Anna Layman ~ Van der Leeuw ~ drama

Van der Leeuw, on page 102, gives a quote from Goethe about the 'dangers' of dramatic art:
"'Tis said, it could be very harmful
To make profession of disguise
And see and act through others' eyes;
If this is very often done,
A man becomes the other one."
And then Van der Leeuw goes on to say, "Dramatic art is thus characterized as the basis of all art and, we may safely add, of all humanity. For it is one of the most noble forms of the great human art of comprehension, of placing one's self "inside another." To find all men in yourself, that is the secret. And that is not only the secret of drama, but also the secret of forgiveness and of love."
I think that the poem is saying that if you, through art, represent yourself as someone else, in time you can forget that you are a reproduction. When in trying to imitate someone, you become not a reproduction, but a second thing. I think this can be seen in some of the great actors. For example, when Heath Ledger acted as the Joker in Batman. I believe that he got so wrapped up in acting as the Joker, that he in a sense became the Joker. It drove him mad, and drove him to his death. As said, there is a danger in dramatic art.
On a lighter note, I really like what Van der Leeuw says about placing yourself 'inside another.' To understand, to forgive, to love, we have to realize that we are all connected. Whether we are all the same, one entity; or all entities of one of the same. I think in dramatic expression this takes on a deeper meaning when we relate it to religion. To express oneself religously, you have already found a common group with the other that you are imitating. There is no higher power than the love of God that is expressed through dramatic treatment on religious materials.