Uses of Theatre as Model: Discussing Computers as Theatre — Some Additional Perspectives

Abstract

For more than two thousand years, humanity has seen theatre as a powerful means of dealing with life. Not only has the staged drama been seen as a representation of human action since Aristotle defined theatre as mimesis, theatre has also proved an intriguing image of the world. One famous example of the use of theatre as an image of the world is, of course, Plato’s idea that human beings are puppets on a stage, attached by strings to the hands of the gods. The Theatrum Mundi metaphor also drew a lot of philosophical interest throughout the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance. When William Shakespeare in 1601 wrote As You Like It, and let one of his characters start a monologue with “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players…”, he made use of a metaphor that was already a commonplace. It should perhaps be remembered that Shakespeare was well aware of this, so he gave his famous monologue to a rather displaced character in the play, Jaques, an extreme melancholic who constantly mourns about his inability to be a real fool. His desire is to be a quick-witted clown who can tell the truth through creative lies. Unfortunately, he neither sees the world from a position where this is possible nor does he have the command of language and wit to invent good puns and striking images.