As any Athenian, I am partial to the theatre, especially to those final scenes where a god saves the day and resolves all those knotty plot problems. Any of the multitude of gods may appear, but for only one do we post a warning in advance of the show: Phoebus Apollo. If we were to look directly at him we would be blinded. At least, some people think so. That is why in our dramas the custom is to look away and hear only his voice. Ah, but this is surely just some old superstition from long before our enlightened modern age. Now we know that the god on stage is merely an actor, that Apollo himself does not really appear.
But the more cautious among us believe that Apollo, if not on stage, may be watching our drama from the sky, may become so engrossed in seeing himself portrayed, that if he were to look at the actor playing Apollo, that actor would suddenly be one with the god’s awesome power, and we in the audience would be stricken blind on the spot while the actor is consumed in flame, as Phoebus Apollo shines for a moment more brightly, more fervently in the sky.
(after Erving Goffman)
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