Aristotle On Art

Part I of Essay
The subject of the Poetics is poetry, including epic poetry, tragedy and comedy. Unlike Plato, Aristotle regards poetry as a techne. The practice of poetry is governed by rules; these rules can be formulated and taught. Poetry is rationally comprehensible. The rules for a ....

Part II of Essay
.... arrangement of the incidents. A well-constructed play must have a beginning, middle and an end. The plot must neither begin nor end in a haphazard way. The plot of the play must represent the action of the play as a unified whole. 'Incidents must be so arranged that if any of them is differently placed or taken away the effect of wholeness will be seriously disrupted.' (Poetics, ch 8). It is the historian who makes a copy or record of things that have happened. The poet describes what might happen. The kinds of things that might happen are ....