Analysis of The Poetics - Chapter 4

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The origin of poetry appears to have arisen from two causes. The first is the urge to imitate. Human beings are superior to other creatures because they are the most artistic in their work. Humans can imitate objects better than any one else. The second cause is the urge to enjoy works of art. These two causes made people to see, enjoy and imitate the various objects. Other than this, human beings also have an extreme liking for learning, They try to learn more and more cause it gives them pleasure. Learning is not just the source of pleasure for the philosophers but also for the common man although the capacity of learning of a common man is much lower than a philosopher. The imitation and learning is just the one aspect of the origin of poetry. The other aspect is the liking for music and rhythm. Thus imitation of the various objects of nature combined with the beauty of music and rhythm gave birth to poetry. Poetry then went on into two separate directions. The serious minded people portrayed the actions and doings of noble person while the trivial men of the time wrote about the meaner persons in a satirical manner. Homer was the first poet to be known to have written any kind of invective. There might be poets before him but there are no definite sources about them. The satires written on the life of the meaner person were given the name ‘lampoons’. Homer’s ‘Margites’ is regarded as the first known lampoon. The other form of poetry which showcased the deeds of noble men were given the name ‘epic’. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are examples of epic poetry. The reason that the lampoons and the epic were given the term poetry was that they followed a specific rhyme and meter which is the most important element of poetry. The present day comedy has originated from the ancient lampoons. Similarly tragedy has originated from the epic. Tragedy is much exalted than the epic owing to additional features such as dance and spectacle. Tragedy has undergone a lot of transformation from its origin. The definition and concept of tragedy has changed a number of times but it’s basic form remains the same. These changes can be attributed to the traditional changes that keep on taking place in the literary world.

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