146 Renaissance Italy pcrmit the presentation of thc rvhole of a singlc complete action, if the action is quite long. And this is thc principal <strong>and</strong> essential reason rvhY thc plot of trigedy <strong>and</strong> comedv urust be single, i.e., it nttst contain onlv one action concerning one Pcnon, or ts'o regarded as one because of their intcrdepcndcncr . . . . Thc plot of ftragedv <strong>and</strong> the cpic] nust contain action \\'hich is not onl,v hunar but also magnificent <strong>and</strong> ro1al. And if it is to contain action bv a mcmber of the rovaltr', it fol'lorvs that the plot nust contain action wfiich definitclr, occurcd lrrld utich involves a king who has lived <strong>and</strong> uho is knorr,n to have lived. . . .'lherefore, ihe plots of all tragedics <strong>and</strong> all cpics are <strong>and</strong> nust bc madc up of mishaps rvhich can be callcd historical' aithough for so c reason Aristotle had a cliffercnt opinion . .i But these happenings Drust not bc revealed bv means of histon or reDown, cxcePt bricflv <strong>and</strong> gencrallr, so that the Poct can exercise his function <strong>and</strong> shorv his talent in finding thc tavs <strong>and</strong> particular nethods of dranatizing the abor,c-mcntioncd situations.. .. \\/e arc rvilling to adnit thc possibilit-v that it is casier to make thc ,9plot of a tragedr ancl arr cpic than of a courcdt, bccause !l the plots o-f t7'J , the first as hc does c l ,rt poets spccia) trlcut to struciurC of conr.ch lrt in r trting thhg, <strong>and</strong> becatrse actual events or historv have no Part in it, thc Poet can even assign \\llatcver Dalres he u'ishes to his cb'lrar:tcrs He can do this u'ithout oficnse, atrcl uithin rcason he mltst do it. IIe can design a happening cntirelv invcntecl br hirnself fhereforc, it must be a situatioir- dealilrg lith privirtc pcrsons of ltich no one rencrnbcrs either the incidcnt or the pcoplc involr'cd, sincc ther have trot bccn preservccl for posteritv as histor! or rcllowll. . In orcler that thc plot rrav be beautiful, the sixth csscntial rcquire nent is that it be astonishing Earlier tlc explaincd uhile defining tragcdv that it is not onlv a rePrcscntatiolr of an action that is magnificent, completc, ctc., but also a rcPrcserltation of terror-causing <strong>and</strong> contpassion-nraking ihings. Ancl since these terror'causing <strong>and</strong> cotnpassion-nlaking things are fundan.rentalh terror causing <strong>and</strong> cornpassion making through the emplovnrcnt of the astonishing, one should not otlit saling that the astonishing gcneratcs :rnd increascs tcrror lncl cornPassiolr. lhis rvill not givc us a cornplctc unclerst<strong>and</strong>ing of $hat scares us ancl $hat fills us $ith cornPassion' Thc esscntial clerDents of thc action or of the plot of tragedv are terror . lld c0nDassiolr. , . .$ ,- It is the Poet's The objectiue. ol-tragedg-q- of the plot of trag{ll '- is h:rppines- or 1':: t3$::.. brrt nur (\elt kind .,f lr'rppirrcs' or \adrr(\' \\ tr-rrruil lot ton sPccial talcnt to structure thc Plot ot conle(\' D! rnvcDrrng the gencral <strong>and</strong> particular aspccts of a situatioll llecause he invcnts evcn' :rScc Poelics, chap. 9 [trer]sl:rtor's notc]. r fuse the happy or sad conc are the objectives of com{ happy conclusion of hage cr49l_rf_$ll-ol-!fuloi or frour the loss of kinship sists in <strong>and</strong> restricts itself death or of a sorrowful arc its propcr goals. . . . The purpose of but neithcr that same suitablc for tragedy. For corcealment of some the consists in <strong>and</strong> restricts of sornc disgrace or unrecluited love, etc. And . . . The characters of of tragedv are roval <strong>and</strong> what thev u'ant. If do not appeal to the Nor do thcy endure own h<strong>and</strong>s, following <strong>and</strong> relatives; in but somctimes even considercd to be the ful cnough to revenge upon others is never to their property. marriage or through perpetual marriage <strong>and</strong> that if they are to happiness, or at least happiness by escaping into misery or disgnce But the characten the courts. They live appeal to officials to their self-respect or into their own h<strong>and</strong>s selves or othen for their condition is
Lodoyico Castelyetr
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