they are ruled by hate. Irene in Vox Popnloves Ivory, but her hatred of Rome isnstronger and she is always subservient tonthe brutality and lust of the barbaricnMithradates, because “as long as he lives,nthe City dies a little.” (This theme innArden’s work is at times ludicrous. Henand D’Arcy wrote a sequence of six playsnon James Connally, a socialist who tooknpart in the Dublin “Easter Rebellion” ofn1916, The Non-Stop Connally Show.nConnally outwits and out-argues allncomers, especially stock figures of funnand hate such as the capitalist, Mr.nGrapitall, but is refuted in argument withnRosa Luxemburg. If Arden ever writes onnthe Rosenbergs, he will have Ethelnleading Julius around by the nose.)nArden has said that he was turnedninto a full-fledged revolutionary socialistnby a visit to India in 1969, where, on ansearch for the still-living roots of Indiannpopular theater, he confronted for thenfirst time real poverty. But does a betternargument for imperialism than Indianexist? British rule, once it moved past thenWarren Hastings stage, was a blessing fornIndia, whether one looks at the unifica-n.tion of the subcontinent, the introductionnof English law, or just the abolitionnof Suttee. The result of turning over Indianto the famous fakir and his cynicalnsuccessors included an avalanche ofnmassacre and murder which has destroyed—andncontinues to destroy—ncountless Uves, and the wrecking of anynhope for economic progress. That Indianhas not sunk into total chaos is largely thenresult of the survival of British customsnand institutions, not the least of which isnthe English language itself. Ireland, is anharder case, but since a socialist religionnis only another cover for exploitation,nserious discussion soon bogs down inncomplexity or gaily sails away into thenthin air of Marxist abstractions.nArden, an opponent of Westernnimperialism, selected what is, for him, annideal period. From 91 to 31 B.C., thenRomans took advantage of their erripirenin a cruel and immoral way. After 31,nunder the Emperor Augustus, theynreturned to the responsible customs thatnhad preceeded Tiberius Gracchus, somen100 years earlier. The peace, prosperity,nand security that resulted was by nonmeans unbroken and it finally collapsed,nbut it lingered in men’s minds for anthousand years, inspiring such diversenpeople as Charlemagne and Dante.nRome fostered not only peace andnprosperity, but artistic creations and,nmost importantly, even Christianity. Innaddition, earlier achievements, especiallynthe masterpieces of Greek art,nliterature, and philosophy, survivednbecause of Rome’s empire and its responsiblenassumption and performancenof its duty.nRoman atrocities—the numbers ofnpeople Marius and Sulla killed, fornexample—^were real, but ought to benseen in the context of the alternative,nMithradates of Pontus, master, politicalnand sexual, of Vox Pop’s dominatingnOur Giants of Art & MindnMr. Tony Richardson, a iilni directorn(Tom Jones), a British import of fraudulentngoods so saliently contradictor)’ tonwhat vc once knew about the quality ofnBritish textiles, comments on his newestnproduct, the movie HotelNeii’Hatnpshire:n1 don’t think it’s so mucli about incest, butnabout sonic people with a particularnsexual hang-up that they have to get outnof their .system… I imagine there is goodnincest and bad incest.nSooner or later, if things go the waynthey are going, his quandary may benanswered by Ralph Nader, or the ConsumernProtection Bureau. Dnfigure, Irene. Although Arden sets thenbook during a low point of Roman rule,nhe must move the scene fl-om Ephesus tonItaly in a hurry because in 88 B.C.nMithradates arrived in Asia (Turkey)nwith his army and killed 80,000 men,nwomen, and children. The victims ofnRoman brutality do not come near thatnnumber.nIn the course of Vox Pop Ivory isndrawn by Irene and her machinationsnaway from his life in the theater and hisnmission of continuing and preservingnthe traditions of Western theater. By thenend he has vanished. In Vox Pop Ardennseems to be saying that all people—nincluding himself—^must turn away fromnMithradates and Irene, the ideologues,nand toward improving the imperfectnworld and its traditions. The goosestepnof the triumphant ideologue has nonroom in its march for the crippled Ivorynor the dancing Sergeant Musgrave, andnJohn Arden may himself be limping backnto recognition of that insight. If so, thenrelative failure of Vox Pop may be thenharbinger of renewed success, of newnbeauty and its truth. It is the one thingnthe artist knows on earth, and in the facenof the ideologues’ murderous hate, it is,nas Keats saw, all he needs to know. DnLIBERAL CULTURE Hnnn^HM21nJuly 1984n