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My conception of the audience is of a public each member of which is carrying about with him what he thinks is an anxiety, or a hope, or a preoccupation which is his alone and isolates him from mankind; and in this respect at least the function of a play is to reveal him to himself so that he may touch others by virtue of the revelation of his mutuality with them. If only for this reason I regard the theater as a serious business, one that makes or should make man more human, which is to say, less alone.

Arthur Miller#5

ArtTheaterCommunityEmpathy

About this quote

What does it mean?
Theater helps people realize shared anxieties to reduce isolation.
In plain terms
Plays show us we are not alone in our struggles.
What can you take from it?
Use art to find connection.

Where it applies

  • writing plays
  • attending shows

Putting it to work

  • engage with stories
  • seek shared emotions

Questions to consider

  • What isolates you?
  • How do you connect?

Another view

Art does not always resolve personal isolation.

More from Arthur Miller

  1. The closer a man approaches tragedy the more intense is his concentration of emotion upon the fixed point of his commitment, which is to say the closer he appr…

    Permalink to quote #4
  2. By whatever means it is accomplished, the prime business of a play is to arouse the passions of its audience so that by the route of passion may be opened up n…

    Permalink to quote #6
  3. The structure of a play is always the story of how the birds came home to roost.

    Permalink to quote #3

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