Evolution of dramatic genres Flashcards
Oldest genres
1. TRAGEDY (6th century b.c.)
-performed in theatres
2. COMEDY
Amphitheatre
-Open-air theatre, build in a round, “orchestral” stage
Features of Greek tragedy
- 4-6 actors -> one actor played several roles
- only male actors -> they also played female roles
- chorus -> singers and dancers
- off-stage violence -> scenes involving violence took place off stage
Greek tragedy acts consisted of…
- singing + dancing + speech
- humans + deities (gods + godesses)
- flawed hero -> struggling with something - revenge, greed,
- deities -> help hero in his journey, punish him
Reinessance
15th - 16th century
Shakesperian tragedies
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth
Tragic hero
-Protagonist
-Experiences tragical events over the course of his life
Dichotomy
Two completely opposing ideas
-Characters have to make choices between good and evil
Personal destruction
Fatal flaws
-greed, revenge, pride
Fatal mistakes
-almost always ends in death
-revenge
Acting in a destructive way due to…
-external pressures
-internal pressures
Features of Greek comedy
5th-century bc
-Defined as a play of light and character
-humorous, amusing situations
-views problems of life in an opposite way to the tragedy
-characters experience minor disasters -> develop optimistic state
-1st comedy -> performed at an ancient Greek festival in honor of god Dionysus
Shakesperian comedy
The Merchant of Venice
The Taming of the Shrew
Merry Wives of Windsor
Shakesperian theatre
THE ROSE, THE SWAN, THE HOPE
THE GLOBE (last one)
-1599 built
-partly open-air, polygonal amphitheatre, 3 galleries/stories, 1st floor people stood, on others, they sat, up to 3000 viewers, no curtains
-1613 destroyed -> burned to ground using a cannon during Henry the VIII. play
-1614 reopened
-1642 closed down
-1990s - rebuild by Elizabeth II.
