10
A calamity is a destructive or painful occurrence, such as a death on the stage, acute suffering and wounding and so on.
1
We have alreadyIn chapter 6. spoken of the constituent parts to be used as ingredients of tragedy. The separable members into which it is quantitatively divided are these: Prologue, Episode, Exode, Choral Song,
2
the last being divided into Parode and Stasimon.
3
These are common to all tragedies; songs sung by actors on the stage and commoi are peculiar to certain plays.
4
A prologue is the whole of that part of a tragedy which precedes the entrance of the chorus.
5
An episode is the whole of that part of a tragedy which falls between whole choral songs.
6
An exode is the whole of that part of a tragedy which is not followed by a song of the chorus.
7
A parode is the whole of the first utterance of the chorus.
8
A stasimon is a choral song without anapaests or trochaics.This does not apply to surviving Greek tragedies, but may be true of those of Aristotle’s time. The word Stasimon is applied to all choruses in a tragedy other than those sung during entry or exit. It is usually explained as meaning a stationary song, because it was sung after the chorus had taken up its station in the orchestra.
9
A commos is a song of lament shared by the chorus and the actors on the stage.
10
The constituent parts to be used as ingredients of tragedy have been described above; these are the separable members into which it is quantitatively divided.The whole of chapter 12. bears marks of belonging to the Poetics but seems out of place, since it interrupts the discussion of plot.
1
Following upon what has been said above we should next state what ought to be aimed at and what avoided in the construction of a plot, and the means by which the object of tragedy may be achieved.
