Dramatic Unities (The thr

One catastrophe, one locality, one day. These are Aristotle's rules for tragedy, and the French plays strictly follow them.

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.

E. Cobham Brewer 1810-1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898