Monsieur Bossu's Treatise of the Epick Poem/Chapter 20
CHAP. II.
The better to know what an Episode is, and to comprehend what Aristotle has said about it, we must look back for it in its first beginning, and in the Rise of Tragedy, whereby it first began. I speak of it here thô Monsieur Hedelin has formerly writ about it.
Tragedy at first was only a Song in honor of Bacchus, which was performed by several persons (who made up the Musical Chorus) with dancing and playing upon Instruments.
Since this was too tedious, and might fatigue the singers, as well as disgust the Audience; they thought of dividing the Song of the Chorus into several parts, and of making some kind of Narrations between these Intervals. At first one single person spoke them: Then they brought in two speakers, because Dialogues are more diverting: And at last they increas'd the number to three, to give way for more Action. Those who made these Narrations upon the Scene or Stage were call'd Actors. And what they said being adventitious to the Song of the Chorus, these Narrations were no more than Ornaments added to a Ceremony, of which they were not a necessary part: And for this reason were they call'd Episodes.
Besides, as they were only added to refresh the Chorus, and their Assistants; it follows that the Chorus had sung before, and were to sing after them: So that these Episodes were always to be plac'd between the two Songs of the Chorus. Whatever was said before the first, or after the last Song, was not look'd upon as an Episode: But these new Additions were made for Reasons distinct from those which were urg'd for introducing that. The design of them was, either to welcome the Company, and prepare them for what was to be Acted; and this was call'd the Prologue: or else to thank and take leave of them; which was call'd the Exode or Epilogue.
All this made up the four parts of Quantity, as [1]Aristotle terms it: viz. The Prologue, the Episode, the Exode, and the Chorus. The Prologue is all that precedes the first Entrance of the Chorus; the Episode is all that is between the Songs of the Chorus; the Exode is that which is said after the Chorus has done singing; the Chorus was the Company of those who sang the praises of Bacchus: And at first that was the only Tragedy in being.
As this Narration of the Actors was inserted in several places, and made at several times: So one might consider it Entire, as one single Episode compos'd of several parts; and one might likewise call each part an Episode. In this last sense a Tragedy had several Episodes; and in the first it had but only one. These different Episodes of one and the same Tragedy might be deduc'd from as many different Subjects: Or be all taken from the same Subject, that was divided into as many Recitals or Incidents as the Poet had a mind to allow Intervals for the Chorus to take breath in. If we consider the first Institution of these foreign Pieces, there was not the least necessity of deducing all of them from one and the same subject. Three or four Recitals of different Actions, that had no relation to one another, could refresh the singers well enough, and keep the Audience from languishing, as much as if they had all been only different parts of one and the same Action, very closely connected together.
But these foreign Beauties soon took off from the lustre of those others which so charitably gave them Entertainment: And that which at first was only an Addition to Tragedy, afterwards became the Principal part of it. Then, they were consider'd as a Body, whose Members should not be Heterogeneous, and independant on one another. The best Poets made use of them thus, and they deduc'd their Episodes only from one single Action. This was so far establish'd in Aristotle's time, that he made a standing Rule of it, He says, that the most defective Tragedies are such, whose Episodes have no manner of Connexion. He calls them Episodical, that is to say, overcharg'd with Episodes: Because these lesser Episodes cannot make one single one, but of necessity remain in a Vicious Multiplicity.
Actions, that were most simple, and had least of Intrigue, were most of all liable to this Irregularity, because having fewer Incidents, and fewer parts than others, they afford so much the less Matter. A Poet of no great Conduct, very often quite spends himself at the first or second coming on of his Actors between the Songs of the Chorus: And then he finds himself oblig'd to seek out for other Actions to fill up the Intervals behind. Our first French Poets did so. They took to fill up each Act just as many different Actions of a Hero, which had no manner of Connexion, save that they were done by one single person. These Fables are Episodical, and such as Aristotle has condemn'd, as we hinted before. His Censure is in these Words: [2]Of all the Fables and simple Actions that are, the Episodical are the most Imperfect. The Episodical Fable I call such a one, whose Episodes have no necessary nor probable Connexion.