ldom
does any great interest arise from the action; which, instead of being
progressive and sustained, is commonly either a mere necessary
condition of the drama, or a convenience for the introduction of
matter more important than itself. It is often stationary--often
irregular--sometimes either wants or outlives the catastrophe. In the
plays of Aeschylus it is always simple and inartificial--in four out
of the seven there is hardly any plot at all;--and, though it is of
more prominent importance in those of Sophocles, yet even here the
_Oedipus at Colonus_ is a mere series of incidents, and the _Ajax_ a
union of two separate tales; while in the _Philoctetes_, which is
apparently busy, the circumstances of the action are but slightly
connected with the _denouement_. The carelessness of Euripides in the
construction of his plots is well known. The action then will be more
justly viewed as the vehicle for introducing the personages of the
drama, than as the principal object of the poet's art; it is not in
the plot, but in the characters, sentiments, and diction, that the
actual merit and poetry of the composition is placed. To show this to
the satisfaction of the reader, would require a minuter investigation
of details than our present purpose admits; yet a few instances in
point may suggest others to the memory. E. g. in neither the _Oedipus
Coloneus_ nor the _Philoctetes_, the two most beautiful plays of
Sophocles, is the plot striking; but how exquisite is the delineation
of the characters of Antigone and Oedipus, in the former tragedy,
particularly in their interview with Polynices, and the various
descriptions of the scene itself which the Chorus furnishes! In the
_Philoctetes_, again, it is the contrast between the worldly wisdom of
Ulysses, the inexperienced frankness of Neoptolemus, and the
simplicity of the afflicted Philoctetes, which constitutes the
principal charm of the drama. Or we may instance the spirit and nature
displayed in the grouping of the characters in the _Prometheus_ which
is almost without action;--the stubborn enemy of the new dynasty of
gods; Oceanus trimming, as an accomplished politician, with the change
of affairs; the single-hearted and generous Nereids; and Hermes the
favourite and instrument of the usurping potentate. So again, the
beauties of the _Thebae_ are almost independent of the plot;--it is
the Chorus which imparts grace and interest to the actionless scene;
and the speech of Ant