Part of the Nick Hern Books Dramatic Contexts series: important statements on the theatre by major figures in the theatre. One of the most influential tracts in world theatre, Aristotle's Poetics is crucial to an understanding of how drama works, and how it has evolved. It is the source of the doctrine of the Three Unities – of Time, Place and Action – and the concept of catharsis in tragedy. Writing only a hundred years after Sophocles and Euripides, Aristotle's insights into Greek drama are endlessly rewarding. This English translation by Kenneth McLeish makes the famous text more accessible than ever before, without cutting or paraphrasing. Important passages are highlighted, while key words and concepts are glossed within the text, without the need for intrusive footnotes. The result is an authoritative text of Aristotle's Poetics that allows readers to experience his arguments directly for themselves. Also included is a compact introduction by McLeish to Aristotle and his ideas.