DISSERTATION II.

ON

THE PROVINCES OF THE DRAMA.

N the former Effay, I gave an idea, or

IN

flight sketch, of Univerfal Poetry. In this, I attempt to deduce the laws of one of its kinds, the Dramatic, under all its forms. And I engage in this task, the rather, becaufe, though much has been said on the fubject of the drama, writers feem not to have taken fufficient pains to distinguish, with exactness, its several species.

I deduce the laws of this poem, as I did thofe of poetry at large, from the confideration of its end: not the general end of poetry, which alone was proper to be confidered in the former cafe, but the proximate end of this kind. For from these ends, in fubordination to that, which governs the genus, or which all poetry, as fuch,

M 2

fuch, defigns and profecutes, are the peculiar rules and maxims of each fpecies to be derived.

THE PURPOSE OF THE DRAMA is, univerfally, "to reprefent human life in the 66 way of action." But as fuch representation is made for feparate and diftinct ENDS, it is, further, diftinguished into different fpecies, which we know by the names of TRAGEDY, COMEDY, and FARCE.

By TRAGEDY, then, I mean that fpecies of dramatic representation, whofe end is "to excite the paffions of PITY and TERROR, and perhaps fome others, nearly allied to

them."

By COMEDY that, which propofeth, for the ends of its reprefentation, "the fenfa tion of pleafure arifing from a view of the truth of CHARACTERS, more especially their fpecific differences."

By FARCE I understand, that fpecies of the drama," whofe fole aim and tendency is to excite LAUGHTER."

The idea of these three fpecies being then propofed, let us now fee, what conclufions. may be drawn from it. And chiefly in

refpect

refpect of Tragedy and Comedy, which are most important. For as to what concerns the province of Farce, this will be easily understood, when the character of the other two is once fettled.

CHAP. I.

ON THE PROVINCES OF TRAGEDY AND COMEDY.

FROM the idea of thefe two fpecies, as given above, the following conclufions, about the natures of each, are immediately deducible.

1. If the proper end of TRAGEDY be to affect, it follows, "that actions, not cha"racters, are the chief object of its repre"fentations." For that which affects us moft in the view of human life is the obfervation of thofe fignal circumstances of felicity or diftrefs, which occur in the for tunes of men. But felicity and diftrefs, as the great critic takes notice, depend on action; κατὰ τὰς πράξεις, εὐδαίμονες, ἢ τεναντίον. They are then the calamitous events, or fortunate Iffues in human action, which stir up the ftronger affections, and agitate the M 3

heart

heart with Paffion. The manners are not, indeed, to be neglected. But they become an inferior confideration in the views of the tragic poet, and are exhibited only for the fake of making the action more proper to intereft us. Thus our joy, on the happy catastrophe of the fable, depends, in a good degree, on the virtuous character of the agent; as on the other hand, we fympathize more strongly with him, on a dif tressful iffue. The manners of the feveral perfons in the drama muft, alfo, be fignified, that the action, which in many cases will be determined by them, may appear to be carried on with truth and probability. Hence every thing paffing before us, as we are accustomed to fee it in real life, we enter more warmly into their interefts, as forgetting, that we are attentive to a fictitious fcene. And, befides, from knowing the per fonal good, or ill, qualities of the agents, we learn to anticipate their future felicity or mifery, which gives increafe to the paffion in either cafe. Our acquaintance with IAGO's clofe villainy makes us tremble for Othello and Defdemona beforehand; and HAMLET'S