Dramatic Theory & Criticism Midterm Study Guide

What are the three parts of a thesis? Describe them.

Claim, reason, and warrant; the claim presents the main argument, the reason supports the claim (evidence/facts), and the warrant provides the underlying assumption or justification.

What is the Natyasatra?

Holy book of Indian drama that acted as an encyclopedia of theatre, as well as a comprehensive guide.

What roles were women allowed to play according to the Natyasastra?

Women, delicate men, and Gods. They were not to be instructed when playing women due to their assumed innate femininity (essentialism).

What are some of the prescriptions written in the Natyasastra?

1. Specific facial expressions for different emotions

2. Audience reactions to certain stimuli/events

3. Limitations on vulgar content

4. Costumes/makeup

5. Directing

What did Bharata believe the social purpose of theatre was?

To replicate/uphold the status quo and transmit cultural stories/values, social norms, and religious beliefs.

What is rasa?

The “flavor” of theatre, or a result of the “ingredients” in a production experienced by the audience; cumulative result of stimulus, involuntary and voluntary reaction.

What are the most important and least important of Aristotle’s Six Constituent Elements of Tragedy?

Plot/script is the most important, and spectacle is the least important.

Describe Aristotle’s idea of the Tragic Hero.

1. A nobleman who is inherently “good” and virtuous, but not perfect

2. Tragic flaw is internal rather than external

3. Hamartia→ peripeteia → anagnorisis

4. Must be “appropriate” and “consistent”

Describe the three Aristotelian elements of the Tragic Hero.

1. Hamartia = misstep or tragic flaw

2. Peripeteia = reversal of fortune

3. Anagnorisis = recognition of error/flaw

What does Aristotle say about the Tragic Deed?

It should be described rather than staged, and is most dramatic when it takes place within the family.

Does Aristotle believe in employing a deus ex machina?

No

What type of plots/relationships did Aristotle value?

Climactic, logically ordered plots with causal relationships.

What aspect of theatre was most important to Aristotle?

Plot/script

What is Unity of Action?

The notion of having one complete action/plot in a play; everything must fit and be necessary.

What are the Apollonian traits?

1. Dream

2. Sculpture

3. Restraint

4. Light

5. Perfection

What are the Dionysian traits?

1. Intoxication

2. Music/dance

3. Terror/ecstasy

4. Primordial unity

5. Freedom from barriers

Describe Miller’s idea of the Tragic Hero.

1. Can be a common man

2. Goal is to right the wrongs that society has imposed on them

3. Tragic flaw is external (in society) rather than internal

4. Does not accept less than they think they deserve; pushes back against oppression

Why did Miller believe the common man could be a tragic hero?

1. Death is not an inherently noble or honorable event.

2. Tragedy happens to all of us.

What are the main elements of American tragedy?

1. Destruction of a house or family of modest means/status

2. Reflecting the influence of Freud’s theories of the unconscious

3. Themes of work

4. Exploring the limits of free will and the forces in control of humans’ lives (ex. social, political, psychological, biological)

What are the Three Unities?

1. Time (24 hr period)

2. Place (One location)

3. Action (One main action)

Corneille “stretched” the limits of the Unities as to serve more complex plots.

What was the goal of the Neoclassicist movement?

To reassert the value and necessity of the rules of classical drama; prescriptive

What four things did Corneille and Neoclassicism reject that went against verisimilitude?

1. Mixing genres

2. Choruses

3. Soliloquies

4. Deus ex machina

What is verisimilitude?

The quality of being realistic, believable, and lifelike; prized by French Neoclassicists.

What was the French Academy and what is its relation to Corneille?

A council that decided questions of dramatic rules and upheld standards for French arts & literature. Corneille was called upon the council to defend his rule-breaking play Le Cid, which prompted him to stop writing plays altogether for several years in defiance. He eventually joined the Academy and adhered to Neoclassical rules.

What theatrical standard did Corneille popularize?

Stage directions

Did Corneille value causal relationships?

Yes

What plot structure did Corneille stick to?

1. Before change of fortune: Complication

• Little exposition; quick with no narration

• Should only be what is absolutely necessary to understand the action

2. After change of fortune: Resolution

• No change of intention or machine

What aspect of theatre was most important to Corneille?

Script

What was Romanticism a reaction to?

Neoclassicism and its rigidity, strict rules, & emphasis on reason, order, restraint, and balance; Industrial Revolution and urbanization were worldly factors that influenced the movement, as well as the American/French Revolutions. The movement also sparked many anti-Neoclassicist riots.

What is the Sturm und Drang movement?

An 18th century German movement that influenced romanticism. It rejected Neoclassical rules, mixing genres and staging violence with a more episodic structure; consisted of radical and complex subject matter/morality.

What is considered the “manifesto” of Romanticism?

“Preface to Cromwell” by Victor Hugo.

What does Romanticism value and emphasize?

Emphasized the supernatural, uncanny, individual, and subjective experiences (feelings, emotions, imaginations, inner thoughts); mood & atmosphere over plot & character. Portrays larger-than-life character, grand passions, social outcasts, supernatural elements, and themes of human aspiration vs. physical limitations.

What does the term “grotesque” refer to?

A rejection of the ideal and an endorsement of the “deformed”/real; unnatural and bizarre combinations of characteristics in order to hold a mirror up to society.

What does “the germ of the second epoch is always present in the first” mean?

There are always elements of a prior movement in the next one; influence never fully dies off.

What does the sublime vs. the grotesque represent?

The soul vs. the animal in man.

How else did Romanticism differ from Neoclassicism?

Rejected classical settings and spectacle offstage, emphasized the importance of setting to “faithful representation,” aimed to represent real life, allowed subplots, and chose the characteristic over the beautiful.

What aspect of theatre was most important to Hugo?

Emotion and mood/atmosphere.

What was realism a reaction to?

Romanticism and its preference for mood and atmosphere above all else. The rise of the working class, their growing concerns, and the questioning of society’s “natural order” were all factors that influenced the movement. It steered the ship back to presenting objective, specific details and events of outside life, rather than the subjective experience.

What does realism seek to do?

It aims to replicate real life as precisely as possible on stage, including accurate sets, costumes, and language. It notes the large-scale social problems and their effects on individual lives. Ultimately, its primary goal is enacting social change.

What types of subjects does realism tackle?

Issues previously viewed as taboo, such as gender, poverty, disease, biological and social determinism, and religious hypocrisy. These topics disrupted the social hierarchy and caused shock amongst audiences. However, it assumes that characters have the ability to change their circumstances.

What is the basic definition of naturalism?

A more pessimistic, “slice of life” offshoot of realism that aims to keep the artist’s hand unseen (as if the audience were looking through a window).

What are some of the key elements of naturalism?

1. Plot is not the focus, as that would contradict its grounded nature (no Unities).

2. Emphasizes fate and predestiny

3. Emphasizes biological/regional/economic determinism (being at the mercy of external and internal forces; forces > free will).

4. Showcases the “physiological man” (bound in body, grounded)

5. Does not comment on morality or fairness; authentic, scientific approach

What one value does naturalism hold?

Specificity (especially in character)

Who was the founding proponent of naturalism?

Emile Zola

What aspect of theatre was most important to Zola?

Set, props, and costumes

What did Stanislavsky develop to help his actors achieve believability onstage?

The “Method”

What are some key elements and goals of Stanislavsky’s Method?

1. Based in observations of real-life actions (psychological realism); the actor must believe in what takes place onstage and what they are doing

2. Performer’s outward behavior should be natural and convincing

3. Actor should convey goals and objectives of character through conviction and belief

4. Life of character should be continuous (actor should not drop out of character)

5. Actors should act with one another (ensemble playing)

What are the techniques of Stanislavsky’s Method?

1. Relaxation: Necessary for effortless acting

2. Concentration and observation: Circle of attention that contains the actor’s focus

3. Importance of specifics: Emotions manifest themselves in specific actions, not generalized moods

4. Given circumstances: The specific details of the setting, the moment before, etc

5. Inner truth: The internal, subjective world of the characters (the “magic if”)

6. Purpose: Who, what, when, where, why, and how?

7. Throughline of a role: The “superobjective” is the character’s driving force; intermediate objectives occur in beats

8. Ensemble playing: Actors can’t stop acting when they are not speaking; one must stay in character throughout the time on stage and must act with the entire company

9. Emotional memory: Actors recalling personal anecdotes to stir up compelling, truthful emotions

What aspect of theatre was most important to Stanislavsky?

Authenticity/realism; “art of experiencing”