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Performance or narrative?" - How does Aristotle distinguish between mimesis and diegesis
In theatre, television, film and performing arts in every medium, the line between acting and storytelling is often blurred. For an actor, they not only play a role in the performance, but also need to interpret the emotions and plot of the story through the role. This process was explored in depth by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle as early as 335 BC. In his book Poetics, he clearly distinguished between mimesis and imitation. and “diegesis” (narration) are two different ways of telling a story.
Aristotle believed that mimesis is the presentation of a story through action, while diegesis is the presentation of a story through narrative.
In ancient Greece, theater performances were usually narrated by the chorus, for example, they would say "Dionysus did this, Dionysus said", which required the audience to accept The narrator's guidance. However, when the actor first stood up and said in character, "I am Dionysus, and I did this," the way the whole story was presented changed fundamentally. This is exactly the process described by what Aristotle called mimesis, which allows the audience to experience the character's emotions rather than just listen to the narrative. Through such performances, the audience is able to immerse themselves more fully in the story and experience the joys, sorrows, anger and happiness that the characters go through.
Training and Acting Development
In order to further improve their acting skills, many actors receive long-term training in professional schools. These schools usually provide two to four years of training courses, covering various skills required for acting, including emotional expression, body movements, and voice expression. . From an actor's perspective, mastering these skills is not only a requirement for performance, but also an exploration of one's own emotions and interpersonal interactions.
Many professional actors undergo extensive training, working with multiple mentors and practicing on a variety of scenes and productions.
During training, students learn to improvise, a process that stimulates creativity through stress and challenge. Improvisation not only enhances the actors’ on-the-spot reaction abilities, but also allows them to deepen their understanding and feelings in role-playing. Konstantin Stanislavsky, the inventor of "The Principles*", believed that improvisation was a means of staying in the creative process, promoting authentic interaction between actors and adding depth to the story.
Physiological and psychological effects
Actors often face high levels of stress and anxiety when performing on stage, which is also known as "stage fright". The study pointed out that both professional and amateur actors will experience physiological reactions such as accelerated heart rate and increased blood pressure during performance, while experienced actors can manage this stress relatively better and show lower heart rate variability. . This means that as actors gain experience, their anxiety and heart rate responses will slowly stabilize, leading to better performances.
Effective acting training and public speaking techniques can help actors reduce physical anxiety and psychological stress when performing.
In addition, Aristotle's ideas help to understand how stage performance can serve as a form of social interaction: the audience's reactions and emotions can further influence the actors' performances. The actors’ emotions on stage create a resonance with the audience, thus bringing the story to life.
The relationship between semi-semiotics and performance
A deeper exploration of the semi-semiotics of performance can help us better understand the communication effects of actors' performances. The actor's gestures, facial expressions, voice quality, etc. all play a vital role. These performances must not only echo the character's inner emotions, but also be integrated with the overall plot to convey a message with deeper meaning.
As Stanislavski noted, actors need to be fully present in their roles while also being sensitive in adjusting their performance to enhance the overall dramatic significance. In this understanding, mimesis is not just an imitation, but a living communication process that can even go beyond the surface meaning and affect the audience's emotions.
Conclusion
Aristotle's distinction between mimesis and diegesis is still vivid in today's performing arts. The interaction between the audience and the actors is not only about the presentation of a story, but also about the resonance of emotions. Are there other ways on this stage that can make us rethink the nature of performance?
