Introductory
Three dramatic unities, at one point, were considered mandatory for an effective dramatic illusion. The said dramatic unities are three in number which are listed below:
- Unity of Plot/Action
- Unity of Time
- Unity of Place
It is said that these three dramatic unities originated from Aristotle. In reality, Aristotle insisted only on unity of plot/action. Rest of the two unities are merely the "interpretation" of some of the lines written by Aristotle in Poetics. One of those interpreters is no other than our good ol' defender of poetry, Sir Philip Sidney. Sidney mandates the use of all three dramatic unities in plays and in this essay, we shall break down his stance on three dramatic unities and add the views of Dryden, Johnson and even Aristotle himself.
Unity of Plot
Also known as unity of action, Aristotle puts a staggering emphasis on its importance in a play. By unity of plot or action, Aristotle advocates that a tragedy should develop on carrying one single unifying plot that is well connected from the beginning, middle and the ending of a play. For example, if a play begins on a tragic note, it should end on a tragic note not on a comic note, and vice versa. Aristotle deemed the mingling of comic and tragic elements in a play not desirable. Sir Philip Sidney also followed suit and rendered the mingling of comic and tragic elements in a play absurd and suggested that the role of kings and clowns should not be mixed together. Dryden comes forward as a defender of tragicomedy. He argued that Shakespeare constructed his flagship plays without limiting himself to one kind of plot and it added a needed variety of plots that was well in-line with the changing trends of time. Though Johnson accepts the unity of action but only in the case of establishing compact intensity to focus on one key area in a play.
Unity of Time
Though wrongly attributed to Aristotle, unity of time suggests to the passing time in a play in sync with the actual time. This strange rule turned into a rigid necessity in Neoclassicism upon Aristotle's observation,
Tragedy attempts as far as possible, to remain within one revolution of the sun.
The phrase, "one revolution of the sun" constituted unity of time. Sir Philip Sidney suggested that naturally, the plot in a Tragedy would last in twenty-four hours and if it exceeds that limit, it should be performed on the day proceeding to the first day. Dryden lamented on the observance of unity of time and place as it stripped many plays off of their imaginative heights. Ben Johnson finds the change of setting from Alexandria to Rome in four hours least offensive to the audience and the passing of one year can be depicted through hours.
Unity of Place
Just like the unity of time, unity of place was also wrongly attributed to Aristotle by the Neo Classics. When comparing between epic and tragedy, Aristotle asserted that the narration of an epic would change to frequent different settings or places but tragedy did not. This led to Sir Philip Sidney making unity of place a mandatory essential in a play. By unity of place, Sidney meant that it was illogical to shift the setting of a play from a ship to the woods. However, Dr. Johnson argued that the audience could accept the abrupt change of place if it was well executed.
Conclusion
Sidney's rigid adherence to the unity of time, place and action collectively does nothing to improve the theatrical fidelity as Shakespeare has written the epoch-making plays without observing the unity of time and place.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- https://iasad1.blogspot.com/2021/04/essay-on-greek-tragedy.html
- https://spengtutor.blogspot.com/2020/04/sidneys-view-on-three-unities-expressed.html
- https://www.litgalaxy2019.com/2020/08/john-drydens-views-three-dramatic-unities.html
- https://litaid.com/johnson-on-the-unities/
- http://www.literary-articles.com/2010/02/how-does-dr-johnson-defend-shakespeare.html?m=1
