unities, the

Rules designed to regulate the structure of classical drama. There were three unities: the unity of time restricted the duration of events to 24 hours; the unity of action specified the use of just one plot with no subplots; and the unity of place limited the site of the action to a single location.

They were formulated by 16th-century critics, interpreting Aristotle, and were intended to make the dramatic action more comprehensible. They were largely ignored except by the 17th-century tragedians Corneille and Racine.