THET Exam 4

Comedies

Comedies were not considered for competition, but the Greeks loved their comedies and they were an important part of the Greek theatrical experience. Later on, there was a separate annual festival to showcase only comedies. Only one comedic playwright's works have survived, those of Aristophanes (ca. 448-386 B.C.E.). His plays are in a category that we call Old Comedy. They are political and social satires and farces that take on political leaders, philosophers, and the ongoing wars. The Frogs is the title of one of his 11 remaining plays. It satirizes the tragic playwrights, Aeschylus and Euripides, pitting the two characters against each other in a poetry contest with Dionysus as the judge. The Clouds takes on the great philosopher Socrates. But Aristophanes' favorite theme was war. His best-known play, Lysistrata, is a farcical, bawdy sexual romp and would most likely garner a R or even NC-17 if put into today's film rating system. The title character gathers her friends and proposes that all women withhold from sleeping with their husbands until they end the war. The play was written two decades after the Peloponnesian War had begun, and despite its stage antics, the play touches on the female point of view and how it affects them. Lysistrata is still performed all over the world and the number of productions spike during times of war. After the Spartans' victory, it became dangerous to write such openly political and social statements for the stage. Sparta replaced Athens as the most powerful Greek city-state, and Old Comedy was replaced by New Comedy. Less biting, more refined, New Comedy took a comical look at love and domestic situations. Boy meets girl, they have a difficult time in coming together because of parental interference, but in the end everyone is happy. Many films and televisions shows today are descendants of New Comedy. The Meet the Parents franchise is one example. Menander is the playwright whose works we are most familiar in this era. New Comedy and Menander are the basis of Roman comedy, which in turn influenced many playwrights and genres in the future.

Mimes

bawdy burlesques--women participated

Samuel Pepys

important diarist of england

Slapstick

stick used in commedia dell'arte productions The term "slapstick comedy" comes from an actual "slapstick" used in commedia dell'arte. The slapstick was two pieces of wood hinged together that would make a smacking sound when hitting an actor's behind, with no physical harm done. This farcical antic would bring much laughter as characters would chase each other around the stage area with the slapstick. Like Roman comedies, commedias dell'arte featured antics by servants who would outwit the more educated and wealthy. These plays would eventually become scripted with toned-down farcical elements and emphasis on romance. When Italy's Catherine de Medici married France's King Henri II, she brought the love of commedia dell'arte with her. It became popular in France, influencing one of the greatest playwrights of all time, Molière. In subsequent years, the circus clown, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and modern television characters became incarnations of the commedia dell'arte characters.

New Comedy

stories dealt with domestic situations

Artist of Dionysus

unification of actors and later musicians and dancers and is the precursor to todays actors unions - the members of this guild were respected and reached celebrity status

The Unities

1. Time- the plot should not exceed 24 hours 2. Place- the action should take place in one location 3. Action- there should be one plot with no subplots

Euripides (playwright)

484-406 B.C.E---78 years when died His Medea is considered a masterpiece, making audience members empathize with a woman who does an unthinkable act Moved further toward realism; mixed comic matter with tragedy Wrote sympathetic female characters Increased characters (not actors), creating less emphasis on chorus Questioned the gods and was not afraid of controversy: the "Greek Rebel" Won the City of Dionysia 4 times

Sophocles (playwright)

496-406 B.C.E---90 years old when died His Oedipus the King is considered to be the greatest tragedy ever written Raised the chorus to 15, where it remained Added a third actor Won the City of Dionysia 18-24 times (was beat by Aeschylus early on) Is credited with inventing scenery painting

Aeschylus (Playwright)

525-456 B.C.E---died at 69 Persians (authorship is questioned) is the only surviving tragedy based on more recent events of the time Reduced the chorus to 12, making the plot more important than ritual. His choral odes, however, were a great achievement Introduced a second actor Considered the father of Western theatre Won the City of Dionysia 13 times Was a soldier in the battles of Marathon and Salamis; his epitaph states that this was his proudest achievement

5th Century B.C.E

During its classical era, Greece was made up of many city-states Athens being the predominant one Athens led the way in theatre, among many other achievements. It is widely considered to be the birthplace of democracy, although women were considered second-class citizens and most citizens with means owned slaves. (Spartan women, on the other hand, held most of the same rights and liberties as men.)

Miracle Plays

European plays based on lives of saints

Morality Plays

European plays that taught morals; right from wrong

Theatre in Italy during Renaissance time:

Much of theatre during the Italian Renaissance was supported by the crown. Many performances were held in honor of weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions. One type of improvisation theatre was enjoyed by the courts and would become the most popular form of entertainment for the masses, lasting into the mid to late 1700s.

From Ritual to Play

Our journey to a Greek theatre with characters, dialogues, and plots begin with 50 men, called chorus members, dancing and singing the praises of Dionysus. Around 600 B.C.E, Thespis, a member of the chorus, stepped out to portray Dionysus. Finally, poets begin writing plays based on the old myths, the gods, and the stories of Homer. The Iliad and The Odyssey are endless sources of material with dozens of major and minor characters including the deities. These epics tell stories of love, war, death, sacrifice, and adventure; the stuff of great drama. People would have been familiar with these stories and characters by the time the golden age of theatre began. THESE EPICS TELL STORIES OF LOVE, WAR, DEATH, SACRIFICE, AND ADVENTURE; THE STUFF OF GREAT DRAMA.

Tazieh

Persian passion play

Autos Sacramentales

Spanish religious plays

Back to the future of the Renaissance

The European Renaissance was a time of invention and hunger for understanding. People were looking inward in an attempt to understand the human condition and outward to understand the human body, the universe, and as much as possible in between. But it was actually the past that ignited the rebirth. While there is credence to the idea that the term "rebirth" refers to coming out of the dark ages, more than that, it means a rebirth of the classics. It is thought that when the Roman capital of Constantinople fell in 1453, the monks and scholars fled to Italy with the classical writings of Greece and Rome. The invention of the printing press around 1440 allowed the classical texts to be copied and distributed. Therefore, not only was a renewed interest in the old popular with scholars and artists, but the classics were emulated. The invention of the printing press also allowed new information to spread more quickly. And even though Guttenberg could not fathom the speed of sharing information that the Internet brought, his invention was no less significant. Another important innovation was Galileo's telescope, which proved Copernicus' theory that the sun was the center of the universe and helped with ship navigation. Medicine and physics were making strides, along with more powerful weapons thanks to the introduction of gun powder from the East. A merchant class was emerging due to trade and invention. Theatre was mirroring the idea of exploring the mind and world and became more secular; the Church was no longer a sponsor. The art reflected this idea of humanism, or interest in mankind. The Church was still powerful and was not happy with theatre that was not wholly centered on it.

Golden Age of Spain

The Golden Age of Spain is used to describe a time of great art, literature, and theatre. The start of the Golden Age began in the early to mid 1500s and ends during the mid to late 1600s. It was secured by the plays of Lope de Vega and ended by the death of the playwright Pedro Calderon de la Barca, in 1681. During this time, Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel or at least the first modern European novel, was written. Diego de Velázquez was creating paintings using commoners, historical events, and the royal family as subjects. He became an influence to artists from his time to today. While other European countries were struggling with religious civil strife, Spain remained devoutly Catholic. Because there was no civil war, the arts were allowed to thrive. Despite the strictures of the Church, both secular and religious dramas were popular. Religious plays included the autos sacramentales. These plays were performed during the feast of the Corpus Christie and were allegories dealing with the ritual of the sacrament.

Parts of Greek Theatre/Stage

The Greek stage was built as a thrust and its inclusive structure reflects the idea of a Democratic society. The theatron is the name given to the raked seating area. The orchestra was where the chorus would perform entering from the parodos. It is reminiscent of the area where the altar to Dionysus would have been and later became the stage. The skene was the Greek word for "set." It was a structure that served as the front of buildings, palaces, and other locations of the play (the word "scenery" comes from this word). The actors would have exited and entered from this structure, changing masks and costumes as needed. The main acting area for the actors would have been in the area in front of the skene. The stage also had a mēchanē (machine) that would hoist actors, usually portraying a god, to the top of the skene. A wagon was also used to bring on bloody tableaus as the Greeks would not show violence on stage, just the results. The illustration above is an example of an evolved stage that had smaller and simpler beginnings.

Italy

The Italian Renassaince playrigths Mussato, Trissino, and Giraldi are not well known today. How ever, many great conventions, genres, and stage innovations from this time are still influencing theatre today. The Italian invention of opera was an attempt to recreate the grandness of classical Greek theatre. Although it is debated whether opera is theatre or a strictly musical genre, it certainly has had influence on theatre. Ballet was also formalized during this time. Aristotle's treatise on theatre, Poetics, was rediscovered, and the Unities became the "rules" of the tragedies and dramas written in the Italian renaissance. It is disputed which unities Aristotle deemed important, and it seems that the Italians misinterpreted them.

Each playwright would have a "sponsor" called a choregos:

The choregos, a wealthy man performing a public service, would feed and give housing to the chorus during the rehearsal and production period. The actors (non-chorus) were sponsored by the state. The winning play's choregos would have his name recorded for posterity.

The word "theatre" derives from the greek word "theatron" meaning "viewing place."

The citizens of Athens would meet before the ceremonies to discuss and debate social issues. Therefore, early theatre was already a place to seek answers to questions concerning society, political issues, and the human condition.

To be chosen as a judge for the festival was considered an honor:

The judges were not necessarily men in the field of theatre as the goal was to keep the competition unbiased. The competition only chose the best play, and the playwright of the best play was considered the "winner." No award was given for acting or any other aspect of the productions. Some argue that competition in the arts is detrimental at worst and difficult at least because of its subjective nature. Others maintain that competition in the arts creates excellence and communion.

Masks

The number of actors rose to three (some say four), and masks were used to differentiate the characters from one another. Also, the transference of actor to character and human to god would be an important part of the mask. There are only vase drawings left that show us illustrations of the actor's mask. Hardened linen, cork, wood, and leather are possible materials used to make the masks. That animal or human hair was used for head and facial hair. Masks used in comedies were outrageous and clownish.

Conventions

Tragedy was considered superior to comedy and followed certain "rules." Comedy could not be part of tragedy, the main characters would be members of nobility, and the plot took place within 24 hours. Only tragedy could be entered in the competition of City Dionysia; the comedies were for entertainment only. We know at least 46 playwrights of tragedy existed and authored around 600 plays. Of that, only 33 tragic plays survived by only 3 playwrights (one of these plays is in question as to its author). These plays, however, are considered some of the most important literature in history. The tragic plays provided what Aristotle called catharsis. The audience would feel pity or fear and are left with a sense of emotional cleansing. This is the same for modern audiences. By the time these stories came to the Greek stage, people were questioning the idea of fate and the role of the gods. However, the plays would ask the audience to consider faith and justice and be reminded of the fortitude of the human spirit.

City Dionysia

annual competition of Greek tragedies By the 5th century B.C.E., the competitive festival called the City Dionysia was taking place in Athens and evolved into a highly organized annual event. Every year the competition of plays was an integral part of Greek life. It was attended by locals and "foreigners" alike.

Skene

building onstage that served as the "set"

The Teatro Farnese

built in 1618 in Parma, was the first theatre built with the proscenium arch. It was nearly destroyed during World War II but was restructured in 1956. Teatro Farnese would have been a wonder to behold during its original days. The theatre was designed with moving wings painted like flats. The flats would slide in and out to create the look of different settings. Other devices were used to "fly" actors from the fly loft onto the stage. Like the Roman Coliseum, the Teatro Olimpico's orchestra area was flooded for mock sea battles. These stages were inspired by the Greek and Roman stages but designed for an era of exploration and innovation in search for verisimilitude.

Secular

commercial drama has its roots with the playwright Bartolomé de Torres Naharro. For a time, he lived in Naples, Italy, and brought the Italian elevated styles to his broad farces. He also lived in the home of a cardinal and, like Molière after him, he was privy to the goings-on under his roof. His play Tinelara (1517) reflects what he witnessed. Pope Leo X was not offended but enjoyed his comic talents. Naharro's plays were innovative because he moved away from the neoclassical ideals of Italy. Other Church dignitaries were not so keen on his plays and "shelved" them. A censored version turned up in Madrid and was most likely read by the person who would become Spain's most famous playwright: Lope de Vega.

Thespis

considered the first western actor; steps out of the chorus and imitates, or takes on the persona, of Dionysus. Thespis also wrote plays and won awards in what became the competition of tragedies (agon). Many of today's high schools around the country have thespian troupes, named for Thespis. Today, the term thespian is used to describe an actor. Like the ancient Greek ceremonies, modern thespian troupes compete against each other for awards. This ancient idea is also carried on in our modern day Tony, OBIE, and Academy Awards ceremonies.

Theatre of Dionysus

during 5th century B.C.E May have used temporary wooden benches and held around 7, 000 audience members. Later it was updated with stone and held up to 20,000 people. The Theatre of Dionysus was hollowed out of the bottom of the hillside where the Acropolis is located. There is evidence that admission was charged. However, because the theatrical event was so popular and important to Greek culture, it is believed that a theatre allowance was paid to citizens so that admission was guaranteed to both poor and rich.

Mystery Plays

european plays from the middle ages based on biblical stories

The Bibienas

famous designing family during the Enlightenment

Teatro Farnese

first proscenium arch stage

Dionysus

greek god of wine and fertility. Many versions of his life exist, but he is usually known as the son of Zeus, ruler of the gods. One version says that as he was born from the thigh of Zeus after he is saved from his dying mother's (Semele, a mortal) womb. He is the only Greek god to be a descendant of a mortal. After his birth, he is ripped into many pieces by the Titans but is brought back to life. He also makes a journey into the underworld to retrieve his mother and takes her to Mount Olympus. Like the story of Osiris, Dionysus' story represents the cycle of dying and rebirth. As it was important for the crops to bear grapes every year, the ceremony to appease Dionysus was one of the most important annual rituals. Some believe the story of Dionysus is a blending of the story of a Greek god and a god imported from what is now central Turkey. Dionysus, unlike other gods, went into the wilderness to live among his worshipers. He was considered to be both benevolent and malicious, depending on where he was worshipped and by whom. This also reflects the duel effects of wine consumption. By the 6th century B.C.E., attending the ritual of honoring Dionysus became somewhat of a civic duty that brought an identity to the citizens. The ceremonial space would include a specific area for the chorus of 50 men who would dance and sing the praises of Dionysus. This space would evolve into the theatre that would within a hundred years present the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes.

The Olympics

had been around for a couple of hundreds of years by this time, hits its stride Math, architecture, and art flourished and education was revered This was considered the golden age of greece

Mechane

machine onstage used to hoist actors

FOP

male character who is obsessed with fashion and appearence

Moliere

most famous french playwright

Lope De Vega

most popular Spanish playwright of the "golden age"

The Globe Theatre

most well-known english stage

Duse

nickname for famous Italian actress Eleonora Duse

Teatro Olimpico

oldest surviving indoor theatre -built in 1584 in the northern province of Vicenza. Its use of small models to create the look of streets that went on for miles was a true innovation and is the first three-dimensional set. The front of the "streets" was designed to look like a Roman Skene.

Vernacular Drama

plays written in every language

Liturgical Drama

plays written in latin

Shakespere

playwright for all ages

Commedia Dell Arte

popular Italian genre used stock characters, farcical plots, and half masks. Many of the troupes were families, which included women. Isabella Andrieni was a famous and well-liked actress. She was so famous for her portrayal of the leading lady (prima donna) that the commedia character Isabella was named after her. She began acting at the age of 14 and died at the young age of 42, perhaps from a miscarriage while traveling. Although actors were still considered low class and the Church still considered theatre to be a disgrace, they held an important status in society. When Isabella died, she was awarded full honors, but the priest would not allow her to be buried in consecrated ground because she was an actor.

Comedias

popular Spanish genre

Ned Kynaston

popular actor known for portraying female characters

Nell Gwynn

popular actress and mistress to King Charles ll

Comedy of Manners

popular genre of the English Restoration

Renaissance

re-birth

Restoration

restoration of the king of england

Pastorals

romantic comedies; somewhat serious but always have a happy ending --Italians enjoyed them

Theatron

seating area in the greek theatre

Domestic Tragedies

serious drama about the working class

Pantomimes

singing, dancing, and compeition

Corrales

spanish theatres

Orchestra

stage where the chorus would perform

Philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

these 3 pondered life and its meaning. Hippocrates made strides in medicine and created the Hippocratic oath that is still taken by medical doctors today

Old Comedy

took on political and social issues

Pageant Wagons

wagons used as stages in the middle ages

The Chorus

was reduced in number but still important to the theatre experience. The audience would see the drama through the eyes of the chorus as it would react and comment on the actions of the major characters. The chorus would understand the tragic consequences of the character's action and sometimes try to warn of the outcome, to no avail. The chorus would both comfort and admonish the major characters, giving voice to the audiences' thoughts.

Satyr Plays

were rowdy, comic performances and most likely a needed relief from the tragedy plays. Only tragedy was eligible for competition. The playwrights would enter three tragedies and one satyr play for the interludes between the tragedies.

Menander

wrote new comedy

Plautus

wrote roman comedies based on new comedy