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poetics-第5章

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mother her son; a son his mother; or any other deed of the kind is



done… these are the situations to be looked for by the poet。 He may



not indeed destroy the framework of the received legends… the fact;



for instance; that Clytemnestra was slain by Orestes and Eriphyle by



Alcmaeon… but he ought to show of his own; and skilfully handle the



traditional。 material。 Let us explain more clearly what is meant by



skilful handling。



  The action may be done consciously and with knowledge of the



persons; in the manner of the older poets。 It is thus too that



Euripides makes Medea slay her children。 Or; again; the deed of horror



may be done; but done  in ignorance; and the tie of kinship or



friendship be discovered afterwards。 The Oedipus of Sophocles is an



example。 Here; indeed; the incident is outside the drama proper; but



cases occur where it falls within the action of the play: one may cite



the Alcmaeon of Astydamas; or Telegonus in the Wounded Odysseus。



Again; there is a third case… 'to be about to act with knowledge of



the persons and then not to act。 The fourth case' is when some one



is about to do an irreparable deed through ignorance; and makes the



discovery before it is done。 These are the only possible ways。 For the



deed must either be done  or not done… and that wittingly or



unwittingly。 But of all these ways; to be about to act knowing the



persons; and then not to act; is the worst。 It is shocking without



being tragic; for no disaster follows It is; therefore; never; or very



rarely; found in poetry。 One instance; however; is in the Antigone;



where Haemon threatens to kill Creon。 The next and better way is



that the deed should be perpetrated。 Still better; that it should be



perpetrated in ignorance; and the discovery made afterwards。 There



is then nothing to shock us; while the discovery produces a



startling effect。 The last case is the best; as when in the



Cresphontes Merope is about to slay her son; but; recognizing who he



is; spares his life。 So in the Iphigenia; the sister recognizes the



brother just in time。 Again in the Helle; the son recognizes the



mother when on the point of giving her up。 This; then; is why a few



families only; as has been already observed; furnish the subjects of



tragedy。 It was not art; but happy chance; that led the poets in



search of subjects to impress the tragic quality upon their plots。



They are compelled; therefore; to have recourse to those houses



whose history contains moving incidents like these。



  Enough has now been said concerning the structure of the



incidents; and the right kind of plot。



POETICS|15



  XV







  In respect of Character there are four things to be aimed at。 First;



and most important; it must be good。 Now any speech or action that



manifests moral purpose of any kind will be expressive of character:



the character will be good if the purpose is good。 This rule is



relative to each class。 Even a woman may be good; and also a slave;



though the woman may be said to be an inferior being; and the slave



quite worthless。 The second thing to aim at is propriety。 There is a



type of manly valor; but valor in a woman; or unscrupulous



cleverness is inappropriate。 Thirdly; character must be true to



life: for this is a distinct thing from goodness and propriety; as



here described。 The fourth point is consistency: for though the



subject of the imitation; who suggested the type; be inconsistent;



still he must be consistently inconsistent。 As an example of



motiveless degradation of character; we have Menelaus in the



Orestes; of character indecorous and inappropriate; the lament of



Odysseus in the Scylla; and the speech of Melanippe; of inconsistency;



the Iphigenia at Aulis… for Iphigenia the suppliant in no way



resembles her later self。



  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 re
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