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,

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.

该诗模拟在hexameter韵文，喜剧，我们

会说话来世。现在让我们来讨论悲剧，恢复其

正式定义，因为造成什么已先说。

悲剧的话，那么，是一种仿制的行动是严重的，

完整的，并具有一定的规模;语言与美化

每一种艺术装饰品，几种被发现

单独部分的戏，在形式的行动，而不是叙事;

通过可惜和恐惧的影响，正确的下法这些

情绪。由语文加油添醋的， '我的意思是语言融入其中

节奏， '和谐'和宋进入。由『几种分开

零件， '我的意思是，这部分是通过提供授课

韵文，就有其他人再与援助的歌曲。

现在悲惨模仿意味的人，它必然

如下摆在首位，这壮观的设备将是一个

部分悲剧。明年，歌曲和词，因为这些都是媒体的

仿制。由'词'我的意思是，仅仅格律安排的

换句话说：对于'松' ，它是一个词，其意义上每个人的理解。

再次，悲剧是仿制的一个行动;和一项行动

意味着个人代理商，他们一定要具备某种与众不同

素质这两个性格和思想;它是由这些我们

资格行为本身，而且这些经过深思熟虑和人格都

两个自然原因，从其中春季行动，并就行动再次

所有的成败取决于。因此，阴谋是模仿

该行动是由阴谋，我在此是指安排的

事件。由性格我的意思是，在据此，我们依旧

某些质量好的代理商。思想是要求凡是

声明证明了，或者，它可能是一项普遍的真理，阐述了。

每一个悲剧，因此，必须有6个部分，其中部分确定

其素质，即情节，性格，言语，思想，眼镜，

宋。两个部分构成了中等仿制，一本

地，三手的对象模仿。这些完成

拳头。这些内容已就业，我们可以说，由诗人，一

男子;事实上，在每起载壮观的要素以及

性质，情节，词，歌，和思索。

但是，最重要的是结构的事件。为

悲剧是一个模仿，而不是男人，而是一个行动和生活方式，并

生活中的组成，在行动上，它的尽头是一个模式的行动，而不是一个

质量。现在性格决定了官兵的素质，但它是由

用自己的行动证明他们是快乐还是相反。戏剧动作，

因此，这是不以期代表性的特征：

性格进来，作为附属于行动。因此事件

和阴谋是年底悲剧;和落脚点，是行政

事情的全部。再次，如果没有行动，因此不能算是一个悲剧;

目前可能没有性格。悲剧，我们大多数现代诗人

未能在绘制的性格和诗人一般的，这是

经常如此。它是一样的绘画;这里，关键的区别

之间克什斯和波力诺塔斯。波力诺塔斯分界线性格好;

作风克什斯是空洞的道德品质。再次，如果你串

连同一组发言时表示的是品格，以及

成品的切入点，文辞与思考，你会不会产生

必不可少的悲剧效果差不多，所以也与一出戏，但

缺陷在这些方面，尚未有一个阴谋，并具有艺术

构造事件。此外，其中，世界上最强大的要素

情绪兴趣的悲剧- peripeteia或逆转了

情况，并承认场景-是部分情节。再

证据是，新手在艺术达到完成的文辞和

精确的画像，然后才能构建阴谋。它是

同时，几乎所有的早期诗人。

情节，那么，是第一个原则，而且，正如它，灵魂

一出悲剧;品格举行第二位。类似的事实是，在看到

绘画。最美丽的颜色，乃混乱，不会给

由于十分高兴，因为粉笔勾画了一个画像。因此不幸的是，

仿行动的情况，以及代理商为主，以期

行动准备。

第三，以耐人寻味的是，学院的说法是什么

尽可能和有关在特定情况而定。在案件oratory ，

这是函数的政治艺术，并以最先进的

修辞学：所以确实是老诗人，使他们的文字发言

语文的公民生活;诗人，我们这个时代，语言的

rhetoricians 。品格是，其中揭示了道德的目的，表现出

什么样的事情，一名男子选择或回避。发言中，因此，

不使这个舱单，或其中一位发言者不

选择或避免什么什么，都不会表达的性格。

思想，在另一方面，发现那里的东西，是被证明是

或不被，或一般的格言是阐述。

第四，其中列举的要素来文辞;其中我的意思是，

由于已先说，该表达的意思，在多字;

其实质是一样的，无论诗与散文。

在余下的元素宋担任首席中间

装饰

眼镜了，的确有一种情绪上的吸引力，它自己的，

但是，所有的部件，它是最没有艺术，及关连起码

与诗歌艺术。为电力的悲剧，我们可以确信，是

甚至认为，除了代表性和演员。此外，

生产的壮观效果更重要的是在于对艺术的舞台

车工，比上的诗人。