The Parts of a Tragedy

[The parts of Tragedy which must be treated as elements of the whole have been already mentioned. We now come to the quantitative parts, and the separate parts into which Tragedy is divided, namely, Prologue, Episode, Exode, Choric song; this last being divided into Parode and Stasimon. These are common to all plays: peculiar to some are the songs of actors from the stage and the Commoi.

[We have already discussed the parts of Tragedy that are elements of the whole. We now turn to its quantitative parts, the separate sections into which a Tragedy is divided. These are the Prologue, Episode, Exode, and Choric song. The Choric song is divided into the Parode and Stasimon. These parts are common to all plays. Some plays also include songs performed by actors on stage and Commoi.

The Prologue is that entire part of a tragedy which precedes the Parode of the Chorus. The Episode is that entire part of a tragedy which is between complete choric songs. The Exode is that entire part of a tragedy which has no choric song after it. Of the Choric part the Parode is the first undivided utterance of the Chorus: the Stasimon is a Choric ode without anapaests or trochaic tetrameters: the Commos is a joint lamentation of Chorus and actors. The parts of Tragedy which must be treated as elements of the whole have been already mentioned. The quantitative parts the separate parts into which it is divided—are here enumerated.]

The Prologue is the entire part of a tragedy before the Chorus’s Parode. An Episode is the entire part of a tragedy between complete choral songs. The Exode is the entire part of a tragedy after which there is no choral song. Among the choral parts, the Parode is the Chorus’s first undivided utterance. The Stasimon is a choral ode without anapaests or trochaic tetrameters. The Commos is a lament shared by the Chorus and the actors. The parts of Tragedy that must be treated as elements of the whole have already been mentioned. The quantitative parts, the separate parts into which a tragedy is divided, are listed here.]