Aristotle · Complete work
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of 26. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
ἔστι δὲ περιπέτεια μὲν ἡ εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον τῶν πραττομένων μεταβολὴ καθάπερ εἴρηται, καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ὥσπερ λέγομεν κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἢ ἀναγκαῖον,οἷον ἐν τῷ ́[Bekker 1452a line 25]Οἰδιποδι ἐλθὼν ὡς εὐφρανῶν τὸν Οἰδίπουν καὶ ἀπαλλάξων τοῦ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα φόβου, δηλώσας ὃς ἦν, τοὐναντίον ἐποίησεν·καὶ ἐν τῷ Λυγκεῖ ὁ μὲν ἀγόμενος ὡς ἀποθανούμενος, ὁ δὲ Δαναὸς ἀκολουθῶν ὡς ἀποκτενῶν, τὸν μὲν συνέβη ἐκ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἀποθανεῖν, τὸν δὲ σωθῆναι.ἀναγνώρισις[Bekker 1452a line 30]δέ, ὥσπερ καὶ τοὔνομα σημαίνει, ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς γνῶσιν μεταβολή, ἢ εἰς φιλίαν ἢ εἰς ἔχθραν, τῶν πρὸς εὐτυχίαν ἢ δυστυχίαν ὡρισμένων·καλλίστη δὲ ἀναγνώρισις, ὅταν ἅμα περιπετείᾳ γένηται, οἷον ἔχει ἡ ἐν τῷ Οἰδίποδι.εἰσὶν μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλαι ἀναγνωρίσεις· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς ἄψυχα καὶ τὰ[Bekker 1452a line 35]τυχόντα † ἐστὶν ὥσπερ εἴρηται συμβαίνει † καὶ εἰ πέπραγέ τις ἢ μὴ πέπραγεν ἔστιν ἀναγνωρίσαι.ἀλλ’ ἡ μάλιστα τοῦ μύθου καὶ ἡ μάλιστα τῆς πράξεως ἡ εἰρημένη ἐστίν· ἡ γὰρ τοιαύτη ἀναγνώρισις καὶ περιπέτεια ἢ ἔλεον ἕξει[Bekker 1452b][Bekker 1452b line 1]ἢ φόβον (οἵων πράξεων ἡ τραγῳδία μίμησις ὑπόκειται), ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ ἀτυχεῖν καὶ τὸ εὐτυχεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων συμβήσεται.ἐπεὶ δὴ ἡ ἀναγνώρισις τινῶν ἐστιν ἀναγνώρισις, αἱ μέν εἰσι θατέρου πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον μόνον, ὅταν ᾖ δῆλος ἅτερος[Bekker 1452b line 5]τίς ἐστιν, ὁτὲ δὲ ἀμφοτέρους δεῖ ἀναγνωρίσαι, οἷον ἡ μὲν Ἰφιγένεια τῷ Ὀρέστῃ ἀνεγνωρίσθη ἐκ τῆς πέμψεως τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ἐκείνου δὲ πρὸς τὴν Ἰφιγένειαν ἄλλης ἔδει ἀναγνωρίσεως.δύο μὲν οὖν τοῦ μύθου μέρη ταῦτ’ ἐστί, περιπέτεια[Bekker 1452b line 10]καὶ ἀναγνώρισις· τρίτον δὲ πάθος. τούτων δὲ περιπέτεια μὲν καὶ ἀναγνώρισις εἴρηται,πάθος δέ ἐστι πρᾶξις φθαρτικὴ ἢ ὀδυνηρά, οἷον οἵ τε ἐν τῷ φανερῷ θάνατοι καὶ αἱ περιωδυνίαι καὶ τρώσεις καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 26 Ancient Greek chapters with all 279 Bekker markers preserved for fidelity, technical precision, clarity, and structure.
A reversal is a change by which the action turns into its opposite, as has been said; and this, as we maintain, must occur according to probability or necessity.For example, in the[Bekker 1452a line 25]Oedipus, the messenger comes intending to cheer Oedipus and free him from his fear concerning his mother, but by revealing who Oedipus was, he produces the opposite effect.And in the Lynceus, Lynceus is being led away to die, while Danaus follows to kill him; but as a result of what has happened, it comes about that Danaus dies and Lynceus is saved.Recognition,[Bekker 1452a line 30]as the name itself indicates, is a change from ignorance to knowledge, leading either to friendship or to enmity among persons destined for good or bad fortune.The finest recognition is that which occurs simultaneously with reversal, as does the recognition in the Oedipus.There are, of course, other kinds of recognition; for, as has been said, recognition can occur in relation to inanimate objects and things of[Bekker 1452a line 35]any sort, and it is possible to recognize whether someone has or has not done something.But the recognition most integral to the plot and most integral to the action is the one described above; for such recognition and reversal will produce either pity[Bekker 1452b][Bekker 1452b line 1]or fear—the kinds of actions of which tragedy is assumed to be an imitation—since both bad and good fortune will also result from such events.Since recognition is the recognition of certain persons, some recognitions involve only one person recognizing the other, when it is already clear who the other[Bekker 1452b line 5]is; but at other times both must recognize each other. Thus Iphigenia is recognized by Orestes through the sending of the letter, but another recognition is required for Orestes to be recognized by Iphigenia.Two parts of the plot, then, are these: reversal[Bekker 1452b line 10]and recognition. A third is suffering. Reversal and recognition have now been discussed;suffering is an action that causes destruction or pain, such as deaths in full view, agonies, woundings, and things of that kind.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 26 Ancient Greek chapters with all 279 Bekker markers preserved.
A reversal is a change by which the action turns into its opposite, as has been stated, and this too, as we say, must occur according to probability or necessity.For example, in the[Bekker 1452a line 25]Oedipus, the messenger comes intending to cheer Oedipus and free him from his fear concerning his mother, but by revealing who Oedipus was, he produces the opposite result.And in the Lynceus, Lynceus is being led away to die, while Danaus follows intending to kill him; but as a result of what has happened, Danaus dies and Lynceus is saved.Recognition[Bekker 1452a line 30]is, as the name itself indicates, a change from ignorance to knowledge, leading either to friendship or to enmity among people destined for good or bad fortune.The finest recognition is one that occurs together with a reversal, as does the recognition in the Oedipus.There are, then, other kinds of recognition as well. Recognition can occur even in relation to inanimate and[Bekker 1452a line 35]chance things, † as has been stated †, and it is also possible to recognize whether someone has or has not done something.But the recognition most integral to the plot and most integral to the action is the one just described; for a recognition and reversal of this kind will produce either pity[Bekker 1452b][Bekker 1452b line 1]or fear—the kinds of actions of which tragedy is assumed to be an imitation—since both bad fortune and good fortune will arise from such events.Since recognition is recognition between certain people, some recognitions involve only one person recognizing the other, when it is already clear who the other person[Bekker 1452b line 5]is; but sometimes both must recognize each other. For example, Iphigenia was recognized by Orestes through her sending of the letter, but another recognition was needed for Orestes to be recognized by Iphigenia.Two parts of the plot, then, are these: reversal[Bekker 1452b line 10]and recognition. A third is suffering. Reversal and recognition have now been discussed.Suffering is a destructive or painful action, such as deaths in full view, extreme agonies, woundings, and things of that kind.