Creating him in this way, we reach one who cannot be called absolutely virtuous nor vicious’
Sassetti repeats Vettori’s use of the term errore and claims that one does not need to search for a precise definition of this error within the subtleties of moral philosophy, as Aristotle was clear enough in requiring a protagonist of middle station. Sassetti’s dismissal of these fine-grained definitions of hamartia would seem not only to dismiss the link to moral philosophy that obtained in many commentaries on this passage, but also the Christian moralization of hamartia as irrelevant to the Poetics, providing further support for Sassetti’s focus on composing rhetorically effective poetry that could move the emotions of its audience. Ultimately, in this exchange, Alterati members demonstrate their awareness of Castelvetro’s commentary and its Christian reading of haartia through the lens of Aristotelian moral philosophy, yet they dismiss both readings to focus instead on the effects that such an error has on the audience. (more…)