Prepared by Avni Dave
Three Unities in Drama
 Name : Dave Avni J
 Roll No : 03
 Enrollment No : 2069108420190011
 Class : M.A. Sem 1
 Year : 2018-19
 Submitted to : Smt. S. B. Gardi
Department of English, Maharaja
Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar
University.
Aristotle
 Aristotle, A Greek philosopher and scientist was born
around 384 B.C. he was taught by Plato and went on to tutor
Alexander the great most famously (at least to -playwrights
),he wrote poetics , the first treatise (or long essay) about
dramatic theory and literary theory in the west Aristotle
explains that the most successful plays, at least the
tragedies ,were (and are) the once that obey three rules or
three “ unities.”
 Works:- ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ and ‘Eudemian Ethics’,
‘Metaphysics’, ‘Poetics’, ‘Rhetoric’, ‘Prior Analytics’, ‘Other
Works on Logic’, ‘Works on Science’.
Unity of Action
• The Unity of Action dictates that
the plot of the play should
follow one main plot line with zero
or very few subplots. And if subplots
exist, they should contribute in
some way to the main plot.
• Aristotle saw that eliminating any
extraneous plotlines or actions
helped focus the play on the
essential and most important story
being told.
• For Examples,
The Death of Salesman
The Waiting for Godot
The Unity of Place
 The Unity of Place dictates that the action
of the play should take place
in one location in a single physical space.
The stage should not represent more than
one place at the same time nor utilize
scene changes to change the setting of
the action.
 The transition period in which the stage
must be transformed from one place into
another causes an interruption in the
action, flow, and pacing of the story,
sometimes pulling audience members out
of the story.
 For Example,
Doll House by Henric Ibsen
Waiting for Godot
The Unity of Time
 The Unity of Time dictates
that the action (plot) of the
play should take place within
a 24-hour time period.
 Limiting the action of the
play is like giving yourself,
as a writer, a time limit by
which to resolve your story.
It’s like a timer you set that
helps you move the story
along to an effective
resolution.
 For Exmaple,
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
JOHN DRYDEN’S VIEW ON THREE
UNITIES
 He argued that, French plays are often betrayed in
to absurdities from which English plays are free.
 Disregarded of unities enable them to give ‘Just’
and ‘Lively’ image of human nature. 50 French
plays are regular but not live 7
 For examples :
 Shakespeare’s plays are close to human life.
 ‘Sub-plot’ brings variety , richness and liveliness
 French had narrow and cramped plays. Result in
impossibility.
‘LISIDEIUS ARGUES THAT
 “we cannot so speedily
recollect ourselves after
a scenes of great passion
and concernment to pass
to another of mirth and
humor and to enjoy it
with any relish.”
NEANDER REPLIED
 “Why should he
imagine the soul of
man more heavy than
his senses? Does not
the eyes pass from an
unpleasant object to a
pleasant in a much
shorter time?”
 Gratification of senses
are primary, secondary
that of soul.”
Conclusion
 Aristotle formulated three unities or rules for how to
make a perfect tragedy, the unity of time means that a
perfect tragedy should only tell the story of what
happened in one day, the unity of place means one
scene in tragedy and unity of action means no subplots
and side stories.
 This three principles of dramatic construction derived
by a Aristotle's poetics.
Three Unities in Drama

Three Unities in Drama

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Three Unities inDrama  Name : Dave Avni J  Roll No : 03  Enrollment No : 2069108420190011  Class : M.A. Sem 1  Year : 2018-19  Submitted to : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.
  • 3.
    Aristotle  Aristotle, AGreek philosopher and scientist was born around 384 B.C. he was taught by Plato and went on to tutor Alexander the great most famously (at least to -playwrights ),he wrote poetics , the first treatise (or long essay) about dramatic theory and literary theory in the west Aristotle explains that the most successful plays, at least the tragedies ,were (and are) the once that obey three rules or three “ unities.”  Works:- ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ and ‘Eudemian Ethics’, ‘Metaphysics’, ‘Poetics’, ‘Rhetoric’, ‘Prior Analytics’, ‘Other Works on Logic’, ‘Works on Science’.
  • 4.
    Unity of Action •The Unity of Action dictates that the plot of the play should follow one main plot line with zero or very few subplots. And if subplots exist, they should contribute in some way to the main plot. • Aristotle saw that eliminating any extraneous plotlines or actions helped focus the play on the essential and most important story being told. • For Examples, The Death of Salesman The Waiting for Godot
  • 5.
    The Unity ofPlace  The Unity of Place dictates that the action of the play should take place in one location in a single physical space. The stage should not represent more than one place at the same time nor utilize scene changes to change the setting of the action.  The transition period in which the stage must be transformed from one place into another causes an interruption in the action, flow, and pacing of the story, sometimes pulling audience members out of the story.  For Example, Doll House by Henric Ibsen Waiting for Godot
  • 6.
    The Unity ofTime  The Unity of Time dictates that the action (plot) of the play should take place within a 24-hour time period.  Limiting the action of the play is like giving yourself, as a writer, a time limit by which to resolve your story. It’s like a timer you set that helps you move the story along to an effective resolution.  For Exmaple, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • 7.
    JOHN DRYDEN’S VIEWON THREE UNITIES  He argued that, French plays are often betrayed in to absurdities from which English plays are free.  Disregarded of unities enable them to give ‘Just’ and ‘Lively’ image of human nature. 50 French plays are regular but not live 7  For examples :  Shakespeare’s plays are close to human life.  ‘Sub-plot’ brings variety , richness and liveliness  French had narrow and cramped plays. Result in impossibility.
  • 8.
    ‘LISIDEIUS ARGUES THAT “we cannot so speedily recollect ourselves after a scenes of great passion and concernment to pass to another of mirth and humor and to enjoy it with any relish.”
  • 9.
    NEANDER REPLIED  “Whyshould he imagine the soul of man more heavy than his senses? Does not the eyes pass from an unpleasant object to a pleasant in a much shorter time?”  Gratification of senses are primary, secondary that of soul.”
  • 10.
    Conclusion  Aristotle formulatedthree unities or rules for how to make a perfect tragedy, the unity of time means that a perfect tragedy should only tell the story of what happened in one day, the unity of place means one scene in tragedy and unity of action means no subplots and side stories.  This three principles of dramatic construction derived by a Aristotle's poetics.