Aristotle · Complete work
Chapter 3
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ἔτι δὲ τούτων τρίτη διαφορὰ τὸ ὡς ἕκαστα τούτων[Bekker 1448a line 20]μιμήσαιτο ἄν τις.καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μιμεῖσθαι ἔστιν ὁτὲ μὲν ἀπαγγέλλοντα, ἢ ἕτερόν τι γιγνόμενον ὥσπερ Ὅμηρος ποιεῖ ἢ ὡς τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ μεταβάλλοντα, ἢ πάντας ὡς πράττοντας καὶ ἐνεργοῦντας † τοὺς μιμουμένους †.ἐν τρισὶ δὴ ταύταις διαφοραῖς ἡ μίμησίς ἐστιν,[Bekker 1448a line 25]ὡς εἴπομεν κατ’ ἀρχάς, ἐν οἷς τε καὶ ἃ καὶ ὥς.ὥστε τῇ μὲν ὁ αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη μιμητὴς Ὁμήρῳ Σοφοκλῆς, μιμοῦνται γὰρ ἄμφω σπουδαίους, τῇ δὲ Ἀριστοφάνει, πράττοντας γὰρ μιμοῦνται καὶ δρῶντας ἄμφω. ὅθεν καὶ δράματα καλεῖσθαί τινες αὐτά φασιν, ὅτι μιμοῦνται δρῶντας.διὸ καὶ[Bekker 1448a line 30]ἀντιποιοῦνται τῆς τε τραγῳδίας καὶ τῆς κωμῳδίας οἱ Δωριεῖς (τῆς μὲν γὰρ κωμῳδίας οἱ Μεγαρεῖς οἵ τε ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς παρ’ αὐτοῖς δημοκρατίας γενομένης καὶ οἱ ἐκ Σικελίας, ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἦν Ἐπίχαρμος ὁ ποιητὴς πολλῷ πρότερος ὢν Χιωνίδου καὶ Μάγνητος· καὶ τῆς τραγῳδίας ἔνιοι[Bekker 1448a line 35]τῶν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ) ποιούμενοι τὰ ὀνόματα σημεῖον·αὐτοὶ μὲν γὰρ κώμας τὰς περιοικίδας καλεῖν φασιν, Ἀθηναίους δὲ δήμους, ὡς κωμῳδοὺς οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ κωμάζειν λεχθέντας ἀλλὰ τῇ κατὰ κώμας πλάνῃ ἀτιμαζομένους ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεως·[Bekker 1448b][Bekker 1448b line 1]καὶ τὸ ποιεῖν αὐτοὶ μὲν δρᾶν, Ἀθηναίους δὲ πράττειν προσαγορεύειν.περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν διαφορῶν καὶ πόσαι καὶ τίνες τῆς μιμήσεως εἰρήσθω ταῦτα.
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.
There is still a third difference among these arts: the manner in which one might imitate each of these objects.[Bekker 1448a line 20]For it is possible, using the same media and imitating the same objects, either to narrate—sometimes becoming another person, as Homer does, or speaking in one’s own person without changing—or to present all †those who imitate† as acting and engaged in action.
Imitation, then, consists in these three differences,[Bekker 1448a line 25]as we said at the beginning: the medium, the objects, and the manner.
Thus in one respect Sophocles would be the same kind of imitator as Homer, since both imitate morally serious people; but in another respect he would be the same as Aristophanes, since both imitate people acting and doing. Hence, some say, these works are called dramas, because they imitate people doing things.
For this reason[Bekker 1448a line 30]the Dorians lay claim to both tragedy and comedy—the Megarians here claim comedy, saying that it arose under the democracy established among them, as do the Megarians of Sicily, since the poet Epicharmus came from there and lived much earlier than Chionides and Magnes; and some of the Dorians[Bekker 1448a line 35]in the Peloponnese claim tragedy—making the words themselves their evidence.
They say that they call the outlying villages kōmai, whereas the Athenians call them dēmoi, and that comic performers were called kōmōdoi not from kōmazein, “to revel,” but because, being dishonored and driven from the city, they wandered from village to village.
[Bekker 1448b][Bekker 1448b line 1]They also say that they themselves use dran for “to do,” whereas the Athenians use prattein.
Let this suffice, then, concerning the differences in imitation, both how many there are and what they are.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 26 Ancient Greek chapters with all 279 Bekker markers preserved.
There is also a third difference among these arts: the manner in which someone might[Bekker 1448a line 20]imitate each of these objects.
For it is possible to imitate the same objects by the same means sometimes by narrating, either becoming someone else, as Homer does, or remaining oneself without changing, or by presenting all †the imitators† as acting and engaged in action.
Imitation, then, involves these three differences,[Bekker 1448a line 25]as we said at the beginning: the means, the objects, and the manner.
Thus, in one respect Sophocles would be the same kind of imitator as Homer, since both imitate admirable people, but in another respect he would be the same kind as Aristophanes, since both imitate people acting and doing things. This is also why some say these works are called dramas: because they imitate people doing things.
For this reason,[Bekker 1448a line 30]the Dorians lay claim to both tragedy and comedy. Comedy is claimed by the Megarians—both those here, who say that it arose during their democracy, and those from Sicily, since the poet Epicharmus came from there and lived much earlier than Chionides and Magnes. Tragedy is also claimed by some[Bekker 1448a line 35]of the Dorians in the Peloponnese. They offer the words themselves as evidence.
They say that they call the outlying villages kōmai, while the Athenians call them dēmoi, implying that comic performers were called kōmōdoi not from kōmazein, “to revel,” but because, being excluded in disgrace from the city, they wandered from village to village.[Bekker 1448b][Bekker 1448b line 1]They also say that they use dran for “to do,” while the Athenians use prattein.
Let this, then, suffice concerning the differences in imitation, both how many there are and what they are.