ABSTRACT

Prior to the re-emergence of Aristotle, the commentary tradition of Donatus-Evanthius had prevailed throughout the Middle Ages. Within this tradition, tragedy and comedy were seen as diametrically opposed to one another. In comedy what is stormy at first becomes smooth at the end; in tragedy the action has the opposite pattern. Throughout the Middle Ages, critics were thinking about Greek drama in a textual vacuum, and this inevitably gave rise to misconceptions about classical genres. Tragic and comic dramatists were involved in separate competitions. The rediscovery of the Poetics helped to expose the presence of some of this middle ground. Of particular significance for the tragicomic theorists were Aristotle's comments on happy-ending tragedy and tragic pleasure. The Winter's Tale has been described as 'almost unique in the canon for its bilateral symmetry' and it is now commonplace for critics to refer to the 'tragic' first half of the play and the 'comic' second half.