Week 9 Italian Renaissance Flashcards
Renaissance
Definition: A period of cultural revival in Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries, emphasizing classical learning and values.
Impact on Theatre: Revival of Greek and Roman drama, development of perspective in stage design, and introduction of commedia dell’arte.
Humanism
Definition: A Renaissance movement valuing human potential and classical learning.
Influence: Inspired playwrights and architects to reflect human-centric, realistic characters and scenic designs in theater.
Perspective in Stage Design
Definition: A technique that creates an illusion of depth on stage by adjusting the size and alignment of set elements.
Key Innovation: Allowed audiences to experience three-dimensional effects in a flat space.
Commedia dell’Arte
Definition: An improvised, physical form of Italian theater featuring stock characters and comedic plots.
Characters: Includes figures like Harlequin, Pantalone, and Capitano, each known for distinct costumes, masks, and traits.
Commedia dell’Arte Stock Characters
Examples:
Harlequin: Clownish, acrobatic servant.
Pantalone: Miserly old man.
Capitano: Braggart soldier.
Importance: Defined the comic archetypes that would influence European theater.
Teatro Olimpico
Creator: Andrea Palladio.
Description: The first permanent Renaissance theater built in 1580 in Vicenza, Italy, emulating classical Roman design.
Feature: Famous for its perspective stage sets.
Intermezzi
Definition: Short performances with music, dance, and elaborate scenery between the acts of Renaissance plays.
Significance: Inspired the development of opera and theatrical spectacle.
- Lodovico Castelvetro
Contribution: Italian critic who emphasized verisimilitude and unity of time and place in drama.
Theory: Believed plays should reflect reality and be understandable to all audience members.
Verisimilitude
Definition: The appearance of truth or realism on stage.
Application: Theatre should present events and settings as believable to the audience.
Unity of Time, Place, and Action
Definition: Dramatic principles that a play should occur within a single location, timeframe, and storyline.
Influence: Adopted by Renaissance dramatists to enhance realism.
Sebastiano Serlio
Role: Architect and set designer who popularized the use of perspective in stage design.
Contribution: His work “Architettura” set standards for tragic, comic, and satyric stage sets.
Dafne by Jacopo Peri
Significance: First opera written in 1597.
Development: Marked the birth of musical drama, merging theater and music.
Machiavelli’s The Prince
Summary: A political treatise advising rulers on power tactics, influencing the portrayal of cunning villains in theater.
Theatrical Influence: Inspired characters who use manipulation to achieve goals.
Giacomo Torelli
Invention: The chariot-and-pole system for scene changes.
Impact: Revolutionized stage mechanics, allowing seamless transitions between scenes.
Teatro Farnese
Built: 1618.
Architect: Giovanni Battista Aleotti.
Features: Known for its horseshoe-shaped auditorium and the first permanent proscenium arch.
Proscenium Arch
Function: Frame surrounding the stage opening, creating a ‘picture frame’ effect.
Effect: Enhanced realism by separating the audience from the action.
Vitruvius’s De Architectura
Content: Treatise on Roman architecture, rediscovered in the Renaissance.
Theater Influence: Provided guidelines for designing performance spaces based on classical principles.
Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo
Significance: Early opera exemplifying the fusion of music, drama, and visual spectacle.
Legacy: Demonstrated Italian Renaissance taste for combining storytelling with lavish musical compositions.
Lazzi
Definition: Stock comedic routines in commedia dell’arte.
Examples: Slapstick antics, exaggerated gestures, or situational humor.
Raked Stage
Definition: A stage that slopes upward away from the audience.
Purpose: Enhanced depth perception and visibility for the audience.
