Toward a dramaturgical sensibility

TOWARD A DRAMATURGICAL SENSIBILITY begins with a moment in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra in which Cleopatra says to Antony, “Not know me yet?” With these four words Cleopatra poses a simple but fundamental human problem: What can we know? She and Anthony have known each other for years, at times gloriously – emotionally, mentally, and in the archaic sense of the word, physically – but still the challenge of knowing hangs in the air. Cleopatra’s question reminds us that knowledge is not simple: that it is as likely to create yearning as satisfaction; that it is not confined to any one part of the self; that it is far from intellect alone. It reminds us – as do most great plays – that life is part wonder, part terror. CONTENTS Preface Toward A Dramaturgical Sensibility Part I: Landscape 1. Conversation 2. Pleasure 3. Pattern Part II: Journey 4. Engage 5. Explore 6. Respond Epilogue: Out Of Time