Furman Classics. Dramaturg Editions. C. Blackwell, 2026. CC-BY-NC. Code and instructions on Github.

Aristotle, Poetics

Aristotle, Poetics (Περὶ ποιητικῆς). Based on Aristotelis Opera. Immanuel Bekker, ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford (1837). Original SGML digital edition by The Perseus Project, G. Crane, ed. This derived edition, C. Blackwell, Furman University. 2026. Source texts and code for this page (and others) on GitHub. Licensed CC-BY-NC. urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg034:

Table of Contents

1 – 8
Chapter “1”
Chapter “2”
Chapter “3”
Chapter “4”
Chapter “5”
Chapter “6”
Chapter “7”
Chapter “8”
9 – 16
Chapter “9”
Chapter “10”
Chapter “11”
Chapter “12”
Chapter “13”
Chapter “14”
Chapter “15”
Chapter “16”
17 – 24
Chapter “17”
Chapter “18”
Chapter “19”
Chapter “20”
Chapter “21”
Chapter “22”
Chapter “23”
Chapter “24”
25 – 26
Chapter “25”
Chapter “26”

Aristotle

Aristotle (384–322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded the Lyceum in Athens around 335 BC after returning to the city for his second extended period of residence. At the Lyceum, a school dedicated to research and teaching across diverse fields, Aristotle delivered lectures to students and associates, many of which formed the basis for his surviving treatises, including notes compiled for internal use rather than public publication.

Poetics

The Poetics (Περὶ ποιητικῆς) was likely composed during this Lyceum period as lecture notes on dramatic theory, reflecting Aristotle's systematic approach to analyzing poetry. The work focuses on the principles of poetic composition, with particular emphasis on tragedy and epic as the principal forms of serious poetry, examining their structural components, such as plot, character, and diction, as well as their capacity to evoke specific emotional responses in audiences.