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Dramatic Unities (The thrée)

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One catastrophe, one locality, one day. These are Aristotle’s rules for tragedy, and the French plays strictly follow them.

The French have added a fourth, one style. Hence comedy must not be mixed with tragedy. Addison’s Cato is a good example. Unity of style is called the Unity of Uniformity. Shakespeare disregards all these canons.

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Dramatic unities