1. Hume and the Theory of Tragedy
Author(s): J. Frederick Doering
Reviewed work(s):
Source: PMLA, Vol. 52, No. 4 (Dec., 1937), pp. 1130-1134
Published by: Modern Language Association
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2. LXXIV
HUME AND THE THEORY OF TRAGEDY
BEHIND nearly all English literary criticism, particularly that re-
lating to the Neo-classic drama, lies the Poetics of Aristotle. Some
writers have been greatly affected by this epochal work; others have
come under its sphere of influence to a lesser degree. However, there are
few authors of importance upon whom the Poetics has failed to make
some profound and enduring impression. Despite the fact that its influ-
ence permeates all English literature, excessive emphasis is laid some-
times upon the effect of Aristotle's teachings, to the detriment of such
prominent critics as Horace, Vida, Trissino, Giraldi, Boileau, and Fon-
tenelle. This applies especially to commentators on Hume. Indeed, the
Scottish philosopher, historian, and critic subscribed to the majority of
Aristotle's tenets, but the doctrines of Tully, Horace, Boileau, and Cor-
neille made an equally impressive and indelible imprint upon his mind.
Although Hume deals with tragedy rather thoroughly, his treatment
is eclipsed by the work of Corneille and of the immortal Greek master
both in minuteness and depth. Moreover, he does not adhere to the
Aristotelian criteria as closely as would generally be imagined, but
rather takes Aristotle as he is interpreted by the French classical drama-
tists and critics, for in scarcely any of Hume's works is the influence of
the literary men across the Channel more pronounced than in "Of
Tragedy." Consequently, it is not difficult to comprehend the reason
why Hume, despite his great admiration for Aristotle, did not view him
as being impeccable. This is aptly demonstrated by his utterances on
the transitory nature of the fame of philosophers. Thus:
The fame of CICERO flourishes at present; but that of ARISTOTLE utterly de-
is
cayed. LA BRUYERE passes the seas, and still maintains his reputation; But
the glory of MALEBRANCHEconfined to his own nation, and to his own age.
is
And ADDISON, perhaps, will be read with pleasure, when LOCKE1 shall be en-
tirely forgotten.2
In the Poetics, Aristotle states as his first principle, "Epic poetry and
Tragedy, also Comedy, Dithyrambic poetry, and most flute-playing and
lyre playing, are all, viewed as a whole, modes of imitation."3 To him
all kinds of poetry were forms of imitation of human action. Tragedy
was dramatic imitation of great action, serious and complete, with
1 Humeis carefulto point out that this is no disparagement Locke's ability as a phi-
of
losopheror writer.
2 David Hume, Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary, ed. T. H. Green and T. H. Grose
(London, 1898), II, 5.
ed. W. D. Ross (Oxford,
8 "De Poetica,"tr. IngramBywater, The Works Aristotle,
of
1924), xI, 1447.No pagination.
1130

3. J. Frederick Doering 1131
proper elaboration and embellishment. Hume recognizes these facts,
but for him imitation has a far more extensive connotation; conse-
quently, he advocates not only the copying of human actions, but also
the imitation of such outstanding models of antiquity as Homer, Vergil,
Ovid, Lucretius, and Cicero. This was also advised not only by other
English critics of the eighteenth century, such as Pope,4 Blackwell,5 and
Johnson,6 but by a host of other admirers of earlier Mediterranean
culture and art, including Bruni, Minturno, Scaliger, and Jonson.7
But Hume's regard for the classical drama of France surpasses even
his admiration for the productions of Greece and Rome. In "Of Civil
Liberty," after he has expounded his hypothesis that the arts flourish
best under a popular form of government, he states:
But the most eminentinstanceof the flourishing learningin absolutegovern-
of
ments, is that of FRANCE, which scarcelyever enjoyed any establishedliberty,
and yet has carriedthe arts and sciencesas nearperfectionas any othernation.
The ENGLISH are, perhaps, greater philosophers, the ITALIANS
better painters
and musicians; the ROMANS were greater orators: But the FRENCH the only
are
people,except the GREEKS, have been at once philosophers,
who poets, orators,
historians,painters, architects, sculptors,and musicians.With regard to the
stage, they have excelled even the GREEKS,
who have far excelled the ENGLISH.
And in commonlife, they have, in a great measure,perfected that art, the
most useful and agreeableof any, I'Art de Vivre,the art of society and con-
versation.8
Dryden found it expedient to imitate the French in many respects,
particularly in his dramatic productions, because he knew that they had
adhered more stringently to the rules expounded by Aristotle than had
the English, with the possible exceptions of Daniel and Greville. The
fact that he was obliged to admit certain excellences in French plays
must have irked. Dryden considerably for, in "An Essay of Dramatic
Poesy," he has Neander depreciate the work of Corneille:
Corneillehimself,their arch-poet,what has he producedexcept The Liar?and
you know how it cried up in France;but whenit came upon the Englishstage,
though well translated,and that part of Dorant acted to so much advantage
as I am confidentit never receivedin its own country,the most favourableto
it would not put it in competitionwith many of Fletcher'sor Ben Jonson's.9
4 Alexander
Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 118-140.
11.
5 Blackwell's commentson Trissinoreveal,nevertheless, that he deploredservileimita-
tion of the ancients. See Thomas Blackwell,An Enquiryinto the Life and Writingsof
Homer(London,1735), p. 32 ff.
6 In spite of the fact that Johnson'sremarks sometimesidentify him with the cult of
originalgenius,his own practiceis sufficientto prove that he endorsedthe imitationof
ancientwriters,his versesatiresbeingimitationsof Juvenal.
7 H. L. Snuggs, ClassicalTheoryand Practicein the Comedies Ben Jonson (Duke
of
UniversityMaster'sthesis; Durham,N. C., 1928), p. 35. 8 Hume, Essays, I, 159.
9 The Works John Dryden,ed. John Mitford(New York, 1854),II, 237-239. See also
of

4. 1132 Hlume and the Theory of Tragedy
Turning to a direct analysis of Hume's theory of tragedy, we find
Hume expressing astonishment at the pleasure an audience derives
from the disagreeable passions in a well-written tragedy.'0 As do Aris-
totle11 and Corneille,l2 Hume reminds his readers that tragedy is an
imitation; hence, it is very agreeable. He also states emphatically that a
mixture of sentiments has a greater tendency to delight the spectators
than those of a particular type: "The more they (spectators) are touched
and affected, the more they are delighted with the spectacle."'3
This naturally brings Hume to the point where a consideration of
the Aristotelian catharsis is requisite. Milton believed in purging the
mind of pity and fear;l4 "that is, to temper and reduce them to a just
measure with a kind of delight." Corneille maintained that the theory
of the purgation of pity and fear together with admiration was the most
tenable;15 whereas Lessing and Winckelmann believed in the puri-
fication of the tragedy.'6 Hume evidently inclines toward the purgation
theory, which several eminent modern scholars and critics favour,17but
'le grand philosophe' of Scotland goes one step farther, after the fashion
of Lord Kames,l8 and includes all disagreeable passions. In this he may
have been partially influenced by Corneille, but this conjecture cannot
be proven. Hume says, however, that as soon as the uneasy passions
cease to operate, the piece is ended, and that "one scene full of joy and
contentment and security is the utmost that any composition of this
kind can bear; and it is sure always to be the concluding one."'9 Thus
our critic disposes of this annoying problem.
Hume next attacks the problem, which L'Abbe Dubos and Fontenelle
had endeavored to solve, of the elimination of lethargy and indolence
from the tragedy. Hume apparently agrees with Dubos that this may
P. Corneille,(Euvres (Paris, 1862),I: "Au Lecteur,""LesTrois Unites," "Discoursde la
and
Trag6die," "Discoursde l'utilit6et des partiesdu poemedramatique." Drydenmust
have been cognizantof the difficulties arisingfrom the judgingof a workfrom a transla-
tion, even thoughit resemblesclosely the original;yet he condemnedCorneillewithout
havingwitnessedthe dramaon the Frenchstage. 10Hume, Essays, I, 258.
n See Aristotle'sPoetics,caput. 1447-49. 12 Corneille,(Euvres, 15.
I,
13 Hume,op. cit., I, 258. Hume seems,however,to agreewith Scaliger that realtragedy
is always concerned solely with the serious.See J. C. Scaliger,"PoeticesLibri Septem,"
in BibliopolioCommeliano (1617),I, 6.
14 "Preface Samson
to in
Agonistes," EnglishPoemsby John Milton,ed. R. C. Browne
(Oxford, 1877),n, 204. For anotherangleof the pity andfearquestion,see G. G. Trissino,
Tutte le Opere (Verona, 1729), II, 95. 15 Corneille, (Euvres, I, 53.
18See G. E. Lessing,Laokoon
(London,1914)or WalterPater,Renaissance.
17See Allan H. Gilbert,"The AristotelianCatharsis,"in Philosophical
Review,xxxv
(July, 1926), 301 ff.
s1 Lord Kames (Henry Home) claims that Aristotlewould confinetragedytoo much.
See An Abridgement Elements Criticism, John Frost (N. Y., 1850), pp. 248-249.
of of ed.
19 Hume, Essays, I, 258.

5. J. Frederick Doering 1133
be accomplished to some extent by arousing the passions with any-
thing from gaming to an execution;20 and with Fontenelle that both
pleasure and pain should be excited. The critic would add to both of
these panaceas, nevertheless. He would have both the tragedy and the
oration swell the hearts of the listener with sympathy-sympathy, the
keynote of Hume's moral philosophy.21
Hume strikes a "juste milieu" in the matter of the passions. Each
emotion has its place in his system. By experience and observation, the
two chief weapons of the philosopher, Hume learned that "Too much
jealousy extinguishes love: Too much difficulty renders us indifferent:
Too much sickness and infirmity disgusts a selfish and unkind parent."
Of course he was aware of the fact that the fiction of the tragedy serves
to mollify the passions, still he admonished the dramatist to exercise
extreme caution in the use of jealousy, difficulty, sickness, and the like,
lest the audience react unfavorably. All the passions, the philosopher
asserts, are heightened by the force of imagination, the energy of ex-
pression, the power of numbers, and the charm of imitation; each in
itself delightful to the mind.22The philosopher's comments on jealousy
and absence, which are especially illuminating, are quoted in support
of the contention that he did follow the "via media" very consistently.23
Jealousyis a painfulpassion;yet without some shareof it, the agreeableaffec-
tion of love has difficultyto subsist with its full force and violence.Absenceis
also a great source of complaintamong lovers, and gives them the greatest
uneasiness:Yet nothingis more favourableto their mutual passionthan short
intervalsof that kind. And if long intervalsoften provefatal, it is only because,
throughtime, men are accustomedto them, and they cease to give uneasiness.
Jealousyand absencein love composethe dolcepeccante the ITALIANS,
of which
they supposeso essentialto all pleasure.24
By means of this, too, he points out that "the pleasure, which poets,
orators, and musicians give us, by exciting grief, sorrow, indignation,
compassion, is not so extraordinary or paradoxical, as it may at first
sight appear."25
In his Discours de la Tragedie, Corneille stated, "Le but du poete est de
plaire selon les regles de son art."26This was quite satisfactory to Hume,
but both he and the Frenchman went a step farther and added that it
was the business of the poet to teach. That is why Hume exalted Pope
20
Hume, nevertheless, seems to agreewith Giraldithat only illustriousactionshave a
place in tragedy. See G. B. GiraldiCinthio,ScrittiEstetici:De'Romazi, delleComedie,e
delleTragedie, (Milano,1864), II,6.
ecc.
21Hume, Essays, i, 261. 22 Ibid., I, 263-264. 23 Ibid., II, 209.
24Hume, Essays, I, 263. Hume points out that the half-finishedproductionsof the
ancientsgive pleasure.Cf. K. Jex-Blake,TheElderPliny's Chapters theHistoryof Art
on
(London,1896),lib. xxxv, cap. 11. 26Hume, Essays,I, 263.
26Corneille,(Euvres,xcv, 16-17.

6. 1134 Hume and the Theory of Tragedy
above the rest of his contemporaries, for each line, each word, in Pope's
works, is carved and framed with the distinct purpose of having it con-
vey some moral precept to the reader. Hume and Corneille were not so
meticulous in this respect; but both demanded that the virtuous be
rewarded and the wicked punished. Now Aristotle had stated that
poetry should please the spectators,27 but, beyond intimating that it
was possible to gain knowledge from the contemplation of a work of
art,28had done no more than infer that literature should have a didactic
purpose.29This caused Hume and the French classicists great consterna-
tion, but they finally interpreted the Poetics in practically the same
manner as had Dryden and Pope.
Of course Hume believed in strict recognition of the unities. The
Elizabethan dramatists led by Ben Jonson and Shakespeare, had ig-
nored the unities whenever they wished to do so. Dryden had accepted
to some extent the dictum of Corneille that the "Iron Rule" of Aris-
totle should be observed, but that there should be some liberality in
the interpretation of it.30It was this view that Hume adopted as his own.
It proved to be one of the strongest bonds between Hume and the
French classical school.
The essay "Of Tragedy" is really too brief to be a compendium of all
the rules governing tragedy; therefore, the writer found it necessary to
limit himself to certain aspects which interested him most, and which
had not been dealt with completely by Aristotle and other prominent
critics. One finds Hume, accordingly, dealing with various devices which
arouse the curiosity and attention of the audience, such as novelty,31
the beauties allied with strangeness, and suspense.32The latter artifice
he considers to have been employed to perfection in Othello. However,
Hume does not include in any of his treatises such matters as plot,
peripety, spectacle, or the discovery; all of which Aristotle expounds
adequately. Incidentally, the Scottish philosopher and critic is careful
to indicate his acceptance of the "five act rule" and other tenets of the
Senecan group; but he protests against excessively bloody and horrible
scenes on the stage, as in Rowe's The Ambitious Stepmother.33
J. FREDERICKDOERING
Anderson College and TheologicalSeminary
27Lane Cooper,An Aristotelian Theory Comedy
of (New York, 1922), p. 174.
28See Aristotle,op. cit., cap. 1448.
29Compare A
with the attitude of Piccolomini; J. E. Spingarn, Historyof Literary
see
Criticism theRenaissance
in (New York, 1908), p. 12.
80 Hume, Essays,n, 21-22. 81 Cf. Kames,Elements Criticism, 68 ff.
of p.
3 Hume, Essays, I, 262.
83David Hume, Essays and Treatises Several
on (London,1772),I, 233.
Subjects