Which situations does Poetics XIV (Butcher) say work best for pity and fear: acts among kin, and acting knowingly or in ignorance and then recognising?
XIV says the tragic incident should occur between those 'near or dear' to one another (brother, son, mother), because an enemy killing an enemy, or indifferent persons, excite no pity beyond the suffering itself. For the deed itself the text lists four ways, by whether the persons are known and whether the deed is done: (1) done knowingly (Medea); (2) done in ignorance and discovered afterwards (Oedipus; Alcmaeon of Astydamas; Telegonus); (3) about to act knowingly and then not acting (Haemon and Creon in Antigone); (4) about to act through ignorance and recognising before the deed (Merope in Cresphontes; Iphigenia; Helle). Ranking in the text: the third is worst ('shocking without being tragic', no disaster follows); then the deed perpetrated; still better, in ignorance with discovery afterwards; best, discovery just before. The poet may not destroy the received legends but should show invention. Classical theory (Aristotle in S. H. Butcher's translation); anything labelled agent s...
Structured fields
{
"citations": [
{
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1974/pg1974.txt",
"note": "XIV"
}
]
}Evidence claims
- [sourced_fact] XIV says the tragic incident should occur between those 'near or dear' to one another (brother, son, mother), because an enemy killing an enemy, or indifferent persons, excite no pity beyond the suffering itself. For the deed itself the text lists four ways, by whether the persons are known and whether the deed is done: (1) done knowingly (Medea); (2) done in ignorance and discovered afterwards (Oedipus; Alcmaeon of Astydamas; Telegonus); (3) about to act knowingly and then not acting (Haemon and Creon in Antigone); (4) about to act through ignorance and recognising before the deed (Merope in Cresphontes; Iphigenia; Helle). Ranking in the text: the third is worst ('shocking without being tragic', no disaster follows); then the deed perpetrated; still better, in ignorance with discovery afterwards; best, discovery just before. The poet may not destroy the received legends but should show invention. Classical theory (Aristotle in S. H. Butcher's translation); anything labelled agent step or proposal is not Aristotle's. · locator: XIV source
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