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Unities
Unities, of time, place, and action, the three elements of drama introduced into French dramatic literature by Jean Mairet, based on a misinterpretation of comments in Aristotle's Poetics. They demanded that a play should consist of one action, represented as occurring in not more than 24 hours, and always in the same place. Aristotle insists only on the unity of action, merely mentions the unity of time, and says nothing about the unity of place, though this was to a certain extent imposed on Greek dramatists by the presence of the chorus. The observance of the unities, defined by Boileau in his Art poétique (1674), became an essential characteristic of French classical tragedy (though both Corneille and Racine ignored them when they wished) and found its way, with neo-classicism, into Spain and Italy. In England the influence of Shakespeare, who certainly had no regard for the unities of time and place and very little for that of action, was strong enough to counteract the efforts of Restoration writers of tragedy, of whose works only Addison's Cato (1713) is now remembered.
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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Unities." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Unities." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Unities.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Unities." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Unities.html |
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Unities
UNITIESIn real property law, the four characteristics that are peculiar to property owned by several individuals as joint tenants. The four unities are unity of time, unity of title, unity of interest, and unity of possession. Unity of time is a characteristic because each joint tenant receives his or her interest at the same time—that is, upon delivery of the deed to the property. Unity of title exists because each tenant receives his or her title from the same grantor, and unity of interest because each tenant owns an undivided interest in the property. Unity of possession exists because each tenant has the right of possession of every part of the whole property. cross-references |
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"Unities." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Unities." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437704508.html "Unities." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437704508.html |
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