In chapter 5 of Morality Play Nicholas plays the role of an actor for the first time. About his experience, he observes: "I was a different person now, they did not hate me. They knew me for a japer, not a demon. I understood then, as I passed through the people and shook my bells and saw them smile, what all players come to know very well, how quickly shifting are our loves and hates, how they depend on mocks and disguises. With a horned mask and a wooden trident I was their fear of hellfire. Two minutes later, still the same timorous creature as before, with a fool's cap and a white mask, I was their hope of laughter. I was discovering the danger of disguise...A mask confers the terror of freedom, it is very easy to forget who you are."
Reflect on Nicholas' words and your own experience. Is what he says true? How? Why? What is "the terror of freedom"?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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