Classical Unities / Dramatic Unities

THREE DRAMATIC UNITIES

THREE CLASSICAL UNITIES OF DRAMA:

Ancient or Classical Greek and Latin dramas were strict in form. Aristotle has discussed the basic principles of drama in his ‘Poetics’. He discusses the three unities of drama – unity of time, place and action. But he gives more importance to the unity of action.

The ‘Poetics’ was not much read and popular during the Middle Ages. But during the Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries) a Latin translation of ‘Poetics’ was published in Italy. Then afterwards much discussion of classical literary principles of Aristotle started. 

1. UNITY OF TIME:

Aristotle says that the action of the play should “finish within a single revolution of the sun”. it means that the whole drama should not depict more than 24 hours from the life of the hero. 

The neo-classical dramatists believe that the spectators would be confused if several days or years from the life of the hero are presented on the stage. This is very important in order to give the touch of realism to the play.

2. UNITY OF PLACE:

It is believed that in drama there should not be too many changes of place. An ideal play allows only one or two places where the action takes places. Too many changes of places make it difficult for the spectator to remember the whole story. 

Elizabethan dramatists incorporated many scenes of various places and action and their plays moved from one city to another city, from one country to the other. Hence, we may say that the Elizabethan writers violated this unity of place.

3. UNITY OF ACTION:

Unity of action makes the plot understandable and coherent. Aristotle says that in an ideal plot the actions or events must be logically connected with one another. All the events and incidents must move towards a common goal, the Catastrophe which is the final goal of the dramatist. An ideal plot must have “a good beginning, a good middle and a good end”.

Dr. Samuel Jonson in his ‘Preface to Shakespeare’ rejected the “three unities”. However in England, the unities of time and place are considered optional devices for the playwrights. Tennessee Williams’ ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ is the best example of a drama where all these three unities are strictly followed.

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