James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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τινὰ τῶν ἡρώων κτλ. Cf. III 387 D. In ῥῆσιν—κοπτομένους the contrast is between a ῥῆσις or set speech, spoken and not sung, “quales multae in tragoediis, Euripidis praesertim” (Casaubon apud Stallbaum), and κομμοί, which are sung. Hence ἢ καὶ—κοπτομένους, ‘or if you like singing and beating the breast,’ is perfectly accurate, and we ought not to change καὶ ᾁδοντας into κλάοντας or κλαίοντας (with Ast, Cobet, Baiter) or ᾁδοντας into ἀλύοντας (with Winckelmann). For ἢ καί cf. 599 A note The readings τινὰς—ὄντας—ἀποτείνοντας in q and some other MSS are only attempts to obliterate the common irregularity of a singular (τινά etc.) passing into a plural: see on I 347 A. Richards ‘suspects’ that Plato wrote μιμουμένου—ἀποτείνοντος—κλαίοντος—κοπτομένου. The conjecture is as unnecessary as it is bold.

χαίρομεν κτλ. Pity, according to Aristotle, as well as Plato, is aroused by Tragedy: see Poet. 6. 1449^{b} 27. With συμπάσχοντες κτλ. cf. Arist. Pol. Θ 5. 1340^{a} 12 ἔτι δὲ ἀκροώμενοι τῶν μιμήσεων γίνονται πάντες συμπαθεῖς, and with ἐπαινοῦμεν — διαθῇ Laws 800 D ὃς ἂν δακρῦσαι μάλιστα τὴν θύσασαν παραχρῆμα ποιήσῃ πόλιν, οὗτος τὰ νικητήρια φέρει, Phil. 48 A τάς γε τραγικὰς θεωρήσεις, ὅταν ἅμα χαίροντες κλάωσι and Ion 535 E. See also on 606 B and III 395 D.