TY - JOUR AU - Σηφάκης, Γρηγόρης Μ. PY - 2010/06/21 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Interpretation and misinterpretation of Aristotle's Poetics JF - Ariadne JA - Ariadne VL - 15 IS - 0 SE - Articles DO - 10.26248/ariadne.v15i0.916 UR - https://ejournals.lib.uoc.gr/Ariadne/article/view/916 SP - 61-74 AB - <p>«[A] LONG series of misunderstandings and overstatements and corrections&nbsp;[ ... ] form the history of the <em>Poetics</em> since the Renaissance" wrote Gilbert&nbsp;Murray in 1920, and the situation has not greatly improved ever since. This&nbsp;is due to the intensive study of Aristotle's <em>Poetics</em> itself, which began in the&nbsp;Renaissance and continues until today. Several misunderstandings have&nbsp;been established by uncritical repetition and have entered mainstream&nbsp;interpretation, starting with the very definition of tragedy and including&nbsp;the widespread assumption that Aristotle underestimates or ignores the&nbsp;significance of music and performance (<em>melopoiia</em> and <em>opsis</em>) of drama,&nbsp;although they both are included in the six qualitative elements of the&nbsp;composition of tragedy. Aristotle was, of course, the original historian of&nbsp;theatre and author of such works as <em>Didaskaliai (Productions)</em> and <em>Dionysiac&nbsp;victories</em>.</p> ER -