The Stage of Dreams
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."
--From As You Like It (II, vii, 139-143)
An actor told me I should stop dreaming. What greater paradox can there be?
Suspension of belief, entrance into a dream world, the world of make-believe, which is an essential part of acting. Manipulation of the mind into believing something which is NOT. What happens when the acting is off-stage? Reality fades into a hallucinatory trip.
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."
--From As You Like It (II, vii, 139-143)
An actor told me I should stop dreaming. What greater paradox can there be?
Suspension of belief, entrance into a dream world, the world of make-believe, which is an essential part of acting. Manipulation of the mind into believing something which is NOT. What happens when the acting is off-stage? Reality fades into a hallucinatory trip.
What happens when an actor manipulates reality?
The world becomes his stage, and the audience his pawn.
The pawn caught in a web of dreams. Yet the mind is such that a small voice cries out caution, though the nature of the pawn is to be the first to perish, game after game after game. It falls, it stands up, and it fights again. Fight for dreams. No matter how insignificant it may be perceived, the king will stand unprotected without his first line of defense.
Fragile dreams, made of delicate handcrafted glass, beautiful dreams, made of sheer iridiscent silk, potent dreams, as powerful as forces that define nature.
The pawn caught in a web of dreams. Yet the mind is such that a small voice cries out caution, though the nature of the pawn is to be the first to perish, game after game after game. It falls, it stands up, and it fights again. Fight for dreams. No matter how insignificant it may be perceived, the king will stand unprotected without his first line of defense.
Fragile dreams, made of delicate handcrafted glass, beautiful dreams, made of sheer iridiscent silk, potent dreams, as powerful as forces that define nature.
Why stop dreaming? I will stop breathing. Dream, and make dreams a reality. Then go on dreaming, repeating the cycle - that is how life is best lived. Open the mind's eye, look at something else besides what is material and tangible. Close the senses, unleash the spirit, see your dreams. Then come back to yourself, and MAKE IT REAL.
When you find yourself trapped on someone else's stage of dreams, remember the pawn. Perish, and come back. No stage, no make-believe world, no consummate actor can destroy a strong spirit. Die in one act, and reappear in a new play. Till the last act, when life draws its curtains. For the consummate actor, just as the pawn, will one day perish.
What dreams will we have then?
"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep..." (Tempest IV, i 156-157)
Till then, I will dream. If one dream shatters, others wait to be crafted. I will craft them out of bare hands, my heart, my strength, and little else.
posted by noushkin at 11:57 AM
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