as　for　instance　if　there　were　one　a　thousand　miles　long。



As；　therefore；　in　the　case　of　animate　bodies　and　organisms　a　certain



magnitude　is　necessary；　and　a　magnitude　which　may　be　easily　embraced



in　one　view；　so　in　the　plot；　a　certain　length　is　necessary；　and　a



length　which　can　be　easily　embraced　by　the　memory。　The　limit　of　length



in　relation　to　dramatic　competition　and　sensuous　presentment　is　no



part　of　artistic　theory。　For　had　it　been　the　rule　for　a　hundred



tragedies　to　compete　together；　the　performance　would　have　been



regulated　by　the　water…clock…　as　indeed　we　are　told　was　formerly　done。



But　the　limit　as　fixed　by　the　nature　of　the　drama　itself　is　this：



the　greater　the　length；　the　more　beautiful　will　the　piece　be　by　reason



of　its　size；　provided　that　the　whole　be　perspicuous。　And　to　define　the



matter　roughly；　we　may　say　that　the　proper　magnitude　is　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。



POETICS｜8



　　VIII







　　Unity　of　plot　does　not；　as　some　persons　think；　consist　in　the



unity　of　the　hero。　For　infinitely　various　are　the　incidents　in　one



man's　life　which　cannot　be　reduced　to　unity；　and　so；　too；　there　are



many　actions　of　one　man　out　of　which　we　cannot　make　one　action。



Hence　the　error；　as　it　appears；　of　all　poets　who　have　composed　a



Heracleid；　a　Theseid；　or　other　poems　of　the　kind。　They　imagine　that　as



Heracles　was　one　man；　the　story　of　Heracles　must　also　be　a　unity。



But　Homer；　as　in　all　else　he　is　of　surpassing　merit；　here　too…　whether



from　art　or　natural　genius…　seems　to　have　happily　discerned　the　truth。



In　composing　the　Odyssey　he　did　not　include　all　the　adventures　of



Odysseus…　such　as　his　wound　on　Parnassus；　or　his　feigned　madness　at



the　mustering　of　the　host…　incidents　between　which　there　was　no



necessary　or　probable　connection：　but　he　made　the　Odyssey；　and



likewise　the　Iliad；　to　center　round　an　action　that　in　our　sense　of　the



word　is　one。　As　therefore；　in　the　other　imitative　arts；　the



imitation　is　one　when　the　object　imitated　is　one；　so　the　plot；　being



an　imitation　of　an　action；　must　imitate　one　action　and　that　a　whole；



the　structural　union　of　the　parts　being　such　that；　if　any　one　of



them　is　displaced　or　removed；　the　whole　will　be　disjointed　and



disturbed。　For　a　thing　whose　presence　or　absence　makes　no　visible



difference；　is　not　an　organic　part　of　the　whole。



POETICS｜9



　　IX







　　It　is；　moreover；　evident　from　what　has　been　said；　that　it　is　not　the



function　of　the　poet　to　relate　what　has　happened；　but　what　may　happen…



what　is　possible　according　to　the　law　of　probability　or　necessity。　The



poet　and　the　historian　differ　not　by　writing　in　verse　or　in　prose。　The



work　of　Herodotus　might　be　put　into　verse；　and　it　would　still　be　a



species　of　history；　with　meter　no　less　than　without　it。　The　true



difference　is　that　one　relates　what　has　happened；　the　other　what　may



happen。　Poetry；　therefore；　is　a　more　philosophical　and　a　higher



thing　than　history：　for　poetry　tends　to　express　the　universal；　history



the　particular。　By　the　universal　I　mean　how　a　person　of　a　certain　type



on　occasion　speak　or　act；　according　to　the　law　of　probab