Chapter 11 Dread the Parthenon

Both Olympia and Delphi are listed as the most important holy places in Greece. I guess anyone who knows a little about Greece will ask: So, what about the Parthenon? Yes, a country has a long history, and arranging the seats of various sites has become a big problem, which is often encountered in China.The importance of the Parthenon lies in: if there is only one picture of Greece introduced in the world, it must be it; if there is one, it must be the cover.At least in form, it is the first symbol of Greek civilization. These days, whether we go out in the morning or come back at night, we can see it, standing on the hill of Acropolis in the city center, supported by the rising sun, dyed by the setting sun, accompanied by the moon and stars, but We are always afraid to go up and want to leave it behind. There is a kind of aesthetic timidity here.

Aesthetic fear is a peculiar state of mind, which mostly arises when you are about to see those familiar objects from childhood.When I was young, I would go straight away happily. When I was old, I realized that there were not many such objects in the world, and if I saw one, I would lose one, so I cherished it even more.I'm not afraid of not seeing it, but I'm afraid that when I see it, I don't have enough mental preparation and waste a grand opportunity. There is actually a steep hill in the city center of a country’s capital. On the top of the hill is a large temple. Except for some green trees under the hill, the entire hill and the temple are all ivory, and there is no other color The temple is only surrounded by thick and straight stone pillars in a rectangular shape. When people look up, they can see a pillar going straight into the sky, and the white clouds are bright in the sky; For more than 2,500 years, there is no sign of decline until today.

Does the charm of the Parthenon lie in mythology, history, or architectural technology?In my opinion, the first shock of all aesthetic objects must be the external form, so the strength of the Parthenon lies first in its unparalleled beauty of shape.How did monochrome become gorgeous?Why did Fangzheng become plump?How did breaking the disability become rectification?It is these question marks that make up a classic handed down from generation to generation. I bent down and looked down from the cliff in front of the temple, and I couldn't help being surprised. It turned out that the ruins of the Dionysus Theater were right below, and I could recognize it at a glance.Twenty years ago, when I studied and taught the history of world theater, I always started from it, saw its photos repeatedly, and imagined it countless times.This theater was built in the sixth century BC, and it began to perform songs and dances for worshiping gods. At the beginning of the fifth century BC, Aeschylus used a second actor to create a confrontational plot on the stage, and let the chorus retreat. Off stage, the drama really happens.Later, a more outstanding tragedy writer Sophocles appeared, and together with Aeschylus, he was selected here by the citizens of Athens.

When I was teaching this period of history, I realized that I had to understand the larger background, so I finally left the field of drama to delve into the history of human thought and culture.When I came here today, it was like meeting an old friend, and I also found that this old man was standing at the foot of the Parthenon Temple, which is the middle part between heaven and earth.This proves that drama art, in the hearts of the Greeks, is a bridge between heaven and earth, a link between gods and man. If you want to make a Chinese reminder of this period of history, then Aeschylus and Confucius are contemporaries, and they are more than 20 years younger than Confucius.When I leaned against the Parthenon and looked down on the Dionysus Theater, I suddenly thought that I should call my wife and tell her that the first theater of human drama is at the foot of the Parthenon.She had already fallen asleep, and immediately woke up when she heard Parthenon.Due to her performance contract, she could not come to Greece to investigate together, but she could rush to Egypt, and then go to the Sinai desert and Jerusalem together.

October 4, 1999, Athens, Greece, overnight at the Royal Olympic Hotel