must not aim at a rigid adherence to the traditional stories on which
tragedies are based. It would be absurd, in fact, to do so, as even
the known stories are only known to a few, though they are a delight
none the less to all.

It i.e.ident from the above that, the poet must be more the poet of
his stories or Plots than of his verses, inasmuch as he is a poet by
virtue of the imitative element in his work, and it is actions that he
imitates. And if he should come to take a subject from actual history,
he is none the less a poet for that; since some historic occurrences
may very well be in the probable and possible order of things; and it
is in that aspect of them that he is their poet.

Of simple Plots and actions the episodic are the worst. I call a Plot
episodic when there is neither probability nor necessity in the
sequence of episodes. Actions of this sort bad poets construct through
their own fault, and good ones on account of the players. His work
being for public performance, a good poet often stretches out a Plot
beyond its capabilities, and is thus obliged to twist the sequence of
incident.

Tragedy, however, is an imitation not only of a complete action, but
also of incidents arousing pity and fear. Such incidents have the very
greatest effect on the mind when they occur unexpectedly and at the
same time in consequence of one another; there is more of the
marvellous in them then than if they happened of themselves or by mere
chance. Even matters of chance seem most marvellous if there is an
appearance of design as it were in them; as for instance the statue of
Mitys at Argos killed the author of Mitys' death by falling down on
him when a looker-on at a public spectacle; for incidents like that we