poetics-第6章

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　　As　in　the　structure　of　the　plot；　so　too　in　the　portraiture　of



character；　the　poet　should　always　aim　either　at　the　necessary　or　the



probable。　Thus　a　person　of　a　given　character　should　speak　or　act　in



a　given　way；　by　the　rule　either　of　necessity　or　of　probability；　just



as　this　event　should　follow　that　by　necessary　or　probable　sequence。　It



is　therefore　evident　that　the　unraveling　of　the　plot；　no　less　than　the



complication；　must　arise　out　of　the　plot　itself；　it　must　not　be



brought　about　by　the　Deus　ex　Machina…　as　in　the　Medea；　or　in　the



return　of　the　Greeks　in　the　Iliad。　The　Deus　ex　Machina　should　be



employed　only　for　events　external　to　the　drama…　for　antecedent　or



subsequent　events；　which　lie　beyond　the　range　of　human　knowledge；



and　which　require　to　be　reported　or　foretold；　for　to　the　gods　we



ascribe　the　power　of　seeing　all　things。　Within　the　action　there　must



be　nothing　irrational。　If　the　irrational　cannot　be　excluded；　it　should



be　outside　the　scope　of　the　tragedy。　Such　is　the　irrational　element



the　Oedipus　of　Sophocles。



　　Again；　since　Tragedy　is　an　imitation　of　persons　who　are　above　the



common　level；　the　example　of　good　portrait　painters　should　be



followed。　They；　while　reproducing　the　distinctive　form　of　the



original；　make　a　likeness　which　is　true　to　life　and　yet　more



beautiful。　So　too　the　poet；　in　representing　men　who　are　irascible　or



indolent；　or　have　other　defects　of　character；　should　preserve　the　type



and　yet　ennoble　it。　In　this　way　Achilles　is　portrayed　by　Agathon　and



Homer。



　　These　then　are　rules　the　poet　should　observe。　Nor　should　he



neglect　those　appeals　to　the　senses；　which；　though　not　among　the



essentials；　are　the　concomitants　of　poetry；　for　here　too　there　is　much



room　for　error。　But　of　this　enough　has　been　said　in　our　published



treatises。



POETICS｜16



　　XVI







　　What　Recognition　is　has　been　already　explained。　We　will　now



enumerate　its　kinds。



　　First；　the　least　artistic　form；　which；　from　poverty　of　wit；　is



most　commonly　employed…　recognition　by　signs。　Of　these　some　are



congenital…　such　as　'the　spear　which　the　earth…born　race　bear　on　their



bodies；'　or　the　stars　introduced　by　Carcinus　in　his　Thyestes。　Others



are　acquired　after　birth；　and　of　these　some　are　bodily　marks；　as



scars；　some　external　tokens；　as　necklaces；　or　the　little　ark　in　the



Tyro　by　which　the　discovery　is　effected。　Even　these　admit　of　more　or



less　skilful　treatment。　Thus　in　the　recognition　of　Odysseus　by　his



scar；　the　discovery　is　made　in　one　way　by　the　nurse；　in　another　by　the



swineherds。　The　use　of　tokens　for　the　express　purpose　of　proof…　and；



indeed；　any　formal　proof　with　or　without　tokens…　is　a　less　artistic



mode　of　recognition。　A　better　kind　is　that　which　comes　about　by　a　turn



of　incident；　as　in　the　Bath　Scene　in　the　Odyssey。



　　Next　come　the　recognitions　invented　at　will　by　the　poet；　and　on　that



account　wanting　in　art。　For　example；　Orestes　in　the　Iphigenia



reveals　the　fact　that　he　is　Orestes。　She；　indeed；　makes　herself



known　by　the　letter；　but　he；　by　speaking　himself；　and　saying　what



the　poet；　not　what　the　plot　requires。　This；　therefore；　is　nearly



allied　to　the　fault　above　mentioned…　for　Orestes　might　as　well　have



brought　tokens　with　him。　Another　similar　instance　is　the　'voice　of　the



shuttle'　in　the　Tereus　of　Sophocles。



　　The　third　kind　depends　on　memory　when　the　sight　of　some　object



awakens　a　feeling：　as　in　the　Cyprians　of　Dicaeogenes；　where　the　hero



breaks　into　tears　on　seeing　the　picture；　or　again　in　the　Lay　of



Alcinous；　where　Odysseus；　hearing　the　minstrel　play　the　lyre；



recalls　the　past　and　weeps；　and　hence　the　recognition。



　　The　fourth　kind　is　by　process　of　reasoning。　Thus　in　the　Choephori：



'Some　one　resembling　me　has　come：　no　one　resembles　me　but　Orestes：



therefore　Orestes　has　come。'　Such　too　is　the　discovery　made　by



Iphigenia　in　the　play　of　Polyidus　the　Sophist。　It　was　a　natural



reflection　for　Orestes　to　make；　'So　I　too　must　die　at　the　altar　like



my　sister。'　So；　again；　in　the　Tydeus　of　Theodectes；　the　father　says；



'I　came　to　find　my　son；　and　I　lose　my　own　life。'　So　too　in　the



Phineidae：　the　women；　on　seeing　the　place；　inferred　their　fate…



'Here　we　are　doomed　to　die；　for　here　we　were　cast　forth。'　Again；　there



is　a　composite　kind　of　recognition　involving　false　inference　on　the



part　of　one　of　the　characters；　as　in　the　Odysseus　Disguised　as　a



Messenger。　A　said　＇that　no　one　else　was　able　to　bend　the　bow；　。。。



hence　B　（the　disguised　Odysseus）　imagined　that　A　would＇　recognize



the　bow　which；　in　fact；　he　had　not　seen；　and　to　bring　about　a



recognition　by　this　means…　the　expectation　that　A　would　recognize



the　bow…　is　false　inference。



　　But；　of　all　recognitions；　the　best　is　that　which　arises　from　the



incidents　themselves；　where　the　startling　discovery　is　made　by　natural



means。　Such　is　that　in　the　Oedipus　of　Sophocles；　and　in　the　Iphigenia；



for　it　was　natural　that　Iphigenia　should　wish　to　dispatch　a　letter。



These　recognitions　alone　dispense　with　the　artificial　aid　of　tokens　or



amulets。　Next　come　the　recognitions　by　process　of　reasoning。



POETICS｜17



　　XVII







　　In　constructing　the　plot　and　working　it　out　with　the　proper　diction；



the　poet　should　place　the　scene；　as　far　as　possible；　before　his



eyes。　In　this　way；　seeing　everything　with　the　utmost　vividness；　as



if　he　were　a　spectator　of　the　action；　he　will　discover　what　is　in



keeping　with　it；　and　be　most　unlikely　to　overlook　inconsistencies。　The



need　of　such　a　rule　is　shown　by　the　fault　found　in　Carcinus。



Amphiaraus　was　on　his　way　from　the　temple。　This　fact　escaped　the



observation　of　one　who　did　not　see　the　situation。　On　the　stage；



however；　the　Piece　failed；　the　audience　being　offended　at　the



oversight。



　　Again；　the　poet　should　work　out　his　play；　to　the　best　of　his



power；　with　appropriate　gestures；　for　those　who　feel　emotion　are



most　convincing　through　natural　sympathy　with　the　characters　they



represent；　and　one　who　is　agitated　storms；　one　who　is　angry　rages；



with　the　most　lifelike　reality。　Hence　poetry　implies　either　a　happy



gift　of　nature　or　a　strain　of　madness。　In　the　one　case　a　man　can



take　the　mould　of　any　character；　in　the　other；　he　is　lifted　out　of　his



proper　self。



　　As　for　the　story；　whether　the　poet　takes　it　ready　made　or　constructs



it　for　himself；　he　should　first　sketch　its　general　outline；　and　then



fill　in　the　episodes　and　amplify　in　detail。　The　general　plan　may　be



illustrated　by　the　Iphigenia。　A　young　girl　is　sacrificed；　she



disappears　mysteriously　from　the　eyes　of　those　who　sacrificed　her；　she



is　transported　to　another　country；　where　the　custom　is　to　offer　up



an　strangers　to　the　goddess。　To　this　ministry　she　is　appointed。　Some



time　later　her　own　brother　chances　to　arrive。　The　fact　that　the　oracle



for　some　reason　ordered　him　to　go　there；　is　outside　the　general　plan



of　the　play。　The　purpose；　again；　of　his　coming　is　outside　the　action



proper。　However；　he　comes；　he　is　seized；　and；　when　on　the　point　of



being　sacrificed；　reveals　who　he　is。　The　mode　of　recognition　may　be



either　that　of　Euripides　or　of　Polyidus；　in　whose　play　he　exclaims



very　naturally：　'So　it　was　not　my　sister　only；　but　I　too；　who　was



doomed　to　be　sacrificed'；　and　by　that　remark　he　is　saved。



　　After　this；　the　names　being　once　given；　it　remains　to　fill　in　the



episodes。　We　must　see　that　they　are　relevant　to　the　action。　In　the



case　of　Orestes；　for　example；　there　is　the　madness　which　led　to　his



capture；　and　his　deliverance　by　means　of　the　purificatory　rite。　In　the



drama；　the　episodes　are　short；　but　it　is　these　that　give　extension



to　Epic　poetry。　Thus　the　story　of　the　Odyssey　can　be　stated　briefly。　A



certain　man　is　absent　from　home　for　many　years；　he　is　jealously



watched　by　Poseidon；　and　left　desolate。　Meanwhile　his　home　is　in　a



wretche