All forms are imitation, but they differ in objects, mode of representation, and the medium. In comedy, men are worse than actual life, in tragedy they are better. Men instinctually imitate, and they desire order.

All the elements of epic poetry are found in tragedy, but tragedy has more than the epic. Good tragedy has plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and song. Plot, arrangement of incidents, is first, followed by character. Thought is next and shows what kind of characters and scene we get. Then finally diction and song.