Imatges de pàgina
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enquiries, Let us confider tragedy under those heads to which Ariftotle's rules may be reduced; viz. the fubject, characters, fentiments, and language. I fhall begin with the fubject, or fable.

That celebrated Grecian critic defines tragedy to be an imitation of an action that is grave, entire, and hath a just length; the ftile of which is agreeable and diversified, and which, without the assistance of narration, by means of compaffion and terror perfectly refines in us all forts of paffions.

The most important part of tragedy, according to the fame critic, is the fable, or the compofition of things: for tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of their actions, lives, good or ill for tune; all which confift in action; and

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the end is not a quality, but an action. Now we have fuch or fuch qualities by our manners, but we are happy or miferable by our actions. Tragedy then does not endeavour to imitate manners, but adds them by reafon of the actions; fo that actions and fable are the end of tragedy *.

An action is entire which hath a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is that which neceffarily fuppofes nothing to be before it, and requires after it fomething elfe, which is or ought to be. The end is juft contrary; for it requires nothing after it, but neceffarily fupposes fomething which precedes it. The middle is that which fuppofes fomething which ought to precede it, and

*Arift. Poet. ch. vi.

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requires fomething which ought to fal low. This is Ariftotle's definition of a complete action, and it agrees with Plato's; the maxim is drawn from nature and the practice of the antients: that critic regarded Oedipus as the finest fubject for tragedy the wit of man ever thought of. Let us take a view of the fable. The scene opens with a sacrifice which a great number of Thebans are making in the court of Oedipus's palace. That prince enters, and to comfort the people, tells them that he had fent Creon a long time ago to enquire of Apollo's oracle at Delphos, the means of making the devouring peftilence cease, upon which Creon arrives and relates what the oracle had faid, Oedipus fends for Tirefias to explain it. The prophet at first refufed to do it; but provoked at laft by the fevere carriage of Oedipus,

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he accufes him of the murder of Laius. Oedipus imagines that it was Creon made him do this: Creon complains of this injuftice, fo the two princes. quarrel. Jocasta comes in to appease them, and endeavours to remove the uneafinefs, which the reproach that was caft on Oedipus gave him; but all that the faid ferved only to augment his trouble! A meffenger enters from Corinth, who brought the news of the death of king Polybius, who was thought to be his fa ther; and to remove fome fears which he had upon account of his fuppofed defiling his father's bed, he tells him, that the king and queen of Corinth were not his parents. He was refolved to know the matter thoroughly, and enquires of the shepherd, who alone was able to give him a perfect account of his misfortunes: the fhepherd leaves him no room

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to doubt of all his crimes, and then he punishes himself. This is the entire plan of the Oedipus, even with the episodes. There is nothing in it but what may be seen at once, and which the memory may easily retain *.

This is the principal of the three unities about which critics are of fo many different opinions. The unity of time is alfo of great importance with fome critics; but this is not so perfectly settled

The happiest of all fubjects for tragedy, if fuch a one could be invented, would be where a man of integrity falls into a great misfortune by doing an innocent action, but which by fome fin gular means he conceives to be criminal. His remorfe aggravates his diftrefs; and our compaffion, unrestrained by indignation, rifes to its highest pitch. Pity becomes thus to be the ruling paffion of a pathetic tragedy; and by proper reprefenration, may be raised to a height fcarce exceeded by any thing felt in real life.

Elements of Criticifin, vol. iii. p. 228.

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