Corneille - Yavanika

2i6Seycnteenth- and Eightccrtth,Century F ranceto confiDe in so little tinre that not onh clo I lccorcl them thc cntire t$.entr,,four hours. but I r,ill er,cn avail n,rr.if ,f thc hbrrtr that the plrilosophergives of cxccccling thcnr a little, and \\ ill, lithout scruple, extend therrto thirtv hours. . . . I 6ld that a Nriter is ill lt ease under this constraintuhich forced scveral of our ancicnts to skirt the inpossible. . . .Nlanv speak out against this rule tvhich thev call trrannical, ancl thcvu,ould be right if it n,cre lxsecl onlv on thc authoritr of Aristotlc; but\r'hat ought to givc it general acclptance is tlre natural reason thatsupports hinr. A clrirntatic poern is an imitltion, or to cxprcss it better,a portrait of the actions of men; and, s,ithorit cloubt, portraits arc in thesane proportion rnore crccllent as ther nrore closch. rescmblc the original.Tlre pcrformancc lasts trro hours .rnd *oulcl pcrfcctii.rcscrrblc the originalif thc lction that it perfoms took no Jongcr for its realization. 1'hus, lctus bl no neans stop cither at tlelvc hours or lt tlcntr,four; but lct ustightcn up thc actiou of the plav irrto the snrallcst cluration of tirne thatnc can, in ordcr thlt thc pcrfonllncc rler. reseniblc rnore closch and bcttrorc lirr lC\ t. . . .I rcpcat $hat I saicl, urorcovcr, that lrlten lc tlkc a longcr time, likctcn hours, I uould sirrrt the eight that rnust be lost to bc spent duringthc intenlissions behvecn thc acts, lncl cach of thcur to spencl irl pnrlcionlt, lrhat the pcrfornrancc u,irstes-prinrlrilv llrcn thcrc is continuousli:rison of thc sccrrcs, bccause this liaison clocs uot pcuDit anv ernptv spacebct*,eeir tlro scencs. I altrars corsiclcr thirt thc fifth act, bv special priviicgc,has sonc right to sclucczc thc tiruc l littlc, so tlrat tlle part of the actionthat it shorrs ltal takc longcr than it lcccls for its pcrforurencc. Thc rcasonfor this is thnt thc spcctator is thcrr ilrpeticnt to scc thc encl ancl, I.henit dcpcncls orr actors ulro hlve lcft the stlgc, all thc dialogue tllet oncgivcs to those rvho reuurin tlrerc uaitilg for tlreir ncss oulv makcs it flirgrtrd.ccrrr lo.trrrd slill Nill,,)Il r, trnlr... .As for unih of p1acc, I clr not 6ncl arrr snch rulc cither in Aristotle orirr Ilorace.'lhis is nhat lcacls sor'. I,, hclirvc tlrrt lhr rLrlc rr.ts establishedonl\ bccausc of thc uniti of timc ancl to persrr:Lcle thcrnsclres, accordinglv,that onc cln extctrd it as flr ls ti ltan can go ancl rcttrrr irr tlentl'l'hisfour hours.opinion is a littlc frcc, ancl if orre rrraclc arr actor go bl co:rch, tlrc tlosicles of thc stagc could rcprcscnt Paris :rncl Roucn. I t,ish, in order notto put thc spcct:rtor out rt iLll, tllat $hat is ltcrfomrccl for him in t$ohotrs night be lble to happerr in fact iu tuo hours ancl that uliat onchls lrin scc ori :r strgc that clocs not clrangc rt.rll rniqht bc confincd to onebechoonr or onc clrlling roonr. irccorcling to tlrc choice that is made for it;but oftcn that is so clifFcrrlt, not to sar irnpossiblc, that one nust find somcfrccclom fol thc placc its onc docs for thc timr:. . .I rl:rirrtlin, tlrcn, th:rt onc ulust sc.rrch for this cxrct ulitr, ls far aspossiblc; but, as it docs not aclapi itsclf to all sorts of subjccts, I shouldverl l illingh concc