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Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance - A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism by Donald Lemen Clark
page 24 of 193 (12%)

In structure, also, the _ars poetica_ is not a critical analysis, but a
text-book. The first ninety-eight lines cover the fundamental
considerations which the poet must have in mind before he starts to
compose. He should choose a subject he can handle; he should plan it so
that it be unified and coherent, and have each element in the right place;
he should choose words in good use, and write in an appropriate meter.

The subject of the second section is the Roman theatre. From line 99 to
line 288, Horace devotes his attention to the rules governing the writing
of tragedy. This is significant, again, of the classical opinion that the
most important poetical form is drama. Whatever differences there are
between the views of Aristotle, Longinus, and Horace, they all agree in
that. In his treatment of characters and plot, however, Horace places his
emphasis on character, while Aristotle had emphasized plot. Of plot Horace
says little, only suggesting that the poet should not begin _ab ovo_ but
plunge at once into the midst of the action. Concerning character he says
much. The language should be appropriate to the emotions supposed to be
animating the character who is speaking. No person in the play should be
made to do or say anything out of character. By the laws of decorum, for
instance, old men should be querulous and young boys given to sudden
anger. The chorus, also, must be an actor and carry along the action of
the play instead of interrupting the play to sing. Horace further warns
his pupils to restrict the number of acts to the conventional five, and
the number of characters to the conventional three. As an episode
presented on the stage is more vivid than if it were narrated as having
taken place off stage, horrors and murders should be kept off lest they
offend.

The third section of the book is mainly concerned with revision. This is
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