ABSTRACT
In his Poetics (Aristot. Poet. 1451 b 5) Aristotle says that poetry is more philosophical and hence loftier than the writing of history; for poetry-tragedy-deals with what might happen, because it is possible or probable, which is to say universal, history with what has happened, the particular. Most likely not very many human beings will find themselves in such extreme conflicts as Oedipus or Antigone. But the tragic hero is a human being who is larger than life-size; he has a particular character, and it must, as Aristotle says, be probable or necessary that he acts as he does as he is struck down by a fate greater than himself. The action of a tragedy takes place on the mythical, supra-human level, but the hero’s feelings and passions must be universally understandable and must therefore appeal to all. When Aristotle compared poetry or tragedy to the writing of history, he probably never thought of an absolute contrast, for history is not exclusively an accidental chain of events. To both Aristotle and the Greeks in general, history harbours a meaning behind the general sequence of events, which it is the historian’s task to disclose. Like the epic poet the historian has a tale to tell; the tale has a moral point to make, and it is notable that historical writing was considered a literary genre in Antiquity.
