Aristotle Poetics - Harvey.binghamton.edu

Aristotle Poetics 22
things or not, his art as a poet is never seriously criticized on that account. What fault can
one see in Homer’s “Sing of the wrath, Goddess”—which Protagoras has criticized as
being a command where a prayer was meant, since to bid one do or not do, he tells us, is
a command. Let us pass over this, then, as appertaining to another art, and not to that of
poetry.
[Sections 20–25 we shall not be reading.]
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20
30
The question may be raised whether the epic or the tragic is the higher form of imitation.
It may be argued that, if the less vulgar is the higher, and the less vulgar is always that
which addresses the better public, an art addressing any and every one is of a very vulgar
order. 84 It is a belief that their public cannot see the meaning, unless they add something
themselves, that causes the perpetual movements of the performers—bad pipe-players,
for instance, rolling about, if discus-throwing is to be represented, or mauling the chorus
leader (koruphaios), if Scylla is the subject of the piece. 85 Tragedy, then, is said to be an
art of this order—to be in fact just what the later actors were in the eyes of their predecessors.
For Myrmiscus used to call Callippides “the ape” because (he thought) Callippides
overacted his parts; and a similar view was taken of Pindar also. All tragedy, however, is
said to stand to the epic as the newer to the older school of actors. The former, accordingly,
is said to address a cultivated audience, which does not need the accompaniment of
gesture; the latter, an uncultivated one. If, therefore, tragedy is a vulgar art, it must clearly
be lower than the epic. 86
The answer to this is twofold. In the first place, one may urge (1) that the censure does
not touch the art of the dramatic poet, but only that of his interpreter. For it is quite possible
to overdo the gesturing even in an epic recital, as did Sosistratus, and in a singing
contest, as did Mnasitheus of Opus. (2) That one should not condemn all movement,
unless one means to condemn even the dance, but only that of ignoble people—which is
the point of the criticism passed on Callippides and in the present day on others, that their
women do not resemble reputable women. (3) That tragedy may produce its effect even
without movement or action in just the same way as Epic poetry. For from the mere reading
of a play its quality may be seen. So that, if it be superior in all other respects, this
element of inferiority is not a necessary part of it.
In the second place, one must remember (1) that tragedy has everything that the epic has
(even the epic meter being admissible), together with a not inconsiderable addition in the
shape of the music (a very real factor in the pleasure of the drama) and the spectacle. (2)
84 Aristotle defends tragedy against the charge that it is more vulgar than epic.
Athenian tragedy could be open to that charge because it was designed for performance
before a mass audience. Epic too was performed before mass audiences at Athens, though
less often than drama.
85 Timotheus’ Scylla is a dithyramb (above note 4) concerning the monster Scylla,
who devoured some of Odysseus’ crew.
86 It was typical in ancient Greece to regard the older as better than the newer.