Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/349

 AKISTOTLE'S TliEATlSE ON TOETKY. 323 one or the other of these new species. The lujliter sort, instead of Iambic, became Comic poets; the graver, Tragic, instead of Heroic: and that on account of the superior dignity and higher estimation of these xXteY forms {crxVf^f^To) of Poetry. Whether Tragedy has now, with respect to its constituent parts, received the utmost improvement of which it is caj^able, considered both in itself, and relatively to the theatre, is a question that belongs not to this place. Both Tragedy, hov/ever, and Comedy, having originated in a rude and unpremeditated manner — the first from the leaders in the Dithijr- amhic hymns, the other from those who led off the Phallic songs, which, in many cities, remain still in use — each advanced gradually towards perfection by successive improvements, as it successively manifested itself (Kara jUKpov 7]v$'i]0y], TrpoayovTOJV ocrov iycyvero cjiavepov a^Jr^?). Tragedy, after various changes (iroWds yu-era/JcAas /JL€Ta/3aXo£(Ta rj rpaywSta), reposed at length in the completion of its proper form. JEschylus first added a second actor : he also abridged the chorus, and made the dialogue the principal part of Tragedy. Sophocles increased the number of actors to three, and added the decoration of painted scenery. It was also late before Tragedy threw aside the short and .simple fable, and ludicrous language of its satyric origin, and attained its proper magnitude and dignity. The Iambic measure was then first adopted : for, originally, the Trochaic tetrameter was made use of, on account of the satyric and saltatorial genius of the poem at that time (8ta TO (TarvpiKrjv koX 6p)(r]ijriKiiiT€.pav eXvox ttjv Trotrja-Lv) : but when the dialogue was formed, nature itself pointed out the proper metre. For the iambic is, of all metres, the most colloquial (/xaAto-ra yap X^ktlkov icTTi) : as appears evidently from this fact, that our common conversation frequently falls into iambic verse ; seldom into hexameter, and only vvhen we depart from the usual harmony of speech. Einsodes were also multiplied, and every other part of the drama successively improved and polished. But of this enough : to enter into a minute detail would perhaps be a task of some length. Comedy, as was said before, is an imitation of bad characters : bad, cap. v. not with respect to every sort of vice, but to the ridiculous only, as ^^^1"^^^^^^ being a species of turpitude or deformity ; since it may be defined to be — a fault or deformity of such sort as is neither pain fid nor destructive (to yap yeXoZov Icttlv ajxapr-qiia tl — Ka ov cfiOapTLKov). A ridiculous face, for example, is something ugly and distorted, but not so as to cause ^9am. 21—2