THTR Hist I Final

Renaissance

"rebirth", was a special period between approx. 1400-1700 in different parts of Europe. It was an age of humanism, individuality, questioning, discovery, and scientific, artistic advancement

Why Renaissance started

1. Ruins from the Roman Empire. Everyday reminders of the past glories
2. Italy was a central region. a) Many traders travelled through Italian states when journeying to Asia, Africa, and other parts of Europe. b) Italy absorbed ideas from the Byzantine Empire and other cultures.
3. Controversy with the papacy. a) Political struggle led to a divide. b) Many moved towards secularism. c) Humanism and individualism emerged.
4. The fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. a. 1453. b. Rediscovered the "lost" theatrical work from "The Golden Age of Greece."

Italian Neoclassical Ideals

-were supposed to help artists properly imitate the Greeks and Romans
-looked at Aristotle, Horace for inspiration
-Purity of Dramatic Types. verisimilitude, three unities, to teach and to please

Helped spread the popularity of Greek plays

invention of the printing press

Purity of Dramatic Types:

reduced regular drama to two basic forms: comedy and tragedy

-Tragedies: characters were ruling class, stories were from mythology or history, writing was poetic, and it must have an unhappy ending.
Comedies: middle-class or lower-class characters, stories were from real life (domestic or private affairs), speech imitated real life, and it must have a happy ending.

Tragedy and comedy DO NOT MIX!

Verisimilitude:

-drama should appear true to life, everything is believable, no deus ex machina, chorus, soliloquies, or characters
-battles and violence had to be offstage;
-decorum: characters must follow set behaviour to be believable, must act according to their gender, age, rank

Three Unities:

-Time, place, and action
-told within five acts and should take place between 24 hours
-have one location; follow one storyline

Purpose of Renaissance Drama

to teach and to please; teach a moral lesson, justice must be served

Intermezzi-

-opera before opera; short, lavish musical entertainments that developed in the late 1400s
-for spectacle, not for story
-presented at court and special celebrations between the acts of plays
-six total: one before, four between acts, and one as an afterpiece; became more popular than plays

Opera

-originated in Italy in the late 1500s as an attempt by neoclassicist to revive classical Greek theatre
-opera had fleshed out plots and character, unlike intermezzi
-in Renaissance opera, all lines are sung and not spoken
-opera quickly spread throughout Europe, and with it, Italian scenic design practices; the form became popular around 1650/1660

Libretto

"little book" is the text/lyrics sung in an opera and is secondary to the music and credit is almost always given to the composer

Two main types of opera singing:

recitative (narrative talk-singing used to advance the plot) and aria (melodic and accompanied)

Commedia dell'arte

improv, stock characters and situations, masks and fixed costumes, slapstick and physical humour, crude jokes and buffoonery

lazzi or lazzo

comedic stage business

Innamorati

the lovers in a commedia dell'arte (unmasked)

The masters

-a masked male characte
-the capitano, exaggerated action and speech, a braggert and a coward
-pantalone- older man who often poses as a young man, miserly and lustly
-dottore- friend of pantolone, doctor and academic snob, cuckhold

The zannis

servants; many types but harlequin was the most popular, they were mist physical and ridiculous, usually unintelligent and had a simple, reduced want such as hunger

Commedia dell'arte companies

always a troupe leader, profit sharing; troupes were often families; put on sketches or full-length plays

Innovations in Italy's Scenic Design-

1414- Italians discovered ten books by Vitruvius about architecture, good chunk about theatre and design
1486- Vitruvius's writing was published and wealthy Italians began staging Roman comedies and tried to re-construct what was described in his writing; 1493- first illustration of a Italian Renaissance stage, published in a play by Terence known as the Terence Stage; reminiscent of medieval mansions and Roman scaenae frons

Proscenium stage-

framed like a picture with a proscenium arch; theatrical illusion of a fourth-wall convention; proscenium hides stage mechanisms and special effects from the audience; designed for perspective scenery

The groove system, wings and shutters, perspective scenery

Grooves- were installed in the stage floor and over head to assist with changing wings.

Shutters- backdrop was painted on two shutters joined together

perspective scenery- represents three dimensional scenery on a flat surface

Jacopo Peri

wrote the first opera, Dafne, which is now lost, and the oldest surviving opera Eurydice;

Giacomo Torelli

the "great sorcerer" of stage mechanics during the early 17th-C. who created the chariot-pole method

I Gelosi

The most popular commedia company:

Sebastian Serlio

wrote the first book on architecture, from the Renaissance era, and it had a devoted section to the theatre design for nearly a century; his book included illustrations on the scene described by Vitruvius

pull and chariot system

scenic flats attached to poles that went through slots in the floor and rested on two-wheeled chariots

England Renaissance

began approximately a century after other European Renaissance movements began during the war; often referred to as the Elizabethan era/period, even though England's Renaissance lasted until 1642

Theatre Renaissance

began around the mid-1500's; held onto medieval theatre traditions longer than other countries did

interludes

-helped bridge the gap between medieval theatre and Elizabethan drama
-short, light-hearted/farcical plays written and performed by professionals
-professional acting troupes began to emerge due to interest/demand for morality plays and interludes and they found patronage under noble households
-presented in royal courts, noble homes, or universities in between acts of plays
-did not utilize music or spectacle

school drama

-university students began writing and privately performing their own plays
-followed Greco-Roman models while integrating humour found in mystery plays
-inspired by recent history, Greco-Roman plays; boys played female roles

University Wits:

-group of educated playwrights who wrote full-length dramas for the public
-helped establish a thriving theatre scene before Shakespeare's time

The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd

-introduced first English revenge play, brought murder, gore, and violence to the stage
-did not follow neoclassical rules; inspired by Seneca and influenced Shakespeare

Christopher Marlowe

-shared a room with Thomas Kyd and wrote for the same acting companies
-known for his dramatic verse; many believe Marlowe had a better command of unrhymed iambic pentameter than Shakespeare did
-The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus was his most famous play

iambic pentameter

a line comprised of five beats with two syllables to each beat and an accent on the second beat

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

-thought to be about a real German magician Doctor Faustus
-reflects a medieval morality play
-similar to Greek tragedy with chorus and haramarti
-themes: arrogance, power hunger, authority/hierarchy, greed, good vs evil, salvation vs damnation; symbols- magic/books, blood

William Shakespeare

-also known as the Bard, considered the greatest playwright of all time
-known for intricate plot; complex, well-rounded characters, poetic and figurative dialogue, rich imagery and metaphors, mixing tragedy and comedy
-first play was Henry IV; working for various acting companies before joining Lord Chamberlain's Men in 1594; occasionally worked as an actor
-about 38 plays are credited to Shakespeare, wrote in iambic pentameter and prose; stories are inspired by history, myth

Theatre in 1558

Elizabeth I banned all religious and political plays

before 1572

acting companies required patronage from a wealthy individual but afterwards had to be sponsored by a member of nobility; illegal companies frequently formed and toured; noble women were allowed to maintain companies as well

Master of Revels

was responsible for licensing all plays

Elizabethan Acting Companies:

The Queen's Men formed and had monopoly on London's theatre for five years; the Admiral's Men and the Lord Chamberlain's Men formed to rival each other after Queen's Men died

The Sharing Plan

Shareholders: Actors purchased a percentage of the company and reaped the company's financial gains and losses; Required to commit for a minimum of three years; Took on other responsibilities as well, such as business management (lead actor), wardrobe, props, etc. • Shakespeare was a shareholder in The Lord Chamberlain's Men.

Hirelings and apprentices

hirelings

men hired to work for the company and maybe have had shares

Theatre company rules of conduct

don't be late or miss; do not be drunk; do not take company properties or wear costumes outside of the theatre

The Globe

held some of Shakespeare's greatest plays; burned down in 1613 and was rebuilt a year later

Public and private theatres

-Public (outdoor) theatres held up to 3,000; Private indoor theatres held up to 750.
-Musical entertainment before, jig after, no intermission, and 2-3 hours in length.
-All classes were welcome to attend public and private events; private events cost more due to less seating.
-Speculation on what acting was like
-Actors only received sides, containing their lines and cues
-Plays were frequently reprised, and runs were either nonexistent or short.

Gallery

upper levels of globe

Macbeth

big idea of fate

the reign of King James I and King Charles I

theatre continued to flourish; tragicomedies become more popular and audiences became more interested in spectacle and thrill rather than complex characterization

The Jacobean Era:

refer to the reign of King James I, the last half of Shakespeare's career was during this period, but his work is often lumped in with the Elizabeth era; made it illegal to perform on Sundays

The Caroline Era

refers to the reign of King Charles I; public and private plays are still produced, but court masques became prominent with the nobility

Ben Johnson

best play wright after Shakespeare; wrote poetry; mocked people in his work, especially Jones and was part of the war of the theatre; admired Greco-Roman classical plays and writing with a prescribed set of rules

Comedy of Humours

a type of comedy made popular by Jonson; based on the medieval medical belief where your body is made of four humours (liquids); blood (friendly cheerful), Yellow bile (angry, bitter), Phlegm (Reserved, calm, reliable), Black Bile (depressed, fearful, lazy, sick)

Antimasque

invented by Ben Jonson; comical, grotesque and chaotic short play presented before the actual masque
-when the main masque begins, the allegorical (hero) restores the world to order; as they grow in popularity, they were presented through the main masque

Court masques

presented once or twice a year and were usually allegorical, drawing parallels between mythological heroes and the person or event being celebrated; professional actors played comic roles and the nobility performed the rest: tragic roles, pantomime, dance

The Triumph of Peace

The court masque was staged in response costing £ 21,000

Torchbearer

a young nobleman or child who followed an individual dancer with a candelabrum

Queen Henrietta Maria

staged amateur plays with her ladies, took offense to William Prynne's antitheatricality since she and the women of the court were the only actresses at the time.

William Prynne

Puritan lawyer who attacked actors, actresses, and playgoers in his 1,000+ page pamphlet, Histriomastix

Inigo Jones

England's first important architect and theatre designer; designed scenery, costumes, special effects and stage court masques during Renaissance
-inspired by Roman/Italian architecture, perspective scenery and intermezzi
-introduced England to the proscenium arch, perspective scenery, angled wings, elaborate moving scenery, and more

Prevailing Antitheatricality

grew with Puritan control: see Puritan lawyer William Prynne's Histriomastric; this offended Queen Henrietta Maria who performed publicly

Christianity retook Spain by the 13th C and

religious plays similar to medieval mystery plays were produced

Spanish culture and power flourished when

the Catholic Monarchs King Ferdinand II and Isabella I were on the throne

Auto sacramentales

One act plays; means the holy sacraments; a type of allegorical morality plays; exclusively associated with the feast of Corpus Christi

La Celestina

Written by Fernando de Rojas; an early novel in dialogue that influenced many early novelists and dramatists.

carrons

two-story pageant wagon used to stage the autos; performed in courtyards and town squares; banned in 1765 for being too secular

Lope de Rueda

first major actor, poet, playwright, and manager in Spain's professional theatre; most popular actor and write of his day; formed and toured his own acting company; wrote five full length plays (comedias) and many passos

Passo

a short, one act, farcical play about everyday scenarios

Comedias

any full length play from the Spanish Golden Era, regardless of genre; reject neoclassicism, episodic, three acts; were suspenseful, focused on love and honour, didn't give much to characterization

Comedia de capa y espada

"Cape and Sword plays", named after the lower nobility/upper bourgeoisie characters.

Comedia filosófica

Philosophical plays, such as Calderón's Life is a Dream.

Comedia histórica

Material is drawn from history.

Comedia de carácter

Plays with a strong emphasis on character, which differed from most plot-focused comedias

Comedia divina

Religious play separate from autos sacramentales

Lope de Vega

Spain's greatest dramatist and the first to make a living solely as a playwright
-did not write tragic endings, preferred comedies; set the standard for comedias and primarily wrote nationalistic plays
-valued plot intrigues and suspense over characterization; wrote against neoclassical rules

Pedro Calderón de la Barca

most prominent playwright in Spain's late Golden Age; wrote primarily for court theatre; approximately 100 of his plays have survived, including dozens of auto sacramentales; plays primarily focus on faith and honour

Zarzuela

Spain's Music Theatre; grew out of plays about classical mythology and court masques; had similarities to opera and intermezzi; usually light-hearted with 3 acts; eventually became one acts about Spanish life

Corrales

comedias were performed in open air courtyard theatres; patios: the pit/yards where the spectators stood

enecario

a raised stage

gradas

tiered, bleachers-like seating

rejas

barred viewing windows above the gradas and prevented viewers from climbing into the theatre

aposento

theatre box (third and fourth story)

cazuela

second floor balcony at back of theatre for women who were very rowdy

bancos

reserved benches near stage

Patio

the pit/yard where spectators stood.

desvanes

"the attic", a crammed fourth story box with a low ceiling.

The New Art of Writing Plays

Lope de Vega; Wrote against the neoclassical rules in his 1609 epistle

Life is a Dream

Just know that Calderón wrote this surreal/philosophical play

Spanish theatre women

women were part of some acting companies since sometime in the 1400s; after 1587, they were legally allowed to perform; there were a handful of female playwrights during the late Spanish golden age

The Loa of the Divine Narcissus

written by Juana Inés de la Cruz

Juan del Encino

-Considered the founder of Spanish drama
-Wrote secular plays that marked the departure from religious drama
-Performed only for the nobility.

Alexandre Hardy

considered the first professional playwright in France (made a living without patronage); wrote for middle class and gave them what they wanted; set the stage for France's flourishing theatrical scene; wrote hundreds of plays and 34 survived

Pierre Corneille

wrote comedies early in his career but shifted focus farces to romantic misunderstandings with Melite; popularized neoclassical ideals in France

Le Cid

Corneille's play that was criticized by contemporaries for not sticking to neoclassical ideals

Early Ballet

King Louis XIV popularize ballet in France, which was initially similar to English court masques and had originated in Italy; The Sun King performed in many ballets, especially since ballets were intended to glorify France and its nobility

Jean Racine

-grew up as strict Catholic and adhered to strict neoclassical rules: rivals with Corneille and friends with Molliere
-wrote simple plot and complex characters with internal struggles; were driven by dominant passion and unable to change their fate
-he personally did not believe in free will; characters were torn between duty and passion; tragedy declined in France after his retirement

Moliere

-worked as an actor, manager, playwright, and early-day director; founded the short-lived Parisian company Illustre Theatre with the Bejart family
-wrote farces with stock characters inspired by commedia dell'arte and comedy of manners, which satirized 17th C French society
-believed theatre was a mirror to reflect life; was not always interested in neoclassical rules but often adhered to them; wrote primarily in prose with rhyming couplets

La Troupe de Moliere:

toured through France for approx.. 15 years with his new company; got sponsored by King Louis XIV's brother becoming Troupe de Monsieur; King Louis XIV himself eventually took patronage and named it The King's Company

Tartuffe

three versions were produced; themes: hypocrisy, religious abuse, pride, rich privilege, classicism

The French Academy

made the neoclassical rules mandatory for all French dramatists

Cardinal Richelieu

clergyman, chief minister of King Louis XIII, and a major advocate for the arts; Was royal patron for 40 men gathered to develop French literary and theatrical standards, inspired by the Italian neoclassical ideals