The Discussion of Media in the First Chapter of Aristotle’s Poetics

Ιn discussing the different media used by mimetic arts in the first chapter of the Poetics, Aristotle refers to arts which imitate διὰ τῆς φωνῆς. This paper argues that with this phrase Aristotle means certain forms of popular entertainment as well as theatre acting, both of which used the human voice as a simple medium of mimicry. In connection with the overall discussion of media, it is argued that the whole chapter is logically structured according to Aristotle’s scientific method and has - under the influence of Plato - as its starting point the wider concept of mousikē. As early as this chapter, which is not intended to present a system of arts but only to explain in a broader context the media used by the poetic art, the visual element of the performance (opsis) is ignored. The whole discussion is oriented from the outset towards the dramatic text, not the performance.