Missing the target: emotion, stoic psychology and the actor

Power, Cormac (2018) Missing the target: emotion, stoic psychology and the actor. In: Beyond Failure: New Essays on the Cultural History of Failure in Theatre and Performance. Routledge, pp. 148-165. ISBN 9780815370987, 9780815370994, 9781351247733

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Abstract

The main difference between a target and an objective or an intention is that the target is external to the actor rather than an impulse or impetus to action that arises from within. The archer must attempt to 'make a perfect shot' but even in doing so there is always the chance that an unfortunate gust to wind will take the arrow's course away from the target. The Stoic archer's target is static, but between the archer and the target there is a zone of movement and indeterminacy. The archer, therefore, cannot ultimately control whether the arrow hits the target, so the Stoic's advice is to look after only that which can be controlled – the correct execution of the task of firing the arrow at the target. Stoic distinctions between affective feeling and emotions can become very useful for the actor, and particularly for clarifying aspects of Declan Donnellan's approach.

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