Cr. Now, my dear sir, can any one who calls himself a man, and an educated man, and in some sort a student of philosophy — can such a one leave those higher pursuits, leave communing with the sages9 of old, to sit still and listen to the sound of a flute10, and watch the antics of an effeminate creature got up in soft raiment to sing lascivious11 songs and mimic1 the passions of prehistoric12 strumpets, of Rhodopes and Phaedras and Parthenopes, to the accompaniment of twanging string and shrilling13 pipe and clattering14 heel? It is too absurd: these are not amusements for a gentleman; not amusements for Lycinus. When I first heard of your spending your time in this way, I was divided betwixt shame and indignation, to think that you could so far forget Plato and Chrysippus and Aristotle, as to sit thus having your ears tickled15 with a feather. If you want amusements, are there not a thousand things worth seeing and hearing? Can you not hear classical music performed at the great festivals? Are there not lofty tragedy and brilliant comedy — things that have been deemed worthy16 of state recognition? My friend, you have a long reckoning to settle with men of learning, if you would not be repudiated17 altogether, and expelled from the congregation of the wise. I think your best course will be a point-blank denial: declare flatly that you never did anything of the kind. Anyhow, you must watch your conduct for the future: we do not want to find that our Lycinus has changed his sex, and become a Bacchante or a Lydian damsel. That would be as much to our discredit18 as to yours: for ours should be Odysseus’s part — to tear you from the lotus, and bring you back to your accustomed pursuits; to save you from the clutches of these stage Sirens before it is too late. The Sirens, after all, did but plot against men’s ears; it needed but a little wax, and a man might sail past them uninjured: but yours is a captivity19 of ear and eye, of body and soul.
Ly. Goodness gracious! All the Cynic in you is loose, and snarls20 at me. At the same time, I think your Lotus-and-Siren simile21 is rather off the point: you see, the people who ate the Lotus and listened to the Sirens paid for the gratification of ear and palate with their lives: whereas I not only have a great deal more enjoyment22 than they had, but am all the better for it. I have experienced no oblivion of my domestic affairs, nor blindness to my own interests; in fact — if I may venture to say so — you will find my penetration23 and practical wisdom considerably24 increased by my theatrical25 experiences. Homer has it exactly: the spectator
Returns a gladder and a wiser man.
Cr. Dear, dear! Yours is a sad case, Lycinus. You are not even ashamed; you seem quite pleased with yourself. That is the worst of it: there seems no hope of your recovery, while you can actually commend the mire26 in which you wallow.
Ly. Now, Crato — you talk of pantomimes and theatres — have you seen these performances yourself, that you are so hard on them? or do you decide that they are ‘foul mire’ without personal experience? If you have seen them, you are just as bad as I am; and if not, are you justified27 in censuring28 them? does it not savour of over-confidence, to condemn29 what you know nothing about?
Cr. Truly that would be the climax30: that I should show my long beard and white hairs amid that throng31 of women and lunatics; and clap and yell in unseemly rapture32 over the vile33 contortions34 of an abandoned buffoon35.
Ly. I can make allowance for you. But wait till I have prevailed on you to give it a fair trial, to accept the judgement of your own eyes: after that you will never be happy till you have secured the best seat in the theatre, where you may hear every syllable36, mark every gesture.
Cr. While this beard is yet unplucked, these limbs unshaven, God forbid that I should ever find happiness in such things. As it is, my poor friend, I see that you are wholly possessed37.
Ly. Now suppose you were to abstain38 from further abuse, and hear what I have to say of the merits of Pantomime; of the manner in which it combines profit with amusement; instructing, informing, perfecting the intelligence of the beholder39; training his eyes to lovely sights, filling his ears with noble sounds, revealing a beauty in which body and soul alike have their share. For that music and dancing are employed to produce these results is no disparagement41 of the art; it is rather a recommendation.
Cr. I have not much time for listening to a madman’s discourse42 in praise of his own madness. However — if you must deluge43 me with nonsense — I am prepared to do you that friendly office. My ears are at your service: they need no wax to render them deaf to foolishness. Henceforth I will be silent: speak on; — no one is listening.
Ly. Thank you, Crato; just what I wanted. As to ‘foolishness,’ that remains45 to be seen. Now, to begin with, you seem to be quite ignorant of the antiquity46 of the pantomimic art. It is not a new thing; it does not date from today or yesterday; not, that is to say, from our grandfathers’ times, nor from their grandfathers’ times. The best antiquarians, let me tell you, trace dancing back to the creation of the universe; it is coeval47 with that Eros who was the beginning of all things. In the dance of the heavenly bodies, in the complex involutions whereby the planets are brought into harmonious48 intercourse49 with the fixed50 stars, you have an example of that art in its infancy51, which, by gradual development, by continual improvements and additions, seems at length to have reached its climax in the subtle harmonious versatility52 of modern Pantomime.
The first step, we learn, was taken by Rhea, who was so pleased with the art that she introduced it among the Corybantes in Phrygia and the Curetes in Crete. She was richly rewarded: for by their dancing they saved her child Zeus, who owes it to them (nor can he with decency53 deny it) that he escaped the paternal54 teeth. The dancing was performed in full armour55; sword clashed against shield, and inspired heels beat martial57 time upon the ground. The art was presently taken up by the leading men in Crete, who by dint58 of practice became admirable dancers; and this applies not only to private persons, but to men of the first eminence59, and of royal blood. Thus Homer, when he calls Meriones a dancer, is not disparaging60 him, but paying him a compliment: his dancing fame, it seems, had spread not only throughout the Greek world, but even into the camp of his enemies, the Trojans, who would observe, no doubt, on the field of battle that agility61 and grace of movement which he had acquired as a dancer. The passage runs as follows:
Meriones, great dancer though thou be, My spear had stopped thy dancings —
it did not, however, do so; his practice in that art enabling him, apparently62, to evade63 without difficulty any spears that might be hurled64 at him.
I could mention a number of other heroes who went through a similar course of training, and made a serious study of dancing: but I will confine myself to the case of Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, and a most eminent65 dancer. He it was who invented that beautiful dance called after him the Pyrrhic; a circumstance which may be supposed to have afforded more gratification to his father than his comeliness66, or his prowess in other respects. Thus Troy, impregnable till then, falls a victim to the dancer’s skill, and is levelled with the dust.
The Lacedaemonians, who are reputed the bravest of the Greeks, ever since they learnt from Castor and Pollux the Caryatic (a form of dance which is taught in the Lacedaemonian town of Caryae), will do nothing without the accompaniment of the Muses67: on the field of battle their feet keep time to the flute’s measured notes, and those notes are the signal for their onset68. Music and rhythm ever led them on to victory. To this day you may see their young men dividing their attention between dance and drill; when wrestling and boxing are over, their exercise concludes with the dance. A flute-player sits in their midst, beating time with his foot, while they file past and perform their various movements in rhythmic69 sequence, the military evolutions being followed by dances, such as Dionysus and Aphrodite love. Hence the song they sing is an invitation to Aphrodite and the Loves to join in their dance and revel70; while the other (I should have said that they have two songs) contains instructions to the dancers: ‘Forward, lads: foot it lightly: reel it bravely’ (i.e. dance actively). It is the same with the chain dance, which is performed by men and girls together, dancing alternately, so as to suggest the alternating beads71 of a necklace. A youth leads off the dance: his active steps are such as will hereafter be of use to him on the field of battle: a maiden72 follows, with the modest movements that befit her sex; manly73 vigour74, maidenly75 reserve — these are the beads of the necklace. Similarly, their Gymnopaedia is but another form of dance.
You have read your Homer; so that I need say nothing of the Shield of Achilles, with its choral dance, modelled on that which Daedalus designed for Ariadne; nor of the two dancers (‘tumblers,’ he calls them) there represented as leading the dance; nor again of the ‘whirling dance of youth,’ so beautifully wrought76 thereon by Hephaestus. As to the Phaeacians, living as they did in the lap of luxury, nothing is more natural than that they should have rejoiced in the dance. Odysseus, we find, is particularly struck with this: he gazes with admiration on the ‘twinkling of their feet.’ In Thessaly, again, dancing was such a prominent feature, that their rulers and generals were called ‘Dancers-inchief,’ as may be seen from the inscriptions77 on the statues of their great men: ‘Elected Prime Dancer,’ we read; and again: ‘This statue was erected79 at the public expense to commemorate80 Ilation’s well-danced victory.’
I need hardly observe that among the ancient mysteries not one is to be found that does not include dancing. Orpheus and Musaeus, the best dancers of their time, were the founders81 of these rites82; and their ordinances83 show the value they attached to rhythm and dance as elements in religion. To illustrate84 this point would be to make the ceremonial known to the uninitiated: but so much is matter of common knowledge, that persons who divulge85 the mysteries are popularly spoken of as ‘dancing them out.’ In Delos, not even sacrifice could be offered without dance and musical accompaniment. Choirs86 of boys gathered and performed their dance to the sound of flute and lyre, and the best of them were chosen to act characters; the songs written for these occasions were known as chorales; and the ancient lyric87 poetry abounded88 in such compositions.
But I need not confine myself to the Greeks. The Indians, when they rise to offer their morning salutation to the Sun, do not consider it enough to kiss their hands after the Greek fashion; turning to the East, they silently greet the God with movements that are designed to represent his own course through the heavens; and with this substitute for our prayers and sacrifices and choral celebrations they seek his favour at the beginning of every day and at its close. The Ethiopians go further, and dance even while they fight; the shaft89 an Ethiopian draws from that arrow-crown that serves him in place of a quiver will never be discharged before he has intimidated90 his enemy with the threatening gestures of the war-dance.
Having dealt with India and Ethiopia, let us now consider the neighbouring country of Egypt. If I am not mistaken, the Egyptian Proteus of ancient legend is no other than a dancer, whose mimetic skill enables him to adapt himself to every character: in the activity of his movements, he is liquid as water, rapid as fire; he is the raging lion, the savage91 panther, the trembling bough92; he is what he will. The legend takes these data, and gives them a supernatural turn — for mimicry93 substituting metamorphosis. Our modern pantomimes have the same gift, and Proteus himself sometimes appears as the subject of their rapid transformations94. And it may be conjectured96 that in that versatile97 lady Empusa we have but another artist of the same kind, mythologically98 treated.
Our attention is next claimed by the Roman dance of the Salii, a priesthood drawn99 from the noblest families; the dance is performed in honour of Mars, the most warlike of the Gods, and is of a particularly solemn and sacred character. According to a Bithynian legend, which agrees well with this Italian institution, Priapus, a war-like divinity (probably one of the Titans, or of the Idaean Dactyls, whose profession it was to teach the use of arms), was entrusted100 by Hera with the care of her son Ares, who even in childhood was remarkable101 for his courage and ferocity. Priapus would not put weapons into his hands till he had turned him out a perfect dancer; and he was rewarded by Hera with a tenth part of all Ares’s spoils. As to the rites of Dionysus, you know, without my telling you, that they consisted in dancing from beginning to end. Of the three main types of dance, the cordax, the sicinnis, and the emmelia, each was the invention and bore the name of one of the Satyrs, his followers102. Assisted by this art, and accompanied by these revellers, he conquered Tyrrhenians, Indians, Lydians, dancing those warlike tribes into submission103.
Then beware, my enlightened friend, of the guilt104 of sacrilege. Will you attack the holy mystic art in which so many Gods delight; by which their worshippers do them honour; which affords so much pleasure, so much useful instruction? To return once more to the poets: when I think of your affection for Homer and Hesiod, I am amazed to find you disputing the preeminence105 they assign to the dance. Homer, in enumerating106 all that is sweetest and best, mentions sleep, love, song, and dance; but of these dance alone is ‘faultless.’ He testifies, moreover, to the ‘sweetness’ of song: now our art includes ‘sweet song’ as well as the ‘faultless dance’ which you take upon you to censure107. Again, in another passage we read:
To one the God hath given warlike deeds: But to another dance and lovely song.
And lovely indeed is the song that accompanies the dance; it is the Gods’ best gift. Homer seems to divide all things under the two heads of war and peace; and among the things of peace he singles out these two as the best counterpart to the things of war. Hesiod, not speaking from hearsay108, but coming fresh from the sight of the Muses’ morning dance, has this high tribute to them in the beginning of his poem:
Their dainty feet round the dark waters dance,
about the altar of Zeus. — My dear sir, your onslaught upon the dance is little short of blasphemy109.
Socrates — that wisest of men, if we may accept the judgement of the Pythian oracle110 — not only approved of dancing, but made a careful study of it; and, in his zeal111 for grace and elegance112, for harmonious movement and carriage of the body, thought it no shame, reverend sage8 that he was, to rank this among the most important branches of learning. And well might he have an enthusiasm for dancing, who scrupled113 not to study the humblest arts; who frequented the schools of the flute-girls, and could stoop to learn wisdom from the mouth of an Aspasia. Yet in his days the art was in its infancy, its beauties undeveloped. Had Socrates seen the artists who have made modern Pantomime what it is, he would assuredly have given it his exclusive attention, and assigned it the first place in the education of youth.
I think you forget, when you advocate the claims of tragedy and comedy, that each of them has its own peculiar115 form of dance; tragedy its emmelia, comedy its cordax, supplemented occasionally by the sicinnis. You began by asserting the superiority of tragedy, of comedy, and of the periodic performances on flute and lyre, which you pronounce to be respectable, because they are included in public competitions. Let us take each of these and compare its merits with those of dancing. The flute and the lyre, to be sure, we might leave out of the discussion, as these have their part to play in the dance.
In forming our estimate of tragedy, let us first consider its externals — the hideous117, appalling118 spectacle that the actor presents. His high boots raise him up out of all proportion; his head is hidden under an enormous mask; his huge mouth gapes119 upon the audience as if he would swallow them; to say nothing of the chest-pads and stomach-pads with which he contrives120 to give himself an artificial corpulence, lest his deficiency in this respect should emphasize his disproportionate height. And in the middle of it all is the actor, shouting away, now high, now low — chanting his iambics as often as not; could anything be more revolting than this sing-song recitation of tragic121 woes122? The actor is a mouthpiece: that is his sole responsibility; — the poet has seen to the rest, ages since. From an Andromache or a Hecuba, one can endure recitative: but when Heracles himself comes upon the stage, and so far forgets himself, and the respect due to the lion-skin and club that he carries, as to deliver a solo, no reasonable person can deny that such a performance is in execrable taste. Then again, your objection to dancing — that men act women’s parts — is equally applicable to tragedy and comedy, in which indeed there are more women than men.
By comedy, the absurdity124 of the masks — of a Davus, for instance, or a Tibius, or a cook — is actually claimed as one of its attractions. On the other hand, I need not tell you how decent, how seemly, is the dancer’s attire125; any one who is not blind can see that for himself. His very mask is elegant, and well adapted to his part; there is no gaping126 here; the lips are closed, for the dancer has plenty of other voices at his service. In old days, dancer and singer were one: but the violent exercise caused shortness of breath; the song suffered for it, and it was found advisable to have the singing done independently.
As to the subjects treated, they are the same for both, Pantomime differing from tragedy only in the infinite variety of its plots, and in the superior ingenuity127 and learning displayed in them. Dancing may not be included in our public competitions; but the reason is that the stewards128 regard it as a matter too high and solemn to be subjected to criticism. I forbear to add that in one Italian city — the greatest of the Chalcidian name — a special lustre129 has been added to the public games by the introduction of a dancing competition.
And now, before I proceed further, I wish to offer an explanation of themany omissions130 I have made, which might otherwise be attributed to ignorance. I am well aware that the subject has already been dealt with by a number of writers, who have chiefly occupied themselves with a description of the various forms of dance, and a catalogue of their names, their characters, and their inventors; and this they regard as a proof of erudition. Such work I leave to the ambition of dullards and pedants131, as foreign to my own purpose. I would have you observe, and bear in mind, that I do not propose to make a complete history of the art of dancing; nor is it my object to enumerate133 the names of dances, except so far as I have already done, in handling a few of the principal types: on the contrary, I am chiefly concerned with pointing out the profit and pleasure to be derived134 from modern Pantomime, which did not begin to take its present admirable form in ancient days, but only in the time of Augustus, or thereabouts. In those earlier times we have but the beginnings of the art; the tree is taking root; the flower and the fruit have reached their perfection only in our own day, and it is with these that I have to do. The tongs-dance, the crane-dance, and others I pass over because they are alien to my subject; similarly, if I have said nothing of the Phrygian dance — that riotous135 convivial136 fling, which was performed by energetic yokels137 to the piping of a flute-girl, and which still prevails in country districts — I have omitted it not from ignorance, but because it has no connexion with the Pantomime of today. I have the authority of Plato, in his Laws, for approving some forms of dance and rejecting others; he there examines the dance from the two points of view of pleasure and utility, banishes138 those forms that are unseemly, and selects others for his recommendation.
Of dancing then, in the strict sense of the word, I have said enough. To enlarge further upon its history would be pedantic139. And now I come to the pantomime. What must be his qualifications? what his previous training? what his studies? what his subsidiary accomplishments140? You will find that his is no easy profession, nor lightly to be undertaken; requiring as it does the highest standard of culture in all its branches, and involving a knowledge not of music only, but of rhythm and metre, and above all of your beloved philosophy, both natural and moral, the subtleties141 of dialectic alone being rejected as serving no useful purpose. Rhetoric142, too, in so far as that art is concerned with the exposition of human character and human passions, claims a share of its attention. Nor can it dispense143 with the painter’s and the sculptor’s arts; in its close observance of the harmonious proportions that these teach, it is the equal of an Apelles or a Phidias. But above all Mnemosyne, and her daughter Polyhymnia, must be propitiated144 by an art that would remember all things. Like Calchas in Homer, the pantomime must know all ‘that is, that was, that shall be’; nothing must escape his ever ready memory. Faithfully to represent his subject, adequately to express his own conceptions, to make plain all that might be obscure; — these are the first essentials for the pantomime, to whom no higher compliment could be paid than Thucydides’s tribute to Pericles, who, he says, ‘could not only conceive a wise policy, but render it intelligible145 to his hearers’; the intelligibility146, in the present case, depending on clearness of gesticulation.
For his materials, he must draw continually, as I have said, upon his unfailing memory of ancient story; and memory must be backed by taste and judgement. He must know the history of the world, from the time when it first emerged from Chaos147 down to the days of Egyptian Cleopatra. These limitations we will concede to the pantomime’s wide field of knowledge; but within them he must be familiar with every detail:— the mutilation of Uranus148, the origin of Aphrodite, the battle of Titans, the birth of Zeus, Rhea’s deception149, her substitution of a stone for her child, the binding150 of Cronus, the partition of the world between the three brothers. Again, the revolt of the Giants, Prometheus’s theft of fire, his creation of mankind, and the punishment that followed; the might of Eros and of Anteros, the wanderings of the island Delos, the travail151 of Leto, the Python’s destruction, the evil design of Tityus, the flight of eagles, whereby the earth’s centre was discovered. He must know of Deucalion, in whose days the whole world suffered shipwreck152, of that single chest wherein were preserved the remnants of the human race, of the new generation born of stones; of the rending153 of Iacchus, the guile154 of Hera, the fiery155 death of Semele, the double birth of Dionysus; of Athene and Hephaestus and Erichthonius, of the strife156 for the possession of Athens, of Halirrhothius and that first trial on the Areopagus, and all the legendary157 lore158 of Attica. Above all, the wanderings of Demeter, the finding of Persephone, the hospitality of Celeus; Triptolemus’s plough, Icarius’s vineyard, and the sad end of Erigone; the tale of Boreas and Orithyia, of Theseus, and of Aegeus; of Medea in Greece, and of her flight thereafter into Persia, and of Erechtheus’s daughters and Pandion’s, and all that they did and suffered in Thrace. Acamas, and Phyllis, and that first rape159 of Helen, and the expedition of Castor and Pollux against Athens, and the fate of Hippolytus, and the return of the Heraclids — all these may fairly be included in the Athenian mythology160, from the vast bulk of which I select only these few examples.
Then in Megara we have Nisus, his daughter Scylla, and his purple lock; the invasion of Minos, and his ingratitude161 towards his benefactress. Then we come to Cithaeron, and the story of the Thebans, and of the race of Labdacus; the settlement of Cadmus on the spot where the cow rested, the dragon’s teeth from which the Thebans sprang up, the transformation95 of Cadmus into a serpent, the building of the walls of Thebes to the sound of Amphion’s lyre, the subsequent madness of the builder, the boast of Niobe his wife, her silent grief; Pentheus, Actaeon, Oedipus, Heracles; his labours and slaughter162 of his children.
Corinth, again, abounds163 in legends: of Glauce and of Creon; in earlier days, of Bellerophon and Stheneboea, and of the strife between Posidon and the Sun; and, later, of the frenzy164 of Athamas, of Nephele’s children and their flight through the air on the ram165’s back, and of the deification of Ino and Melicertes. Next comes the story of Pelops’s line, of all that befell in Mycenae, and before Mycenae was; of Inachus and Io and Argus her guardian166; of Atreus and Thyestes and Aerope, of the golden ram and the marriage of Pelopeia, the murder of Agamemnon and the punishment of Clytemnestra; and before their days, the expedition of the Seven against Thebes, the reception of the fugitives167 Tydeus and Polynices by their father-inlaw Adrastus; the oracle that foretold168 their fate, the unburied slain169, the death of Antigone, and that of Menoeceus.
Nor is any story more essential to the pantomime’s purpose than that of Hypsipyle and Archemorus in Nemea; and, in older days, the imprisonment170 of Danae, the begetting171 of Perseus, his enterprise against the Gorgons; and connected therewith is the Ethiopian narrative172 of Cassiopea, and Cepheus, and Andromeda, all of whom the belief of later generations has placed among the stars. To these must be added the ancient legend of Aegyptus and Danaus, and of that guilty wedding-night.
Lacedaemon, too, supplies him with many similar subjects: Hyacinth, and his rival lovers, Zephyr173 and Apollo, and the quoit that slew174 him, the flower that sprang up from his blood, and the inscription78 of woe123 thereon; the raising of Tyndareus from the dead, and the consequent wrath175 of Zeusagainst Asclepius; again, the reception of Paris by Menelaus, and the rape of Helen, the sequel to his award of the golden apple. For the Spartan176 mythology must be held to include that of Troy, in all its abundance and variety. Of all who fell at Troy, not one but supplies a subject for the stage; and all — from the rape of Helen to the return of the Greeks — must ever be borne in mind: the wanderings of Aeneas, the love of Dido; and side by side with this the story of Orestes, and his daring deeds in Scythia. And there are earlier episodes which will not be out of place; they are all connected with the tale of Troy: such are the seclusion177 of Achilles in Scyrus, the madness of Odysseus, the solitude178 of Philoctetes, with the whole story of Odysseus’s wanderings, of Circe and Telegonus, of Aeolus, controller of the winds, down to the vengeance179 wreaked180 upon the suitors of Penelope; and, earlier, Odysseus’s plot against Palamedes, the resentment181 of Nauplius, the frenzy of the one Ajax, the destruction of the other on the rocks.
Elis, too, affords many subjects for the intending pantomime: Oenomaus, Myrtilus, Cronus, Zeus, and that first Olympian contest. Arcadia, no less rich in legendary lore, gives him the flight of Daphne, the transformation of Callisto into a bear, the drunken riot of the Centaurs182, the birth of Pan, the love of Alpheus, and his submarine wanderings.
Extending our view, we find that Crete, too, may be laid under contribution: Europa’s bull, Pasiphae’s, the Labyrinth183, Ariadne, Phaedra, Androgeos; Daedalus and Icarus; Glaucus, and the prophecy of Polyides; and Talos, the island’s brazen184 sentinel.
It is the same with Aetolia: there you will find Althaea, Meleager, Atalanta, and the fatal brand; the strife of Achelous with Heracles, the birth of the Sirens, the origin of the Echinades, those islands on which Alcmaeon dwelt after his frenzy was past; and, following these, the story of Nessus, and of Deianira’s jealousy185, which brought Heracles to the pyre upon Oeta. Thrace, too, has much that is indispensable to the pantomime: of the head of murdered Orpheus, that sang while it floated down the stream upon his lyre; of Haemus and of Rhodope; and of the chastisement186 of Lycurgus.
Thessalian story, richer still, tells of Pelias and Jason; of Alcestis; and of the Argo with her talking keel and her crew of fifty youths; of what befell them in Lemnos; of Aeetes, Medea’s dream, the rending of Absyrtus, the eventful flight from Colchis; and, in later days, of Protesilaus and Laodamia.
Cross once more to Asia, and Samos awaits you, with the fall of Polycrates, and his daughter’s flight into Persia; and the ancient story of Tantalus’s folly187, and of the feast that he gave the Gods; of butchered Pelops, and his ivory shoulder.
In Italy, we have the Eridanus, Phaethon, and his poplar-sisters, who wept tears of amber188 for his loss.
The pantomime must be familiar, too, with the story of the Hesperides, and the dragon that guarded the golden fruit; with burdened Atlas189, and Geryon, and the driving of the oxen from Erythea; and every tale of metamorphosis, of women turned into trees or birds or beasts, or (like Caeneus and Tiresias) into men. From Phoenicia he must learn of Myrrha and Adonis, who divides Assyria betwixt grief and joy; and in more modern times of all that Antipater 49 and Seleucus suffered for the love of Stratonice.
The Egyptian mythology is another matter: it cannot be omitted, but on account of its mysterious character it calls for a more symbolical190 exposition; — the legend of Epaphus, for instance, and that of Osiris, and the conversion191 of the Gods into animals; and, in particular, their love adventures, including those of Zeus himself, with his various transformations.
Hades still remains to be added, with all its tragic tale of guilt and the punishment of guilt, and the loyal friendship that brought Theseus thither192 with Pirithous. In a word, all that Homer and Hesiod and our best poets, especially the tragedians, have sung — all must be known to the pantomime. From the vast, nay193 infinite, mass of mythology, I have made this trifling194 selection of the more prominent legends; leaving the rest for poets to celebrate, for pantomimes to exhibit, and for your imagination to supply from the hints already given; and all this the artist must have stored up in his memory, ready to be produced when occasion demands.
Since it is his profession to imitate, and to show forth44 his subject by means of gesticulation, he, like the orators196, must acquire lucidity197; every scene must be intelligible without the aid of an interpreter; to borrow the expression of the Pythian oracle,
Dumb though he be, and speechless, he is heard
by the spectator. According to the story, this was precisely198 the experience of the Cynic Demetrius. He had inveighed199 against Pantomime in just your own terms. The pantomime, he said, was a mere200 appendage201 to flute and pipe and beating feet; he added nothing to the action; his gesticulations were aimless nonsense; there was no meaning in them; people were hoodwinked by the silken robes and handsome mask, by the fluting202 and piping and the fine voices, which served to set off what in itself was nothing. The leading pantomime of the day — this was in Nero’s reign132 — was apparently a man of no mean intelligence; unsurpassed, in fact, in wideness of range and in grace of execution. Nothing, I think, could be more reasonable than the request he made of Demetrius, which was, to reserve his decision till he had witnessed his performance, which he undertook to go through without the assistance of flute or song. He was as good as his word. The time-beaters, the flutes203, even the chorus, were ordered to preserve a strict silence; and the pantomime, left to his own resources, represented the loves of Ares and Aphrodite, the tell-tale Sun, the craft of Hephaestus, his capture of the two lovers in the net, the surrounding Gods, each in his turn, the blushes of Aphrodite, the embarrassment204 of Ares, his entreaties205 — in fact the whole story. Demetrius was ravished at the spectacle; nor could there be higher praise than that with which he rewarded the performer. ‘Man,’ he shrieked206 at the top of his voice, ‘this is not seeing, but hearing and seeing, both:’tis as if your hands were tongues!’
And before we leave Nero’s times, I must tell you of the high tribute paid to the art by a foreigner of the royal family of Pontus, who was visiting the Emperor on business, and had been among the spectators of this same pantomime. So convincing were the artist’s gestures, as to render the subject intelligible even to one who (being half a Greek) could not follow the vocal207 accompaniment. When he was about to return to his country, Nero, in taking leave of him, bade him choose what present he would have, assuring him that his request should not be refused. ‘Give me,’ said the Pontian, ‘your great pantomime; no gift could delight me more.’ ‘And of what use can he be to you in Pontus?’ asked the Emperor. ‘I have foreign neighbours, who do not speak our language; and it is not easy to procure208 interpreters. Your pantomime could discharge that office perfectly209, as often as required, by means of his gesticulations.’ So profoundly had he been impressed with the extraordinary clearness of pantomimic representation.
The pantomime is above all things an actor: that is his first aim, in the pursuit of which (as I have observed) he resembles the orator195, and especially the composer of ‘declamations,’ whose success, as the pantomime knows, depends like his own upon verisimilitude, upon the adaptation of language to character: prince or tyrannicide, pauper210 or farmer, each must be shown with the peculiarities211 that belong to him. I must give you the comment of another foreigner on this subject. Seeing five masks laid ready — that being the number of parts in the piece — and only one pantomime, he asked who were going to play the other parts. He was informed that the whole piece would be performed by a single actor. ‘Your humble114 servant, sir,’ cries our foreigner to the artist; ‘I observe that you have but one body: it had escaped me, that you possessed several souls.’
The term ‘pantomime,’ which was introduced by the Italian Greeks, is an apt one, and scarcely exaggerates the artist’s versatility. ‘Oh boy,’ cries the poet, in a beautiful passage,
As that sea-beast, whose hue212 With each new rock doth suffer change, So let thy mind free range Through ev’ry land, shaping herself anew.
Most necessary advice, this, for the pantomime, whose task it is to identify himself with his subject, and make himself part and parcel of the scene that he enacts213. It is his profession to show forth human character and passion in all their variety; to depict214 love and anger, frenzy and grief, each in its due measure. Wondrous215 art! — on the same day, he is mad Athamas and shrinking Ino; he is Atreus, and again he is Thyestes, and next Aegisthus or Aerope; all one man’s work.
Other entertainments of eye or ear are but manifestations216 of a single art: ’tis flute or lyre or song; ’tis moving tragedy or laughable comedy. The pantomime is all-embracing in the variety of his equipment: flute and pipe, beating foot and clashing cymbal217, melodious218 recitative, choral harmony. Other arts call out only one half of a man’s powers — the bodily or the mental: the pantomime combines the two. His performance is as much an intellectual as a physical exercise: there is meaning in his movements; every gesture has its significance; and therein lies his chief excellence219. The enlightened Lesbonax of Mytilene called pantomimes ‘manual philosophers,’ and used to frequent the theatre, in the conviction that he came out of it a better man than he went in. And Timocrates, his teacher, after accidentally witnessing a pantomimic performance, exclaimed: ‘How much have I lost by my scrupulous220 devotion to philosophy!’ I know not what truth there may be in Plato’s analysis of the soul into the three elements of spirit, appetite, and reason: but each of the three is admirably illustrated221 by the pantomime; he shows us the angry man, he shows us the lover, and he shows us every passion under the control of reason; this last — like touch among the senses — is all-pervading. Again, in his care for beauty and grace of movement, have we not an illustration of the Aristotelian principle, which makes beauty a third part of Good? Nay, I once heard some one hazard a remark, to the effect that the philosophy of Pantomime went still further, and that in the silence of the characters a Pythagorean doctrine222 was shadowed forth.
All professions hold out some object, either of utility or of pleasure: Pantomime is the only one that secures both these objects; now the utility that is combined with pleasure is doubled in value. Who would choose to look on at a couple of young fellows spilling their blood in a boxing-match, or wrestling in the dust, when he may see the same subject represented by the pantomime, with the additional advantages of safety and elegance, and with far greater pleasure to the spectator? The vigorous movements of the pantomime — turn and twist, bend and spring — afford at once a gratifying spectacle to the beholder and a wholesome223 training to the performer; I maintain that no gymnastic exercise is its equal for beauty and for the uniform development of the physical powers, — of agility, suppleness224, and elasticity225, as of solid strength.
Consider then the universality of this art: it sharpens the wits, it exercises the body, it delights the spectator, it instructs him in the history of bygone days, while eye and ear are held beneath the spell of flute and cymbal and of graceful226 dance. Would you revel in sweet song? Nowhere can you procure that enjoyment in greater variety and perfection. Would you listen to the clear melody of flute and pipe? Again the pantomime supplies you. I say nothing of the excellent moral influence of public opinion, as exercised in the theatre, where you will find the evil-doer greeted with execration227, and his victim with sympathetic tears. The pantomime’s most admirable quality I have yet to mention — his combination of strength and suppleness of limb; it is as if brawny228 Heracles and soft Aphrodite were presented to us in one and the same person.
I now propose to sketch229 out the mental and physical qualifications necessary for a first-rate pantomime. Most of the former, indeed, I have already mentioned: he must have memory, sensibility, shrewdness, rapidity of conception, tact230, and judgement; further, he must be a critic of poetry and song, capable of discerning good music and rejecting bad. For his body, I think I may take the Canon of Polyclitus as my model. He must be perfectly proportioned: neither immoderately tall nor dwarfishly short; not too fleshy (a most unpromising quality in one of his profession) nor cadaverously thin. Let me quote you certain comments of the people of Antioch, who have a happy knack231 in expressing their views on such subjects. They are a most intelligent people, and devoted232 to Pantomime; each individual is all eyes and ears for the performance; not a word, not a gesture escapes them. Well, when a small man came on in the character of Hector, they cried out with one voice: ‘Here is Astyanax; and where is Hector?’ On another occasion, an exceedingly tall man was taking the part of Capaneus scaling the walls of Thebes; ‘Step over’ suggested the audience; ‘you need no ladder.’ The well-meant activity of a fat and heavy dancer was met with earnest entreaties to ‘spare the platform’; while a thin performer was recommended to ‘take care of his health.’ I mention these criticisms, not on account of their humorous character, but as an illustration of the profound interest that whole cities have sometimes taken in Pantomime, and of their ability to discern its merits and demerits.
Another essential for the pantomime is ease of movement. His frame must be at once supple116 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 athletic233 accomplishments of Hermes and Pollux and Heracles, you may convince yourself by observing his renderings234 of those subjects. The eyes, according to Herodotus, are more credible235 witnesses than the ears; though the pantomime, by the way, appeals to both kinds of evidence.
Such is the potency236 of his art, that the amorous237 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 serene238 countenance239, as though he had drunk of that draught240 of forgetfulness
That lulls241 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 compassion242. 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 ancestry243 and public services.
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 bungle244 their work terribly. Some cannot adapt themselves to their music; they are literally245 ‘out of tune’; rhythm says one thing, their feet another. Others are free from this fault, but jumble246 up their chronology. I remember the case of a man who was giving the birth of Zeus, and Cronus eating his own children: seduced247 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 enacted248, 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 portraiture249 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 eschewed250.
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 monstrous251, 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 fatality252 ran him a-ground upon this reef of over-enthusiasm. He was acting253 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 feigned254. 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 trenchant255 sort upon the head of Odysseus, who was standing256 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 illiterate257 riffraff, who knew not good from bad, and had no idea of decency, regarded it as a supreme258 piece of acting; and the more intelligent part of the audience, realizing how things stood, concealed259 their disgust, and instead of reproaching the actor’s folly by silence, smothered260 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 distinguished261 himself yet further: descending262 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 lash56. The spectators were divided between wonder and amusement; and some there were who suspected that his ultra-realism had culminated263 in reality. However, it seems that when he came to his senses again he bitterly repented264 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 partisans265 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 mortification266 was increased by the success of his rival, who, though a similar part had been written for him, played it with admirable judgement and discretion267, and was complimented on his observance of decorum, and of the proper bounds of his art.
I hope, my dear Crato, that this cursory268 description of the Pantomime may mitigate269 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 faculties270 at every turn.
Cr. Enough, Lycinus: behold40 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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1
mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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lavishing
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的现在分词 ) | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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maligning
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| vt.污蔑，诽谤（malign的现在分词形式） | |
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boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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lascivious
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| adj.淫荡的，好色的 | |
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prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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shrilling
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的现在分词 )； 凄厉 | |
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clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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snarls
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| n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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simile
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| n.直喻，明喻 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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censuring
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的现在分词 ) | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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contortions
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| n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 ) | |
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buffoon
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| n.演出时的丑角 | |
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syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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beholder
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| n.观看者，旁观者 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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disparagement
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| n.轻视，轻蔑 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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coeval
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| adj.同时代的；n.同时代的人或事物 | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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versatility
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| n.多才多艺，多样性，多功能 | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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disparaging
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| adj.轻蔑的，毁谤的v.轻视( disparage的现在分词 )；贬低；批评；非难 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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comeliness
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| n. 清秀, 美丽, 合宜 | |
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muses
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的第三人称单数 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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69
rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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70
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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71
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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72
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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73
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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74
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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75
maidenly
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| adj. 像处女的, 谨慎的, 稳静的 | |
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76
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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77
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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78
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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79
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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80
commemorate
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| vt.纪念，庆祝 | |
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81
founders
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| n.创始人( founder的名词复数 ) | |
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82
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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83
ordinances
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| n.条例，法令( ordinance的名词复数 ) | |
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84
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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85
divulge
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|
| v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布 | |
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86
choirs
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|
| n.教堂的唱诗班( choir的名词复数 )；唱诗队；公开表演的合唱团；（教堂）唱经楼 | |
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87
lyric
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|
| n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的 | |
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88
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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90
intimidated
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|
| v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的 | |
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91
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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92
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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93
mimicry
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| n.（生物）拟态，模仿 | |
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94
transformations
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| n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换 | |
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95
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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96
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
versatile
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| adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的 | |
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98
mythologically
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| 神话的； 虚构的 | |
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99
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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100
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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102
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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103
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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104
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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105
preeminence
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| n.卓越,杰出 | |
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106
enumerating
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的现在分词 ) | |
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107
censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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108
hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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109
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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110
oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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111
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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112
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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113
scrupled
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| v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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114
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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115
peculiar
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|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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116
supple
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|
| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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117
hideous
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|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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118
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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119
gapes
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的第三人称单数 )；张开，张大 | |
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120
contrives
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的第三人称单数 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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121
tragic
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|
| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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122
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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123
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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124
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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125
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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126
gaping
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|
| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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127
ingenuity
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|
| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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128
stewards
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| （轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家 | |
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129
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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130
omissions
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| n.省略( omission的名词复数 )；删节；遗漏；略去或漏掉的事（或人） | |
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131
pedants
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| n.卖弄学问的人，学究，书呆子( pedant的名词复数 ) | |
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132
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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133
enumerate
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| v.列举，计算，枚举，数 | |
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134
derived
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|
| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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135
riotous
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|
| adj.骚乱的；狂欢的 | |
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136
convivial
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|
| adj.狂欢的，欢乐的 | |
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137
yokels
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| n.乡下佬，土包子( yokel的名词复数 ) | |
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138
banishes
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的第三人称单数 ) | |
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139
pedantic
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| adj.卖弄学问的；迂腐的 | |
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140
accomplishments
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|
| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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141
subtleties
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| 细微( subtlety的名词复数 )； 精细； 巧妙； 细微的差别等 | |
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142
rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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143
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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144
propitiated
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| v.劝解，抚慰，使息怒( propitiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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145
intelligible
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|
| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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146
intelligibility
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|
| n.可理解性，可理解的事物 | |
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147
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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148
Uranus
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| n.天王星 | |
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149
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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150
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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151
travail
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| n.阵痛；努力 | |
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152
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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153
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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154
guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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155
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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156
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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157
legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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158
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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159
rape
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| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
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160
mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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161
ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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162
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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163
abounds
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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164
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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165
ram
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| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
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166
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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167
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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168
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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169
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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170
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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171
begetting
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| v.为…之生父( beget的现在分词 )；产生，引起 | |
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172
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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173
zephyr
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| n.和风，微风 | |
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174
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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175
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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176
spartan
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| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
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177
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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178
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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179
vengeance
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|
| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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180
wreaked
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|
| 诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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181
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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182
centaurs
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| n.（希腊神话中）半人半马怪物( centaur的名词复数 ) | |
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183
labyrinth
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|
| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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184
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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185
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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186
chastisement
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| n.惩罚 | |
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187
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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188
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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189
atlas
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| n.地图册，图表集 | |
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190
symbolical
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| a.象征性的 | |
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191
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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192
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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193
nay
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|
| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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194
trifling
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|
| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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195
orator
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|
| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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196
orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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197
lucidity
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| n.明朗，清晰，透明 | |
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198
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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199
inveighed
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| v.猛烈抨击，痛骂，谩骂( inveigh的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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200
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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201
appendage
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| n.附加物 | |
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202
fluting
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| 有沟槽的衣料； 吹笛子； 笛声； 刻凹槽 | |
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203
flutes
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| 长笛( flute的名词复数 )； 细长香槟杯（形似长笛） | |
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204
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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205
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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206
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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207
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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208
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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209
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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210
pauper
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| n.贫民，被救济者，穷人 | |
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211
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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212
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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213
enacts
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的第三人称单数 ) | |
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depict
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| vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述 | |
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wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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217
cymbal
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| n.铙钹 | |
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218
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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222
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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suppleness
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| 柔软； 灵活； 易弯曲； 顺从 | |
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elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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226
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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227
execration
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| n.诅咒，念咒，憎恶 | |
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brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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229
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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230
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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knack
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| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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renderings
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| n.（戏剧或乐曲的）演奏( rendering的名词复数 )；扮演；表演；翻译作品 | |
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credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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236
potency
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| n. 效力，潜能 | |
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amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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238
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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240
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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241
lulls
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| n.间歇期（lull的复数形式）vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的第三人称单数形式） | |
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242
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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243
ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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244
bungle
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| v.搞糟；n.拙劣的工作 | |
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245
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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248
enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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249
portraiture
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| n.肖像画法 | |
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250
eschewed
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| v.（尤指为道德或实际理由而）习惯性避开，回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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251
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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252
fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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253
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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254
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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255
trenchant
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| adj.尖刻的，清晰的 | |
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256
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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257
illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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258
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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259
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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260
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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262
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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263
culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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264
repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙 | |
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266
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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267
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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268
cursory
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| adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的 | |
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269
mitigate
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| vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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