E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Dramatic Unities (The thrée).
One catastrophe, one locality, one day. These are Aristotle’s rules for tragedy, and the French plays strictly follow them.
1
The French have added a fourth, one style. Hence comedy must not be mixed with tragedy. Addison’s Cato is a good example. Unity of style is called the Unity of Uniformity. Shakespeare disregards all these canons.
