In response to the Wed04Jun03 post by Rania Abo Kerima:

> Yes, Paul, that is exactly what I seek to present in my thesis.
> Thank you....till I find the copy of The Aesthetics in the
> library and we can discuss this in more details, I wish
> you the best of luck.
> Rania

All right, Rania, I now have my copy of Hegel's
AESTHETICS before me, and I found some items
I'd like to share about the art of Drama. Let me start
with something that is basic to Hegel's System,
although oddly under-emphasized, namely, his
insertion of theology into Art. Hegel says,

"We have already seen in the Introduction
that Art has above all to make the Divine
the center of its representation. But the
Divine, explicitly regarded as unity and
universality, is essentially only present
to Thinking and, as in-itself imageless,
is not susceptible of being imaged and
shaped by the imagination; for which
reason, above all, the Jews and Muslims
are forbidden to sketch a picture of God
in order to bring God nearer to the vision
which looks around in the field of the
senses." (Hegel, AESTHETICS, 1829,
trans. Knox, 1975, Oxford, vol. 1, p. 175)

Nevertheless, God should be the focal point of any
drama, in some level or other, says Hegel. Hegel starts
by revisiting ancient drama. There were plays about
gods and groups of gods. Either the gods were in
peaceful repose, or they were in *Action*. The plays
portraying Action may generate more interest.

Action may be portrayed as Action in the general
state of the World, says Hegel. This includes narratives
about great heroes and their individual independence.
There is a large body of dramatic works from the
ancient Heroic Age. Homer himself comes to mind.
One may easily see the influence of the Divine in
the dramatic works of this era.

Action may also be portrayed as Action in the prosaic
affairs of present day politics. In the modern West
there is an unspoken rule, based on Judeo-Christian-
Muslim Sittlichkeit, that God, if represented, will not
appear in a gross form. Hegel says of the main
character in modern drama:

"For at the end of the day, our interest
is always confined to seeing what
happens to this individual, whether he
happily achieves his aim, what hindrances
and obstacles he encounters, what
accidental or necessary complications
obstruct or occassion the outcome, and
so on. And even if now too the modern
person is in his own eyes, as subject,
infinite in his heart and character, and
if Right, Law, Moral principles and so on,
do appear in his actions and suffering, still
the existence of the Right in this indivdual
is just as restricted as the individual
embodiment of the Right, the Moral, the
Legal as such." (Hegel, ibid. p. 194)

In addition to all this, the dramatic work of art must deal
with a Situation. It is possible to portray a proround lack
of a Situation, but this is more common in a Divine drama
of a more abstract sort.

It is more likely that a dramatic Situation will be ordinary
and even, as Hegel say, harmless. In this event, the drama
is controlled by the category of the Collision. This is more
commonly called, the dramatic conflict. Some sort of Right
has been transgressed, usually, demanding a redress.

This characteristic of drama has been known in all times,
in all cultures. Hegel offers examples from Middle
Eastern drama, Homer as well as Shakespeare.

In all the tension surrounding the Collision, Action will
unfold -- and the writer's philosophy of Action will mold
the drama. Are there Universal Powers over Action?
What is the precise role of the individual agents? What
role does their individual character play in the unfolding
of the Action? What are their ideals?

Further, there is the External Determinacy (the dramatic
environment) to be considered. The time, space, color
and shape of the Form must be compatible with the Art.
The Situation must resonate with the audience and be
believable and engrossing. Hegel says,

"In music and poetry, regularity and
symmetry are once again important
determinants...A similar, even if not
so strictly determined, regularity
now rises still further and is mingled,
although in a quite external way, with
the properly living content. In an Epic
and a Drama (which has its specific
divisions, cantos, acts and so on) it
is important to give these separate
parts an approximate equality of
length..." (Hegel, ibid. p. 250)

The symmetry of the Drama engages the senses and
the mind so that the conflict between the Situation and
the Ideal can unfold within the limitations of each Art.

Rania, we've only begun to review Hegel's AESTHETICS,
but I'm very glad you raised the question on the Hegel
List, since it is one of the most beautiful of Hegel's
expressions on the Spiritual and Logical aspect of
Beauty and human creativity.

Best regards,
--Paul Trejo, M.A.