poetics-第7章

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



wretched　plight…　suitors　are　wasting　his　substance　and　plotting



against　his　son。　At　length；　tempest…tost；　he　himself　arrives；　he　makes



certain　persons　acquainted　with　him；　he　attacks　the　suitors　with　his



own　hand；　and　is　himself　preserved　while　he　destroys　them。　This　is　the



essence　of　the　plot；　the　rest　is　episode。



POETICS｜18



　　XVIII







　　Every　tragedy　falls　into　two　parts…　Complication　　and　Unraveling



or　Denouement。　Incidents　extraneous　to　the　action　are　frequently



combined　with　a　portion　of　the　action　proper；　to　form　the



Complication；　the　rest　is　the　Unraveling。　By　the　Complication　I　mean



all　that　extends　from　the　beginning　of　the　action　to　the　part　which



marks　the　turning…point　to　good　or　bad　fortune。　The　Unraveling　is　that



which　extends　from　the　beginning　of　the　change　to　the　end。　Thus；　in



the　Lynceus　of　Theodectes；　the　Complication　consists　of　the



incidents　presupposed　in　the　drama；　the　seizure　of　the　child；　and　then



again　。。。　＇the　Unraveling＇　extends　from　the　accusation　of　murder　to



the　end。



　　There　are　four　kinds　of　Tragedy：　the　Complex；　depending　entirely



on　Reversal　of　the　Situation　and　Recognition；　the　Pathetic　（where



the　motive　is　passion）…　such　as　the　tragedies　on　Ajax　and　Ixion；　the



Ethical　（where　the　motives　are　ethical）…　such　as　the　Phthiotides　and



the　Peleus。　The　fourth　kind　is　the　Simple。　＇We　here　exclude　the　purely



spectacular　element＇；　exemplified　by　the　Phorcides；　the　Prometheus；



and　scenes　laid　in　Hades。　The　poet　should　endeavor；　if　possible；　to



combine　all　poetic　elements；　or　failing　that；　the　greatest　number



and　those　the　most　important；　the　more　so；　in　face　of　the　caviling



criticism　of　the　day。　For　whereas　there　have　hitherto　been　good　poets；



each　in　his　own　branch；　the　critics　now　expect　one　man　to　surpass



all　others　in　their　several　lines　of　excellence。



　　In　speaking　of　a　tragedy　as　the　same　or　different；　the　best　test



to　take　is　the　plot。　Identity　exists　where　the　Complication　and



Unraveling　are　the　same。　Many　poets　tie　the　knot　well；　but　unravel



it　Both　arts；　however；　should　always　be　mastered。



　　Again；　the　poet　should　remember　what　has　been　often　said；　and　not



make　an　Epic　structure　into　a　tragedy…　by　an　Epic　structure　I　mean　one



with　a　multiplicity　of　plots…　as　if；　for　instance；　you　were　to　make



a　tragedy　out　of　the　entire　story　of　the　Iliad。　In　the　Epic　poem；



owing　to　its　length；　each　part　assumes　its　proper　magnitude。　In　the



drama　the　result　is　far　from　answering　to　the　poet's　expectation。



The　proof　is　that　the　poets　who　have　dramatized　the　whole　story　of　the



Fall　of　Troy；　instead　of　selecting　portions；　like　Euripides；　or　who



have　taken　the　whole　tale　of　Niobe；　and　not　a　part　of　her　story；



like　Aeschylus；　either　fail　utterly　or　meet　with　poor　success　on　the



stage。　Even　Agathon　has　been　known　to　fail　from　this　one　defect。　In



his　Reversals　of　the　Situation；　however；　he　shows　a　marvelous　skill　in



the　effort　to　hit　the　popular　taste…　to　produce　a　tragic　effect　that



satisfies　the　moral　sense。　This　effect　is　produced　when　the　clever



rogue；　like　Sisyphus；　is　outwitted；　or　the　brave　villain　defeated。



Such　an　event　is　probable　in　Agathon's　sense　of　the　word：　'is



probable；'　he　says；　'that　many　things　should　happen　contrary　to



probability。'



　　The　Chorus　too　should　be　regarded　as　one　of　the　actors；　it　should　be



an　integral　part　of　the　whole；　and　share　in　the　action；　in　the



manner　not　of　Euripides　but　of　Sophocles。　As　for　the　later　poets；



their　choral　songs　pertain　as　little　to　the　subject　of　the　piece　as　to



that　of　any　other　tragedy。　They　are；　therefore；　sung　as　mere



interludes…　a　practice　first　begun　by　Agathon。　Yet　what　difference



is　there　between　introducing　such　choral　interludes；　and



transferring　a　speech；　or　even　a　whole　act；　from　one　play　to　another。



POETICS｜19



　　XIX







　　It　remains　to　speak　of　Diction　and　Thought；　the　other　parts　of



Tragedy　having　been　already　discussed。　concerning　Thought；　we　may



assume　what　is　said　in　the　Rhetoric；　to　which　inquiry　the　subject　more



strictly　belongs。　Under　Thought　is　included　every　effect　which　has



to　be　produced　by　speech；　the　subdivisions　being：　proof　and



refutation；　the　excitation　of　the　feelings；　such　as　pity；　fear；　anger；



and　the　like；　the　suggestion　of　importance　or　its　opposite。　Now；　it　is



evident　that　the　dramatic　incidents　must　be　treated　from　the　same



points　of　view　as　the　dramatic　speeches；　when　the　object　is　to　evoke



the　sense　of　pity；　fear；　importance；　or　probability。　The　only



difference　is　that　the　incidents　should　speak　for　themselves　without



verbal　exposition；　while　effects　aimed　at　in　should　be　produced　by　the



speaker；　and　as　a　result　of　the　speech。　For　what　were　the　business



of　a　speaker；　if　the　Thought　were　revealed　quite　apart　from　what　he



says？



　　Next；　as　regards　Diction。　One　branch　of　the　inquiry　treats　of　the



Modes　of　Utterance。　But　this　province　of　knowledge　belongs　to　the



art　of　Delivery　and　to　the　masters　of　that　science。　It　includes；　for



instance…　what　is　a　command；　a　prayer；　a　statement；　a　threat；　a



question；　an　answer；　and　so　forth。　To　know　or　not　to　know　these　things



involves　no　serious　censure　upon　the　poet's　art。　For　who　can　admit　the



fault　imputed　to　Homer　by　Protagoras…　that　in　the　words；　'Sing；



goddess；　of　the　wrath；　he　gives　a　command　under　the　idea　that　he



utters　a　prayer？　For　to　tell　some　one　to　do　a　thing　or　not　to　do　it



is；　he　says；　a　command。　We　may；　therefore；　pass　this　over　as　an



inquiry　that　belongs　to　another　art；　not　to　poetry。



POETICS｜20



　　XX







　　Language　in　general　includes　the　following　parts：　Letter；



Syllable；　Connecting　Word；　Noun；　Verb；　Inflection　or　Case；　Sentence　or



Phrase。



　　A　Letter　is　an　indivisible　sound；　yet　not　every　such　sound；　but　only



one　which　can　form　part　of　a　group　of　sounds。　For　even　brutes　utter



indivisible　sounds；　none　of　which　I　call　a　letter。　The　sound　I　mean



may　be　either　a　vowel；　a　semivowel；　or　a　mute。　A　vowel　is　that　which



without　impact　of　tongue　or　lip　has　an　audible　sound。　A　semivowel　that



which　with　such　impact　has　an　audible　sound；　as　S　and　R。　A　mute；



that　which　with　such　impact　has　by　itself　no　sound；　but　joined　to　a



vowel　sound　becomes　audible；　as　G　and　D。　These　are　distinguished



according　to　the　form　assumed　by　the　mouth　and　the　place　where　they



are　produced；　according　as　they　are　aspirated　or　smooth；　long　or



short；　as　they　are　acute；　grave；　or　of　an　intermediate　tone；　which



inquiry　belongs　in　detail　to　the　writers　on　meter。



　　A　Syllable　is　a　nonsignificant　sound；　composed　of　a　mute　and　a



vowel：　for　GR　without　A　is　a　syllable；　as　also　with　A…　GRA。　But　the



investigation　of　these　differences　belongs　also　to　metrical　science。



　　A　Connecting　Word　is　a　nonsignificant　sound；　which　neither　causes



nor　hinders　the　union　of　many　sounds　into　one　significant　sound；　it



may　be　placed　at　either　end　or　in　the　middle　of　a　sentence。　Or；　a



nonsignificant　sound；　which　out　of　several　sounds；　each　of　them



significant；　is　capable　of　forming　one　significant　sound…　as　amphi；



peri；　and　the　like。　Or；　a　nonsignificant　sound；　which　marks　the



beginning；　end；　or　division　of　a　sentence；　such；　however；　that　it



cannot　correctly　stand　by　itself　at　the　beginning　of　a　sentence…　as



men；　etoi；　de。



　　A　Noun　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　not　marking　time；　of



which　no　part　is　in　itself　significant：　for　in　double　or　compound



words　we　do　not　employ　the　separate　parts　as　if　each　were　in　itself



significant。　Thus　in　Theodorus；　'god…given；'　the　doron　or　'gift'　is



not　in　itself　significant。



　　A　Verb　is　a　composite　significant　sound；　marking　time；　in　which；



as　in　the　noun；　no　part　is　in　itself　significant。　For　'man'　or　'white'



does　not　express