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... ; it is presented in dramatic, not narrative form, and achieves, through the representation of pitiable and fearful incidents, the catharsis of such incidents" (Golden 11). A few of these terms need clarification. "Noble" does not mean that the characters are necessarily of high moral standing or that they must always be kings, heroes, or gods: the title character of Euripides' Medea is a wicked sorceress who kills her own children. According to Hardison, the term could be translated as larger than life, majestic, or serious (Golden 84). "Magnitude" refers not to the greatness of the subject matter, as some have suggested, but to the appropriate length of a production. Earlier in the Poetics, Aristotle contrasts the shorter action of a play with that of an epic poem such as the Iliad. Dramatic action naturally is limited to what can be presented within two or three hours. "Enhanced language" refers ...