Λυκῖνος εὐκίνητος δὲ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο πάντως ἔστω καὶ τὸ σῶμα λελυμένος τε ἅμα καὶ συμπεπηγώς, ὡς λυγίζεσθαί τε ὅπη καιρὸς καὶ συνεστάναι καρτερῶς, εἰ τούτου δέοι.
Λυκῖνος ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἀπήλλακται ὄρχησις καὶ τῆς ἐναγωνίου χειρονομίας ἀλλὰ μετέχει καὶ τῶν Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Πολυδεύκους καὶ Ἡρακλέους ἐν ἀθλήσει καλῶν ἴδοις ἂν ἑκάστῃ τῶν μιμήσεων ἐπισχών.
Ἡροδότῳ μὲν οὖν τὰ διʼ ὀμμάτων φαινόμενα πιστότερα εἶναι τῶν ὤτων δοκεῖ· ὀρχήσει δὲ καὶ τὰ ὤτων καὶ ὀφθαλμῶν πρόσεστιν.
Λυκῖνος οὕτω δὲ θέλγει ὄρχησις ὥστε ἂν ἐρῶν τις εἰς τὸ θέατρον παρέλθοι, ἐσωφρονίσθη ἰδὼν ὅσα ἔρωτος κακὰ τέλη· καὶ λύπῃ ἐχόμενος ἐξέρχεται τοῦ θεάτρου φαιδρότερος ὥσπερ τι φάρμακον ληθεδανὸν καὶ κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν νηπενθές τε καὶ ἄχολον πιών. σημεῖον δὲ τῆς πρὸς τὰ γιγνόμενα οἰκειότητος καὶ τοῦ γνωρίζειν ἕκαστον τῶν ὁρώντων τὰ δεικνύμενα τὸ καὶ δακρύειν πολλάκις τοὺς θεατάς, ὁπόταν τι οἰκτρὸν καὶ ἐλεεινὸν φαίνηται. ἡ μέν γε Βακχικὴ ὄρχησις ἐν Ἰωνίᾳ μάλιστα καὶ ἐν Πόντῳ σπουδαζομένη, καίτοι σατυρικὴ οὖσα, οὕτω κεχείρωται τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς ἐκεῖ ὥστε κατὰ τὸν τεταγμένον ἕκαστοι καιρόν, ἁπάντων ἐπιλαθόμενοι τῶν ἄλλων, κάθηνται διʼ ἡμέρας τιτᾶνας καὶ κορύβαντας καὶ σατύρους καὶ βουκόλους ὁρῶντες. καὶ ὀρχοῦνταί γε ταῦτα οἱ εὐγενέστατοι καὶ πρωτεύοντες ἐν ἑκάστῃ τῶν πόλεων, οὐχ ὅπως αἰδούμενοι ἀλλὰ καὶ μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι μᾶλλον ἤπερ ἐπʼ εὐγενείαις καὶ λειτουργίαις καὶ ἀξιώμασι προγονικοῖς.
Another essential for the pantomime is ease of movement. His frame must be at once supple and well-knit, to meet the opposite requirements of agility and firmness. That he is no stranger to the science of the boxing—and the wrestling-ring, that he has his share of the athletic accomplishments of Hermes and Pollux and Heracles, you may convince yourself by observing his renderings of those subjects. The eyes, according to Herodotus, are more credible witnesses than the ears; though the pantomime, by the way, appeals to both kinds of evidence.
Such is the potency of his art, that the amorous spectator is cured of his infirmity by perceiving the evil effects of passion, and he who enters the theatre under a load of sorrow departs from it with a serene countenance, as though he had drunk of that draught of forgetfulness
That lulls all pain and wrath.
How natural is his treatment of his subjects, how intelligible to every one of his audience, may be judged from the emotion of the house whenever anything is represented that calls for sorrow or compassion. The Bacchic form of Pantomime, which is particularly popular in Ionia and Pontus, in spite of its being confined to satyric subjects has taken such possession of those peoples, that, when the Pantomime season comes round in each city, they leave all else and sit for whole days watching Titans and Corybantes, Satyrs and neat-herds. Men of the highest rank and position are not ashamed to take part in these performances: indeed, they pride themselves more on their pantomimic skill than on birth and ancestry and public services.
Λυκῖνος ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἔφην τὰς ὀρχηστικάς, ἄκουε καὶ τὰς κακίας αὐτῶν. τὰς μὲν οὖν ἐν σώματι ἤδη ἔδειξα, τὰς δὲ τῆς διανοίας οὕτως ἐπιτηρεῖν, οἶμαι, δύναιο ἄν. πολλοὶ γὰρ αὐτῶν ὑπʼ ἀμαθίας — ἀμήχανον γὰρ ἅπαντας εἶναι σοφούς — καὶ σολοικίας δεινὰς ἐν τῇ ὀρχήσει ἐπιδείκνυνται, οἱ μὲν ἄλογα κινούμενοι καὶ μηδέν, ὥς φασι, πρὸς τὴν χορδήν, ἕτερα μὲν γὰρ ὁ πούς, ἕτερα δʼ ὁ ῥυθμὸς λέγει· οἱ δὲ εὔρυθμα μέν, τὰ πράγματα δὲ μετάχρονα ἢ πρόχρονα, οἷον ἐγώ ποτε ἰδὼν μέμνημαι. τὰς γὰρ Διὸς γονὰς ὀρχούμενός τις καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κρόνου τεκνοφαγίαν παρωρχεῖτο τὰς Θυέστου συμφοράς, τῷ ὁμοίῳ παρηγμένος. καὶ ἄλλος τὴν Σεμέλην ὑποκρινόμενος βαλλομένην τῷ κεραυνῷ τὴν Γλαύκην αὐτῇ εἴκαζε μεταγενεστέραν οὖσαν. ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπό γε τῶν τοιούτων ὀρχηστῶν ὀρχήσεως αὐτῆς, οἶμαι, καταγνωστέον οὐδὲ τὸ ἔργον αὐτὸ μισητέον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μέν, ὥσπερ εἰσίν, ἀμαθεῖς νομιστέον, ἐπαινετέον δὲ τοὺς ἐννόμως καὶ κατὰ ῥυθμὸν τῆς τέχνης ἱκανῶς ἕκαστα δρῶντας.
Λυκῖνος ὅλως δὲ τὸν ὀρχηστὴν δεῖ πανταχόθεν ἀπηκριβῶσθαι, ὡς εἶναι τὸ πᾶν εὔρυθμον, εὔμορφον, σύμμετρον, αὐτὸ αὑτῷ ἐοικός, ἀσυκοφάντητον, ἀνεπίληπτον, μηδαμῶς ἐλλιπές, ἐκ τῶν ἀρίστων κεκραμένον, τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις ὀξύν, τὴν παιδείαν βαθύν, τὰς ἐννοίας ἀνθρώπινον μάλιστα. ὁ γοῦν ἔπαινος αὐτῷ τότʼ ἂν γίγνοιτο ἐντελὴς παρὰ τῶν θεατῶν ὅταν ἕκαστος τῶν ὁρώντων γνωρίζῃ τὰ αὑτοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ ὥσπερ ἐν κατόπτρῳ τῷ ὀρχηστῇ ἑαυτὸν βλέπῃ καὶ ἃ πάσχειν αὐτὸς καὶ ἃ ποιεῖν εἴωθεν· τότε γὰρ οὐδὲ κατέχειν ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὑφʼ ἡδονῆς δύνανται, ἀλλʼ ἀθρόοι πρὸς τὸν ἔπαινον ἐκχέονται, τὰς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ἕκαστος εἰκόνας ὁρῶντες καὶ αὑτοὺς γνωρίζοντες. ἀτεχνῶς γὰρ τὸ Δελφικὸν ἐκεῖνο τὸ Γνῶθι σεαυτὸν ἐκ τῆς θέας αὐτοῖς περιγίγνεται, καὶ ἀπέρχονται ἀπὸ τοῦ θεάτρου ἅ τε χρὴ αἱρεῖσθαι καὶ ἃ φεύγειν μεμαθηκότες καὶ ἃ πρότερον ἠγνόουν διδαχθέντες.
Now that we know what are the qualities that a good pantomime ought to possess, let us next consider the faults to which he is liable. Deficiencies of person I have already handled; and the following I think is a fair statement of their mental imperfections. Pantomimes cannot all be artists; there are plenty of ignorant performers, who bungle their work terribly. Some cannot adapt themselves to their music; they are literally ‘out of tune’; rhythm says one thing, their feet another. Others are free from this fault, but jumble up their chronology. I remember the case of a man who was giving the birth of Zeus, and Cronus eating his own children: seduced by the similarity of subject, he ran off into the tale of Atreus and Thyestes. In another case, Semele was just being struck by the lightning, when she was transformed into Creusa, who was not even born at that time. Still, it seems to me that we have no right to visit the sins of the artist upon the art: let us recognize him for the blunderer that he is, and do justice to the accuracy and skill of competent performers.
The fact is, the pantomime must be completely armed at every point. His work must be one harmonious whole, perfect in balance and proportion, self-consistent, proof against the most minute criticism; there must be no flaws, everything must be of the best; brilliant conception, profound learning, above all human sympathy. When every one of the spectators identifies himself with the scene enacted, when each sees in the pantomime as in a mirror the reflection of his own conduct and feelings, then, and not till then, is his success complete. But let him reach that point, and the enthusiasm of the spectators becomes uncontrollable, every man pouring out his whole soul in admiration of the portraiture that reveals him to himself. Such a spectacle is no less than a fulfilment of the oracular injunction KNOW THYSELF; men depart from it with increased knowledge; they have learnt something that is to be sought after, something that should be eschewed.
Λυκῖνος γίνεται δέ, ὥσπερ ἐν λόγοις, οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐν ὀρχήσει ἡ πρὸς τῶν πολλῶν λεγομένη κακοζηλία ὑπερβαινόντων τὸ μέτρον τῆς μιμήσεως καὶ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος ἐπιτεινόντων, καὶ εἰ μέγα τι δεῖξαι δέοι, ὑπερμέγεθες ἐπιδεικνυμένων, καὶ εἰ ἁπαλόν, καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν θηλυνομένων, καὶ τὰ ἀνδρώδη ἄχρι τοῦ ἀγρίου καὶ θηριώδους προαγόντων.
Λυκῖνος οἷον ἐγώ ποτε μέμνημαι ἰδὼν ποιοῦντα ὀρχηστὴν εὐδοκιμοῦντα πρότερον, συνετὸν μὲν τὰ ἄλλα καὶ θαυμάζεσθαι ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄξιον, οὐκ οἶδα δὲ ᾗτινι τύχῃ εἰς ἀσχήμονα ὑπόκρισιν διʼ ὑπερβολὴν μιμήσεως ἐξοκείλαντα. ὀρχούμενος γὰρ τὸν Αἴαντα μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν εὐθὺς μαινόμενον, εἰς τοσοῦτον ὑπερεξέπεσεν ὥστε οὐχ ὑποκρίνασθαι μανίαν ἀλλὰ μαίνεσθαι αὐτὸς εἰκότως ἄν τινι ἔδοξεν. ἑνὸς γὰρ τῶν τῷ σιδηρῷ ὑποδήματι κτυπούντων τὴν ἐσθῆτα κατέρρηξεν, ἑνὸς δὲ τῶν ὑπαυλούντων τὸν αὐλὸν ἁρπάσας τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως πλησίον ἑστῶτος καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ μέγα φρονοῦντος διεῖλε τὴν κεφαλὴν κατενεγκών, καὶ εἴ γε μὴ ὁ πῖλος ἀντέσχεν καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῆς πληγῆς ἀπεδέξατο, ἀπωλώλει ἂν ὁ κακοδαίμων Ὀδυσσεύς, ὀρχηστῇ παραπαίοντι περιπεσών. ἀλλὰ τό γε θέατρον ἅπαν συνεμεμήνει τῷ Αἴαντι καὶ ἐπήδων καὶ ἐβόων καὶ τὰς ἐσθῆτας ἀνερρίπτουν, οἱ μὲν συρφετώδεις καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἰδιῶται τοῦ μὲν εὐσχήμονος οὐκ ἐστοχασμένοι οὐδὲ τὸ χεῖρον ἢ τὸ κρεῖττον ὁρῶντες, ἄκραν δὲ μίμησιν τοῦ πάθους τὰ τοιαῦτα οἰόμενοι εἶναι· οἱ ἀστειότεροι δὲ συνιέντες μὲν καὶ αἰδούμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις, οὐκ ἐλέγχοντες δὲ σιωπῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα, τοῖς δὲ ἐπαίνοις καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν τῆς ὀρχήσεως ἐπικαλύπτοντες, καὶ ἀκριβῶς ὁρῶντες ὅτι οὐκ Αἴαντος ἀλλὰ ὀρχηστοῦ μανίας τὰ γιγνόμενα ἦν. οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεσθεὶς τούτοις ὁ γενναῖος ἄλλο μακρῷ τούτου γελοιότερον ἔπραξε· καταβὰς γὰρ εἰς τὸ μέσον ἐν τῇ βουλῇ δύο ὑπατικῶν μέσος ἐκαθέζετο, πάνυ δεδιότων μὴ καὶ αὐτῶν τινα ὥσπερ κριὸν μαστιγώσῃ λαβών.
καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα οἱ μὲν ἐθαύμαζον, οἱ δὲ ἐγέλων, οἱ δὲ ὑπώπτευον μὴ ἄρα ἐκ τῆς ἄγαν μιμήσεως εἰς τὴν τοῦ πάθους ἀλήθειαν ὑπηνέχθη.
Λυκῖνος καὶ αὐτὸν μέντοι φασὶν ἀνανήψαντα οὕτως μετανοῆσαι ἐφʼ οἷς ἐποίησεν ὥστε καὶ νοσῆσαι ὑπὸ λύπης, ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ μανίᾳ κατεγνωσμένον. καὶ ἐδήλωσέ γε τοῦτο σαφῶς αὐτός· αἰτούντων γὰρ αὖθις τῶν στασιωτῶν αὐτοῦ τὸν Αἴαντα ὀρχήσασθαι αὐτοῖς, παραιτησάμενος, τὸν ὑποκριτήν, ἔφη πρὸς τὸ θέατρον, ἱκανόν ἐστιν ἅπαξ μανῆναι. μάλιστα δὲ αὐτὸν ἠνίασεν ὁ ἀνταγωνιστὴς καὶ ἀντίτεχνος· τοῦ γὰρ ὁμοίου Αἴαντος αὐτῷ γραφέντος οὕτω κοσμίως καὶ σωφρόνως τὴν μανίαν ὑπεκρίνατο ὡς ἐπαινεθῆναι, μείνας ἐντὸς τῶν τῆς ὀρχήσεως ὅρων καὶ μὴ παροινήσας εἰς τὴν ὑπόκρισιν.
But in Pantomime, as in rhetoric, there can be (to use a popular phrase) too much of a good thing; a man may exceed the proper bounds of imitation; what should be great may become monstrous, softness may be exaggerated into effeminacy, and the courage of a man into the ferocity of a beast. I remember seeing this exemplified in the case of an actor of repute. In most respects a capable, nay, an admirable performer, some strange fatality ran him a-ground upon this reef of over-enthusiasm. He was acting the madness of Ajax, just after he has been worsted by Odysseus; and so lost control of himself, that one might have been excused for thinking his madness was something more than feigned. He tore the clothes from the back of one of the iron-shod time-beaters, snatched a flute from the player’s hands, and brought it down in such trenchant sort upon the head of Odysseus, who was standing by enjoying his triumph, that, had not his cap held good, and borne the weight of the blow, poor Odysseus must have fallen a victim to histrionic frenzy. The whole house ran mad for company, leaping, yelling, tearing their clothes. For the illiterate riffraff, who knew not good from bad, and had no idea of decency, regarded it as a supreme piece of acting; and the more intelligent part of the audience, realizing how things stood, concealed their disgust, and instead of reproaching the actor’s folly by silence, smothered it under their plaudits; they saw only too clearly that it was not Ajax but the pantomime who was mad. Nor was our spirited friend content till he had distinguished himself yet further: descending from the stage, he seated himself in the senatorial benches between two consulars, who trembled lest he should take one of them for a ram and apply the lash. The spectators were divided between wonder and amusement; and some there were who suspected that his ultra-realism had culminated in reality. However, it seems that when he came to his senses again he bitterly repented of this exploit, and was quite ill from grief, regarding his conduct as that of a veritable madman, as is clear from his own words. For when his partisans begged him to repeat the performance, he recommended another actor for the part of Ajax, saying that ‘it was enough for him to have been mad once.’ His mortification was increased by the success of his rival, who, though a similar part had been written for him, played it with admirable judgement and discretion, and was complimented on his observance of decorum, and of the proper bounds of his art.
Λυκῖνος ταῦτά σοι, ὦ φιλότης, ὀλίγα ἐκ παμπόλλων παρέδειξα ὀρχήσεως ἔργα καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα, ὡς μὴ πάνυ ἄχθοιό μοι ἐρωτικῶς θεωμένῳ αὐτά. εἰ δὲ βουληθείης κοινωνῆσαί μοι τῆς θέας, εὖ οἶδα ἐγὼ πάνυ ἁλωσόμενόν σε καὶ ὀρχηστομανήσοντά γε προσέτι. ὥστε οὐδὲν δεήσομαι τὸ τῆς Κίρκης ἐκεῖνο πρὸς σὲ εἰπεῖν, τὸ θαῦμά μʼ ἔχει ὡς οὔτι πιὼν τάδε φάρμακʼ ἐθέλχθης, θελχθήσῃ γάρ, καὶ μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ὄνου κεφαλὴν ἢ συὸς καρδίαν ἕξεις, ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν νόος σοι ἐμπεδώτερος ἔσται, σὺ δὲ ὑφʼ ἡδονῆς οὐδὲ ὀλίγον τοῦ κυκεῶνος ἄλλῳ μεταδώσεις πιεῖν. ὅπερ γὰρ ὁ Ὅμηρος περὶ τῆς Ἑρμοῦ ῥάβδου τῆς χρυσῆς λέγει, ὅτι καὶ ἀνδρῶν ὄμματα θέλγει διʼ αὐτῆς ὧν ἐθέλει, τοὺς δʼ αὖτε καὶ ὑπνώοντας ἐγείρει, τοῦτο ἀτεχνῶς ὄρχησις ποιεῖ καὶ τὰ ὄμματα θέλγουσα καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι ποιοῦσα καὶ ἐπεγείρουσα τὴν διάνοιαν πρὸς ἕκαστα τῶν δρωμένων.
Κράτων καὶ μὴν ἤδη ἐγώ, ὦ Λυκῖνε, πείθομαί τέ σοι καὶ ἀναπεπταμένα ἔχω καὶ τὰ ὦτα καὶ τὰ ὄμματα. καὶ μέμνησό γε, ὦ φιλότης, ἐπειδὰν εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἴῃς, κἀμοὶ παρὰ σαυτῷ θέαν καταλαμβάνειν, ὡς μὴ μόνος ἐκεῖθεν σοφώτερος ἡμῖν ἐπανίοις.
I hope, my dear Crato, that this cursory description of the Pantomime may mitigate your wrath against its devoted admirer. If you can bring yourself to bear me company to the theatre, you will be captivated; you will run Pantomime-mad. I shall have no occasion to exclaim, with Circe,
Strange, that my drugs have wrought no change in thee!
The change will come; but will not involve an ass’s head, nor a pig’s heart, but only an improved understanding. In your delight at the potion, you will drain it off, and leave not a drop for any one else. Homer says, of the golden wand of Hermes, that with it he
charms the eyes of men, When so he will, and rouses them that sleep.
So it is with Pantomime. It charms the eyes-to wakefulness; and quickens the mental faculties at every turn.
CRATO Enough, Lycinus: behold your convert! My eyes and ears are opened. When next you go to the theatre, remember to take a seat for me next your own. I too would issue from those doors a wiser man.
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