Aristotle · Complete work
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of 26. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[Bekker 1448a][Bekker 1448a line 1]ἐπεὶ δὲ μιμοῦνται οἱ μιμούμενοι πράττοντας, ἀνάγκη δὲ τούτους ἢ σπουδαίους ἢ φαύλους εἶναι (τὰ γὰρ ἤθη σχεδὸν ἀεὶ τούτοις ἀκολουθεῖ μόνοις, κακίᾳ γὰρ καὶ ἀρετῇ τὰ ἤθη διαφέρουσι πάντες), ἤτοι βελτίονας ἢ καθ’ ἡμᾶς ἢ χείρονας[Bekker 1448a line 5]ἢ καὶ τοιούτους, ὥσπερ οἱ γραφεῖς·Πολύγνωτος μὲν γὰρ κρείττους, Παύσων δὲ χείρους, Διονύσιος δὲ ὁμοίους εἴκαζεν.δῆλον δὲ ὅτι καὶ τῶν λεχθεισῶν ἑκάστη μιμήσεων ἕξει ταύτας τὰς διαφορὰς καὶ ἔσται ἑτέρα τῷ ἕτερα μιμεῖσθαι τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον.καὶ γὰρ ἐν ὀρχήσει καὶ αὐλήσει καὶ[Bekker 1448a line 10]κιθαρίσει ἔστι γενέσθαι ταύτας τὰς ἀνομοιότητας,καὶ περὶ τοὺς λόγους δὲ καὶ τὴν ψιλομετρίαν, οἷον Ὅμηρος μὲν βελτίους, Κλεοφῶν δὲ ὁμοίους, Ἡγήμων δὲ ὁ Θάσιος ὁ τὰς παρῳδίας ποιήσας πρῶτος καὶ Νικοχάρης ὁ τὴν Δειλιάδα χείρους·ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τοὺς διθυράμβους καὶ περὶ τοὺς[Bekker 1448a line 15]νόμους, ὥσπερ † γᾶς † Κύκλωπας Τιμόθεος καὶ Φιλόξενος μιμήσαιτο ἄν τις.ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ διαφορᾷ καὶ ἡ τραγῳδία πρὸς τὴν κωμῳδίαν διέστηκεν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ χείρους ἡ δὲ βελτίους μιμεῖσθαι βούλεται τῶν νῦν.
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.
[Bekker 1448a][Bekker 1448a line 1]Since those who imitate imitate people in action, and since these people must be either morally serious or morally base—for characters almost always conform to these distinctions alone, since all people differ in character through vice and virtue—they must represent people either as better than we are, or worse,[Bekker 1448a line 5]or such as we are, just as painters do.
Polygnotus portrayed people as better, Pauson as worse, and Dionysius as like ourselves.
It is clear that each of the imitative arts already mentioned will also exhibit these differences, and will be distinct by imitating different objects in this way.
For these dissimilarities can occur in dancing, flute-playing, and[Bekker 1448a line 10]lyre-playing,
and also in prose and unaccompanied verse. Thus Homer represents people as better, Cleophon as like ourselves, while Hegemon of Thasos, the first writer of parodies, and Nicochares, the author of the Deiliad, represent them as worse.
The same is true of dithyrambs and[Bekker 1448a line 15]nomes, as Timotheus and Philoxenus might represent the †earth’s† Cyclopes.
It is through this very difference that tragedy is distinguished from comedy: the latter seeks to imitate people as worse than those of the present day, the former as better.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 26 Ancient Greek chapters with all 279 Bekker markers preserved.
[Bekker 1448a][Bekker 1448a line 1]Since those who imitate imitate people in action, and since these people must be either admirable or inferior—for characters almost always conform to these two categories alone, since everyone differs in character through vice and virtue—they must be represented either as better than we are, or worse,[Bekker 1448a line 5]or just like us, as painters do.
Polygnotus portrayed people as better, Pauson as worse, and Dionysius as like us.
It is clear that each of the imitations mentioned will also have these differences and will be different by imitating different objects in this way.
For these dissimilarities can occur in dancing, flute playing, and[Bekker 1448a line 10]lyre playing, as well as in language and unaccompanied verse. Homer, for example, represents people as better than we are; Cleophon as like us; and Hegemon of Thasos, who was the first to compose parodies, and Nicochares, the author of the Deiliad, as worse.
The same is true of dithyrambs and[Bekker 1448a line 15]nomes, as one might imitate †earth† and Cyclopes, as Timotheus and Philoxenus did.
It is through this very difference that tragedy is distinguished from comedy: comedy aims to imitate people worse than those of the present day, while tragedy aims to imitate people better.