Theatres of the Crisis of the Self Theatres of Metamorphosis Theatres of Self and No-Self

7/24/2019 Theatres of the Crisis of the Self Theatres of Metamorphosis Theatres of Self and No-Self

1/9

Theatres of the Crisis of the Self , Theatres of Metamorphosis,

Theatres of the Self and No-Self

In Anton Chekhovs The Seagull, Nina complains that Treplevs play is diicult to

act !ecause it has no living characters, "hereupon he ans"ers#

Living characters! We dont have to show life as it is, even as it ought to be, but aswe see it in our dreams!.

In the years that have ollo"ed, Ninas desire to provide character a consistency in

terms o motivation and action, emotional causality and psychological determinism,

has !ecome more and more a distant memory$

The modern sel has !een deined as a uni%ue, authentic, true, primary and sta!le

identity & at the centre o a kno"a!le "orld and is related to the Cartesian cogito,

even though it can !e traced to its ancient roots, especially in the idealism o 'lato$ A

transcendental su!(ect prior to gender, desire and se), su!(ected only to its o"n "ill to

truth and kno"ledge* to its o"n coherent identity$

A center, a point o origin is imposed, !ut the process o creating a center necessitates

a split !et"een the su!(ect in the centre and the peripheral o!(ect $A process o

dierentiating the Sel rom the +ther is simultaneously set in motion, as a means o

esta!lishing, producing and maintaining an identity$

The rational and autonomous su!(ect occupies a position o centrality !ut it e)ists in

isolation and in opposition to the orld, regarding the orld as an o!(ect distinct

rom the Sel$ The "orld !ecomes the marginali-ed +ther * an o!(ect to !e studied,

interpreted, erotici-ed ,e)hi!ited, coloni-ed ,desired , su!alterned and ultimately ,

murdered$

.ut the !asic ontological security o "estern metaphysics has collapsed and the

uniied su!(ect can not stand$ Its relation to the "orld is deeply pro!lematic since thesu!(ect ails to grasp that it is host to the otherness to "hich it is actually opposed

$The +ther is the supplement, the alternative, the complement* the other side o the

Sel$

Character as a notion and concept in the dramatic arts is deeply dependent on

contemporary constructions o su!(ectivity and constitutes at the same time the

maniestation o a change concerning the perception o the Sel and the relations

!et"een the Sel and the orld$

+ne o the important aspects o the re &theatricali-ation pro(ects during /0thcentury

Theater is the investigation o the relations !et"een identity and alterity, !et"een the

Sel and the +ther$The 1ask has !een used e)tensively as a paradigm or the crisis o the Sel$ The "ays

o addressing the %uestion as "ell as the pro!a!le ans"ers given can vary$ In the

Theatres o the Crisis o the Sel, the mask is in opposition to the ace and this

polarity has taken dierent values or dierent authors$

'latos distinction !et"een the realm o Ideas and the "orld o 2eality, replicated in

the conlict !et"een movement and orm, is one o the central themes o 'irandellos

Si) Characters in Search o an Author$

A proessional acting company during the rehearsal o another 'irandellian play, is

conronted !y si) characters "ho invade the theater and interrupt the rehearsal $They

impose on the theatre troupe the enactment o the central scene o their drama,

3


2/9

arguing that their reality, their drama is the genuine reality* the a!solute reality o

orm contrasted to the relative reality o the lu) o lie$

The characters are i)ed, characters in a narrative that have never !een "ritten, the

creatures o an authors imagination "ho have escaped his control and "ho are not

interested in inishing their story$

So, the characters are in search o an author to inish their narrative and give theirlives the order and coherence o a deinite "ork o art$

They long to !e released rom their purgatory "here they are all entrapped $Their

desire is to re& enact the crucial scene o the meeting o the Step daughter and the

4ather at 1adame 'aces !rothel $5aving a se)ual interest in her, the 4ather suers

disgrace and shame "hen he understands that she is his o"n stepdaughter$

They convince the director to stage their story and the actors are called to give their

interpretation o the individual scenes $That o course diers su!stantially rom the

original version presented !y the characters and urther on , it diers rom each one o

the characters o"n point o vie"$

According to 'irandello the characters should !e presented as created realities,unchanging constructs o the imagination and thereore more solidly real than the

actors "ith their luid naturalness $They should "ear masks to set them apart rom the

actors and each mask should e)press the essential undamental eeling o the

character$ The 4athers mask should e)press remorse, the Stepdaughters revenge, the

1others sorro" and the Sons scorn$

The masked characters have a superior consciousness and are more dense, su!stantial

and continuous characters than the actors $They are !igger than lie !ut e)actly

!ecause they are so intense and dramatic, they are e)perienced as dead$ As i, art

creates meaning rom the chaotic lie !ut is also entrapped in its o"n state$

In comparison, the actors have the attri!utes o an unmediated and spontaneous lie

!ut seem lesser than lie* undeined and uninteresting individuals "ho are al"ays in

search o a te)t to enact and !ecome alive through it$

The moment o the theatrical enactment is the only moment they meet$ The stage

!ecomes the -one "here dierent realities meet$

4or 'irandello and his ironic understanding o the human condition, the theatrical is

the ate o the human !eing, condemned to it !y consciousness$ Theatre is a mask that

imposes a constructed order on a chaotic reality as the individual creates an artiicial

order to survive$

I the collision o lie and theatre is a metaphor or an e)istential dilemma, then the

mask and the ace are also on a collision course$ It is not possi!le to live "ith the

mask and it is impossi!le to survive "ithout it$ The mask is a positive adaptation!ecause it provides orm and coherence and creates an artiicial pattern rom the

chaos o lie$ It is also a negative !ecause it suppresses the vitality o the human ace

and is connected to the paralysis o sel consciousness$

There is no possi!ility to achieve a union o opposites$ 1ask and ace are in an

unresolva!le opposition and character has !ecome ontologically pro!lematic$

4or 1ar) the reduction o the ull human potential to a mask is a direct result o

capitalism and its alse perception o the artiicial construct o the individuals social

role, as an a!solute value$ .ut or 1ar) the mask has a positive side !oth as a social

role created in reaction to others !ut also as a chosen means to pro(ect a personal

voice, a persona$

/


3/9

.recht ollo"s 1ar) in the analysis o the social aspects o human lie in class

societies "here corruption, poverty, misery and the ruthless e)ploitation o the

individual are everyday phenomena $5e uses the mask as a social role "hich allo"s a

reali-ation o personal aspirations and their integration "ith the social lie o the

su!(ect, into a "hole personality$

In his play The 6ood 'erson rom S-ech"an the emale prostitute Shen Teh is

disguised as her male cousin Shui Ta "ith the use o mask and costume$

Shen Teh is goodhearted, spontaneous, generous, compassionate and impulsive in her

desire to help others$ .ut she is also politically, socially and emotionally na7ve and

easy to manipulate$

Shui Ta is a young gentleman, a cunning, cynical and opportunistic character $A

natural talent in the e)ploitation o others and the a!ility to increase his o"n

economy* a capitalist "ho succeeds in creating a to!acco industry rom a small

to!acco shop$ 5e displays a greater kno"ledge o the discriminations o the class

system than Shen Teh$

The emale su!(ect stages her alter ego as an act o desperation, reinorced !y social

and emotional reasons and this ne" persona gives her the opportunity to act in !oth

roles $

In this dou!le act the character unites and com!ines the t"o desires to continue !eing

altruistic and compassionate !ut also to create and sustain the economical

presuppositions or the uture o her child to !e !orn$

In moments o great emotional distress the identity o the male cousin is threatened as

the emale !reaks through the masculine mask$ In these dramatic moments, "hen the

construction o the ace8mask is !reaking do"n, "e see the mask o Shui Ta and "e

hear the voice o Shen Teh$

9ike in a multiple personality disorder in "hich a stronger character takes control to

protect more vulnera!le parts o the sel, Shui Ta threatens to permanently displace

Shen Teh$

At the end Shen Teh understands that "ithout kno"ledge a!out the dialectics o class

and economics, to !e good can do more harm than good $She !ecomes a"are that her

goodness can not e)ist outside the domain o the society$ 6oodness is not a

metaphysical %uality$

Neither identity is really the true Sel$ Shen Teh reali-es that Shui Ta is a necessary

part o hersel$ .oth are components o the Sel, "hich is created !y the dialectics

!et"een the ace and the mask$ The masculine mask is antithetical to the eminineace in the spatial dimension since they can not e)ist simultaneously, !ut they are

complementary in the temporal dimension as the one ollo"s al"ays ater the other$

The social role, the masculine mask contri!utes to the evolution o a solid and "hole

personality !y imposing valid limits to the shapelessness o the su!(ectivity and the

chaos o the emotions o the eminine $The 6ood 'erson !ecomes a!le to unction in

society$ The mask sets to "ork a potential or gro"th$

.recht arrives at a pro(ected synthesis o the ace and the mask and develops a

genuine dialectic "here the social role ac%uires only a relative truth and hope or a

society that can allo" the social role to !e reintegrated into the Sel$

In the prologue o his play The .lacks# A Clo"n Sho", :ean 6enet notes that theplay has !een "ritten !y a "hite author and it is thought to address a "hite audience$

;


4/9

I or any reason it happens to !e perormed in ront o a !lack audience there should

al"ays !e at least one "hite spectator, "ho should !e placed in an honorary seat at the

middle o the irst ro" $


5/9

The crisis o the Sel is !ased upon the undamental ace 8 mask polarity$

In "estern thought the mask al"ays implies opposition$ The mask is al"ays in contrast to the

ultimate sign o su!(ectivity, the last resort o the idea o the uni%ue sel, the human ace, ?ven

"hen the mask is a sign o the impossi!ility o creating some true sel there is al"ays an

underlying, melancholia, nostalgia or "rath or the never e)isted core, as in the case o 'irandello

and 6enet$$


6/9

At the end o Sarah Danes play Cleansed the character o 6race looks and sounds

like her deceased !rother 6raham$ She has !een transormed into him$

5einer 1ullers =uartet may, in its am!iguity, !e interpreted as a play containing a

series o metamorphoses$

The play is !ased upon the epistolary novel !y 9aclos 9iaisons


7/9

The su!(ect is a site o repetition "here it achieves a sem!lance o identity through a

process o repetition o its sel$

The process is not perormed !y a su!(ect "ho e)ists prior to them !ut is constituted through such

perormances and its appearance as a sta!le identity relies on its repeated enactment, an idea that

reminds us o 6enet$

Trying to address the contradictory properties o the modernist su!(ectpoststructuralist theories o su!(ectivity have advocated a movement a"ay rom a

uniied concept to a multiple de&centered and changea!le sel, "here its orce lies in

its undecida!le status$ In order to render the site o identity as permanently

pro!lematic, multiplicity has !ecome a strategy$

These are the aesthetics o the historical trauma o the t"entieth century$ The ground

-ero o the rationality o ?nlightenment and the uniied sel is the time8space deined

!y the irst and the second orld ar, Ausch"it- and 5iroshima, the theologies o

hate o the 833, the on going ecological destruction o the planet !y glo!al capitalism

and the conditions o post&modernity "ith its e)posure to glo!al diversity,

technological advances and increased contact !et"een cultures and countries$ Notions

o rationality, humanity and su!(ectivity can never !e the same again$.ut post &structuralist theories still remain invested in a su!(ect that is separated rom

the "orld$

.uddhist theory diers in that the human and the "orld are !oth orms o the

universal su!stance$ The notion o annata or no&sel is a corollary o the .uddhist

precept that all human suering arises rom the grasping or an illusory permanence$

Sel is an illusion invoked !y the mind in its identiication "ith passing phenomena

$This a!iding sel set apart rom its environment leads only to suering and should !e

a!andoned$

The attachment to the idea o the sel is !ased upon the ear o death, the ultimate

loss o identity and control $


8/9

According to the Hncertainty 'rinciple & undamental 2eality is indeterminate and

remains a matter o pro!a!ilities & a matter o chance$

The many "orlds theory suggests that there are an ininite num!er o "orlds, in each

one o "hich "e could ind a version o our o"n sel dierent rom the others in that

it had pursued and developed other possi!le chain o events and none o these are lost,they e)ist all together$

The notion o non locality, descri!es the a!ility o one !ody to inluence another

instantaneously despite there !eing no e)change o orce and energy$ All that leads to

an understanding o the indivisi!ility o consciousness, the mental !eing a !asic

property o the material and vice versa as the "ave particle duality relects the mind8

!ody relationship$

2eality is not static, solid or independent$ +ur consciousness inter&relates "ith other

living and perhaps non&living matter in the universe$ 1ind is relationship and matter

is that "hich it relates to$ Neither, on its o"n, could evolve or e)press anything*together they give us ourselves and the "orld$

The %uantum sel is real and sta!le or rom moment to moment more shiting and

luctuating $The %uantum sel is a composite, an ongoing dialogue !et"een past

present and uture selves$ A luid sel changing and evolving at every moment,

separating into su! selves and uniting into more coherent ones$

The =uantum "orld transcends the dichotomy !et"een the individual and relationship

!y sho"ing that individuals can only !e the individuals they are "ithin a conte)t and

dynamic relationship as the !asis o all that is$

In this landscape I have tried to sketch the mask so that it may again meet the ace &

no longer as the negative aspect o the polarity ace8mask$ No longer as the site that

denies essentiality to the ace$ The advanced consumerism and commodity culture o

late capitalism has already su!verted the idea o the uni%ue ace replacing it "ith

empty reproductions o the same image$ The aesthetics o !eautiication, o

commercial makeup and surgical modiications have already replaced the uni%ue ace

!y endless repetitions o, until no" mostly, emale aces & looking all alike$

In this cultural climate the mask may again meet the ace as its complementary aspect$

It could !e a "ay o !reaking do"n the !inaries o the ace and the mask, !eyond thetension !et"een identity and alterity that has deined the masks presence on stage

during modernism$

In the theatres o the Sel and the No& Sel masks could !e a revelation o the past,

present and uture selves, constantly recreating the past and imagining the uture$ The

mask !ecomes limitless versions o the ace$

In :aco! 5ird"alls play , not "ritten or masks, Sel portraits o unkno"n men

aces and masks could meet creating an une)pected "e! o relations$ The play

consists o ity monologues, !ased upon the eidetic imagery created !y the

consciousness (ust !eore alling asleep$ Images o memory, lived reality andimagination created !y a chorus o voices "ith merging and dissolving identities,

B


9/9

visuali-ations o alternative selves, o people alive and dead$ $ 5umanity in deep

hypnosis or on the verge o death$ As TS ?liot "rote#

Time ast and time future are both resent in time now

Documents

Theatres of the Crisis of the Self Theatres of Metamorphosis Theatres of Self and No-Self