Chapter 23. Authenticity of Feelings

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What we are exploring: How was the state of pathos achieved and why?

What's new: How did catharsis cleanse the soul of vices?

What we will learn: What is the role of ecstasy in purifying the perverted image of beauty?

1. The spectacle of difficult emotional experiences on stage is valuable precisely because a light exercise is always useful for the nerves, although the mental pain portrayed by the actor can cause a feeling of pain in the viewer. We do not receive any harm from the performance, and the stimulus itself gives us pleasure (Gilbert K. E., Kuhn G. 2000) [1].

2. A spectacle of difficult emotional experiences. Aristophanes' mise-en-scène reaches pathos*. On stage, an actor in a comedy suit playing Aeschylus (probably Aristophanes himself), wearing a massive mask of the face of "sorrow" of a crimson color (the crimson color conveyed a feeling of irritation and rage), condemned and mourned in a loud voice [2].

AESCHYLUS:

Among the freaks and nags, you won't find anyone,

Who would proudly rush with a torch?

(Aristophanes. Comedies. Fragments. 2000. Frogs. 1087, 1088) [3].

A majestic pose like that of a judge pronouncing a fair verdict. The power of the voice and intonation of indignation for the illegal actions committed. Dynamic and temperamental gestures towards spiteful critics. Concerns about the state of the people who have suffered damage. All this, multiplied by Aristophanes' talented performance of his role, touches and awakens the feelings of the audience. The state of pathos has been achieved (III fr. 10. 11). Pathos creates the conditions for cleansing the vices of the soul through the process of catharsis.

* Pathos (Greek suffering), the passion that causes an action that entails suffering, as well as the suffering itself, is the main element of tragedy in antiquity. Pathos belongs to the emotional elements of tragedy and creates in it, as in pathetic music (playing the flute), creatures, a prerequisite for catharsis [4].

3. The process of catharsis. There is a growing roar of indignation and disapproval, whistling and stamping of feet towards the guilty - Euripides, adult citizens, and young men [2]. Some of the citizens sitting in the theatron (seats for spectators) recognize themselves with an unpleasant feeling of surprise in the comedic image of idle critics. The young men are given a challenge, despite their confidence in their fake (fake) attractiveness, physical strength, and form. They look around - are they really not so beautiful (freaks), so weak, and look like "nags"? Is none of them worthy to participate in the torch race at the Great Panathenaea? Doubts and public condemnation cause feelings of shame. The mask is removed, and their vice comes out. Thus, unconsciously for the audience, purification of the soul or catharsis (Greek: cahtarsis) occurs [5]. But at this moment another voice is heard, and their attention is again transferred to the stage. They turn their attention to another comedy character - a parody of Hercules - Dionysus.

* Catharsis (Greek: cleansing). According to the views of the Greeks, a human's physical and mental health depends on the harmonious combination of all elements and "forces" (dynameis). Medicine restores destroyed harmony through cleansing procedures; poetry and music also "purify" and liberate the soul and spirit of a human with their beneficial influence. For Plato, catharsis becomes a prerequisite for the immersion of the soul in the bosom of the deity, and thereby the totality of all human virtues (author's italics) [4].

 For Plato, catharsis becomes a prerequisite for the immersion of the soul in the bosom of the deity, and thereby the totality of all human virtues (author's italics) [4]

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