Editing Classical unities (section)

===Italy===
In 1514, author and critic [[Gian Giorgio Trissino]] (1478 – 1550) introduced the concept of the unities in his blank-verse tragedy, [[Sophonisba|''Sofonisba'']]. Trissino claimed he was following Aristotle. However, Trissino had no access to Aristotle's most significant work on the tragic form, [[Poetics (Aristotle)|''Poetics'']]. Trissino expanded with his own ideas on what he was able to glean from Aristotle's book, [[Rhetoric (Aristotle)|''Rhetoric'']]. In ''Rhetoric'' Aristotle considers the dramatic elements of action and time, while focusing on audience reception. Poor translations at the time resulted in some misreadings by Trissino.<ref>Ascoli, Albert Russell, ''Renaissance Drama 36/37: Italy in the Drama of Europe.'' Northwestern University Press, 2010. p. 46-56 {{ISBN|9780810124158}}</ref><ref>Simpson, Edwin. ''The Dramatic Unities.'' Trubner & Co. (1878)</ref>

Trissino's play ''Sofonisba'' followed classical Greek style by adhering to the unities, by omitting the usual act division, and even introducing a chorus. The many Italian playwrights that came after Trissino in the 16th century, also wrote in accordance to the unities. However, according to ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'', the imitation of classical forms and modes had a deadening effect on Italian drama, which became "rhetorical and inert". None of the 16th century tragedies that were influenced by the rediscovery of ancient literature have survived except as historic examples. One of the best is [[Pietro Aretino]]'s ''Orazia'' (1546), which nevertheless is found to be stiff, distant and lacking in feeling.<ref>Banham, Martin and Brandon, James, eds. ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre''. Cambridge University Press, 1995. {{ISBN|9780521434379}}. p. 544</ref>

In 1570 the unities were codified and given new definition by [[Lodovico Castelvetro]] ({{circa|1505}} – 1571) in his influential translation and interpretation of Aristotle's ''Poetics'', ''Poetica d'Aristotele vulgarizzata e sposta'' ("The Poetics of Aristotle translated in the Vulgar Language and commented on"). Though Castelvetro's translations are considered crude and inaccurate, and though he at times altered Aristotle's meanings to make his own points, his translations were influential and inspired the vast number of scholarly debates and discussions that followed all through Europe.<ref>Clarke, Barrett H. ''European Theories of Drama''. Crown Publishers. (1969) P. 48</ref><ref>Urban, Richard L. "All or Nothing at All: Another Look at the Unity of Time in Aristotle". ''The Classical Journal''. Vol. 61, No. 6. (March 1966) pp. 262-264</ref>