Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
natural to contemplate and compare when we see such a disaster, to measure our own
luck against that of the victims. W e watch with compassion but also with relief that
we are not among the suffering. W e seek lessons and make conclusions about fate
and honor from what we see.
People describe certain movies as spectacular, but forget that the word comes
from the ancient R o m a n spectacles, which were ritual dramas, combats, races, games,
a n d contests enacted in the arenas a n d amphitheaters throughout the empire.
In those days the most t h r i l l i n g ( a n d expensive) form o f entertainment was
the " N a u m a c h i a e , " the staging o f great sea battles, in which the arena would be
flooded and the spectators treated to the sight of ships ramming each other and
capsizing, of sailors and doomed passengers drowning.
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EPILOGUE: LOOKING BACK ON THE JOURNEY
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