What Are Aristotle's Three Unities of Drama?

The unities are meant to focus on verisimilitude in drama, which requires that the drama takes on a closer to truth approach and represents what could only be possible in real life. Unity of time demands that plays should be confined to a short period of time or within 24 hours. For example, "Oedipus Rex" occurs in an hour and a half. The second Aristotelian unity, unity of place, emphasizes the use of a single locale, such as one city or town. In addition, unity of action limits the play to a single plot.