Aristotle · Complete work
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 of 26. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
ὧν δὲ δεῖ στοχάζεσθαι καὶ ἃ δεῖ εὐλαβεῖσθαι συνιστάντας τοὺς μύθους καὶ πόθεν ἔσται τὸ τῆς τραγῳδίας ἔργον,[Bekker 1452b line 30]ἐφεξῆς ἂν εἴη λεκτέον τοῖς νῦν εἰρημένοις.ἐπειδὴ οὖν δεῖ τὴν σύνθεσιν εἶναι τῆς καλλίστης τραγῳδίας μὴ ἁπλῆν ἀλλὰ πεπλεγμένην καὶ ταύτην φοβερῶν καὶ ἐλεεινῶν εἶναι μιμητικήν (τοῦτο γὰρ ἴδιον τῆς τοιαύτης μιμήσεώς ἐστιν), πρῶτον μὲν δῆλον ὅτι οὔτε τοὺς ἐπιεικεῖς ἄνδρας δεῖ[Bekker 1452b line 35]μεταβάλλοντας φαίνεσθαι ἐξ εὐτυχίας εἰς δυστυχίαν, οὐ γὰρ φοβερὸν οὐδὲ ἐλεεινὸν τοῦτο ἀλλὰ μιαρόν ἐστιν·οὔτε τοὺς μοχθηροὺς ἐξ ἀτυχίας εἰς εὐτυχίαν, ἀτραγῳδότατον γὰρ τοῦτ’ ἐστὶ πάντων, οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔχει ὧν δεῖ, οὔτε γὰρ φιλάνθρωπον[Bekker 1453a][Bekker 1453a line 1]οὔτε ἐλεεινὸν οὔτε φοβερόν ἐστιν·οὐδ’ αὖ τὸν σφόδρα πονηρὸν ἐξ εὐτυχίας εἰς δυστυχίαν μεταπίπτειν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ φιλάνθρωπον ἔχοι ἂν ἡ τοιαύτη σύστασις ἀλλ’ οὔτε ἔλεον οὔτε φόβον, ὁ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τὸν ἀνάξιόν ἐστιν δυστυχοῦντα, ὁ δὲ[Bekker 1453a line 5]περὶ τὸν ὅμοιον, ἔλεος μὲν περὶ τὸν ἀνάξιον, φόβος δὲ περὶ τὸν ὅμοιον, ὥστε οὔτε ἐλεεινὸν οὔτε φοβερὸν ἔσται τὸ συμβαῖνον.ὁ μεταξὺ ἄρα τούτων λοιπός. ἔστι δὲ τοιοῦτος ὁ μήτε ἀρετῇ διαφέρων καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ μήτε διὰ κακίαν καὶ μοχθηρίαν μεταβάλλων εἰς τὴν δυστυχίαν ἀλλὰ δι’[Bekker 1453a line 10]ἁμαρτίαν τινά, τῶν ἐν μεγάλῃ δόξῃ ὄντων καὶ εὐτυχίᾳ, οἷον Οἰδίπους καὶ Θυέστης καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων γενῶν ἐπιφανεῖς ἄνδρες.ἀνάγκη ἄρα τὸν καλῶς ἔχοντα μῦθον ἁπλοῦν εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ διπλοῦν, ὥσπερ τινές φασι, καὶ μεταβάλλειν οὐκ εἰς εὐτυχίαν ἐκ δυστυχίας ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον[Bekker 1453a line 15]ἐξ εὐτυχίας εἰς δυστυχίαν μὴ διὰ μοχθηρίαν ἀλλὰ δι’ ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην ἢ οἵου εἴρηται ἢ βελτίονος μᾶλλον ἢ χείρονος.σημεῖον δὲ καὶ τὸ γιγνόμενον· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οἱ ποιηταὶ τοὺς τυχόντας μύθους ἀπηρίθμουν, νῦν δὲ περὶ ὀλίγας οἰκίας αἱ κάλλισται τραγῳδίαι συντίθενται, οἷον[Bekker 1453a line 20]περὶ Ἀλκμέωνα καὶ Οἰδίπουν καὶ Ὀρέστην καὶ Μελέαγρον καὶ Θυέστην καὶ Τήλεφον καὶ ὅσοις ἄλλοις συμβέβηκεν ἢ παθεῖν δεινὰ ἢ ποιῆσαι.ἡ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν τέχνην καλλίστη τραγῳδία ἐκ ταύτης τῆς συστάσεώς ἐστι.διὸ καὶ οἱ Εὐριπίδῃ ἐγκαλοῦντες τὸ αὐτὸ ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὅτι τοῦτο[Bekker 1453a line 25]δρᾷ ἐν ταῖς τραγῳδίαις καὶ αἱ πολλαὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς δυστυχίαν τελευτῶσιν. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὥσπερ εἴρηται ὀρθόν·σημεῖον δὲ μέγιστον· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν σκηνῶν καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τραγικώταται αἱ τοιαῦται φαίνονται, ἂν κατορθωθῶσιν, καὶ ὁ Εὐριπίδης, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα μὴ εὖ οἰκονομεῖ, ἀλλὰ[Bekker 1453a line 30]τραγικώτατός γε τῶν ποιητῶν φαίνεται.δευτέρα δ’ ἡ πρώτη λεγομένη ὑπὸ τινῶν ἐστιν σύστασις, ἡ διπλῆν τε τὴν σύστασιν ἔχουσα καθάπερ ἡ Ὀδύσσεια καὶ τελευτῶσα ἐξ ἐναντίας τοῖς βελτίοσι καὶ χείροσιν.δοκεῖ δὲ εἶναι πρώτη διὰ τὴν τῶν θεάτρων ἀσθένειαν· ἀκολουθοῦσι γὰρ οἱ ποιηταὶ κατ’[Bekker 1453a line 35]εὐχὴν ποιοῦντες τοῖς θεαταῖς.ἔστιν δὲ οὐχ αὕτη ἀπὸ τραγῳδίας ἡδονὴ ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τῆς κωμῳδίας οἰκεία· ἐκεῖ γὰρ οἳ ἂν ἔχθιστοι ὦσιν ἐν τῷ μύθῳ, οἷον Ὀρέστης καὶ Αἴγισθος, φίλοι γενόμενοι ἐπὶ τελευτῆς ἐξέρχονται, καὶ ἀποθνῄσκει οὐδεὶς ὑπ’ οὐδενός.
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.
What one should aim at and what one should avoid in constructing plots, and from what source the effect proper to tragedy will arise,[Bekker 1452b line 30]would next, after what has now been said, have to be explained.Since, then, the structure of the finest tragedy must be not simple but complex, and must imitate events that arouse fear and pity—for this is peculiar to this kind of imitation—it is evident, first, that virtuous men should not be shown[Bekker 1452b line 35]passing from good fortune to bad; for this is neither fearful nor pitiable, but morally repugnant;nor should wicked men pass from bad fortune to good, for this is the most untragic outcome of all: it has none of the requisite qualities, since it neither appeals to human sympathy[Bekker 1453a][Bekker 1453a line 1]nor arouses pity or fear;nor, again, should an utterly depraved man fall from good fortune into bad. Such a structure might appeal to human sympathy, but it would arouse neither pity nor fear; for pity concerns one who suffers undeservedly, while fear concerns one like ourselves—[Bekker 1453a line 5]pity, then, concerns the undeserving sufferer, and fear one like ourselves—so that what happens will be neither pitiable nor fearful.There remains, therefore, the man between these extremes. Such a man is one who is distinguished neither by virtue and justice nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but through[Bekker 1453a line 10]some error; and he is one of those who enjoy great reputation and prosperity, such as Oedipus and Thyestes and the illustrious men descended from houses like theirs.A well-constructed plot, therefore, must have a single rather than a double outcome, as some maintain, and the change must be not from misfortune to good fortune, but the reverse,[Bekker 1453a line 15]from good fortune to misfortune, not through depravity but through a great error on the part of one such as has been described, or of someone better rather than worse.What actually occurs is also evidence of this. At first, poets recounted whatever plots came to hand; but now the finest tragedies are composed around a few houses—for example,[Bekker 1453a line 20]around Alcmaeon, Oedipus, Orestes, Meleager, Thyestes, Telephus, and all others to whom it has fallen either to suffer or to commit terrible deeds.The finest tragedy according to the principles of the art, then, arises from this kind of structure.Therefore those who reproach Euripides because he does this[Bekker 1453a line 25]in his tragedies and because many of them end in misfortune are themselves in error. For this, as has been said, is correct;and the strongest evidence is that, on the stage and in dramatic competitions, such tragedies, if successfully executed, appear the most tragic; and Euripides, even if he does not manage other matters well, nevertheless[Bekker 1453a line 30]appears the most tragic of the poets.Second best is the structure that some call the best: one that has a double structure, like the Odyssey, and ends with opposite outcomes for the better and the worse characters.It is thought to be best because of the weakness of theatrical audiences; for poets follow the spectators and compose[Bekker 1453a line 35]according to their wishes.But this is not the pleasure proper to tragedy; it belongs rather to comedy. There, even those who are bitterest enemies in the plot—Orestes and Aegisthus, for example—depart at the end as friends, and no one dies at anyone’s hand.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 26 Ancient Greek chapters with all 279 Bekker markers preserved.
What one should aim at and what one should avoid in constructing plots, and from what source tragedy will achieve its effect,[Bekker 1452b line 30]would be the next subject to discuss after what has now been said.Since, then, the structure of the finest tragedy must be not simple but complex, and since it must imitate fearful and pitiable events—for this is distinctive of this kind of imitation—it is clear, first, that decent men should not be shown[Bekker 1452b line 35]changing from good fortune to bad fortune, since this is neither fearful nor pitiable but morally repulsive;nor should wicked men change from bad fortune to good fortune, since this is the most untragic of all outcomes, for it has none of the qualities required: it is neither morally satisfying[Bekker 1453a][Bekker 1453a line 1]nor pitiable nor fearful;nor, again, should an extremely evil man fall from good fortune into bad fortune. Such a structure might indeed satisfy our moral sense, but it would arouse neither pity nor fear, since pity concerns someone who suffers undeservedly, while fear concerns someone like ourselves:[Bekker 1453a line 5]pity concerns the undeserving sufferer, and fear concerns someone like ourselves. Consequently, what happens will be neither pitiable nor fearful.The person between these extremes therefore remains. Such a person is one who is not outstanding in virtue and justice, and whose change to bad fortune is caused not by vice and wickedness but by[Bekker 1453a line 10]some error; he is one of those who enjoy great reputation and prosperity, such as Oedipus, Thyestes, and distinguished men from families of that kind.A well-constructed plot must therefore be single rather than double, as some say, and must involve a change not from bad fortune to good fortune but, on the contrary,[Bekker 1453a line 15]from good fortune to bad fortune, caused not by wickedness but by a great error on the part of someone of the kind described, or someone better rather than worse.What actually happens is evidence of this. At first, poets used to recount whatever plots came to hand, but now the finest tragedies are composed about a few families, such as[Bekker 1453a line 20]those of Alcmaeon, Oedipus, Orestes, Meleager, Thyestes, Telephus, and all the others who happened either to suffer terrible things or to do them.The finest tragedy according to the principles of the art, then, comes from this kind of structure.That is why those who criticize Euripides because he does this[Bekker 1453a line 25]in his tragedies and because many of them end in bad fortune make the same mistake. For this, as has been said, is correct.The strongest evidence is that, on the stage and in dramatic competitions, tragedies of this kind, if successfully executed, appear the most tragic; and Euripides, even if he does not manage other matters well, nevertheless[Bekker 1453a line 30]appears to be the most tragic of the poets.Second best is the structure that some call the best: one that has a double structure, like the Odyssey, and ends in opposite ways for the better and the worse characters.It is thought to be the best because of the weakness of theater audiences, for poets follow the spectators[Bekker 1453a line 35]and compose according to their wishes.But this is not the pleasure proper to tragedy; it belongs more properly to comedy. There, those who are the bitterest enemies in the plot, such as Orestes and Aegisthus, leave at the end after becoming friends, and no one is killed by anyone.