戏剧总体知识介绍

The Development of English Drama (First Period: Medieval Plays) I Religious Period
Mankind loves a spectacle. from the New Testament & the ritual of the Christian Church: what was the object of those plays? Dramatic forms: Mysteries, miracle plays, moralities performed at seasonal celebration – Midwinter (the birth of the Christ: hope in the darkness and death of the New Year), Spring (Christ’s resurrection accorded with the earth’s resurrection), and high Summer (the promise of harvest at midsummer)
Baidu Nhomakorabea
Comedy
a light, humorous play that ends happily. laugh at humanity’ vices and follies: people’s follies, foibles, and vices and exaggerates or distorts an insight into the nature of the human condition situation comedies, romantic comedies, sentimental comedies, dark comedies, comedy of manners, and pure farce. exaggeration, incongruity, surprise, repetition, wisecracks, and sarcasm.
II Moral Period
Elements in detail
Plot: exposition, conflict, complication, climax (anticlimactic), resolution (denouement). Dramatic Tension; Dramatic Irony; Oedipus the King; Theater of the absurd Character: the main character: the protagonist; his or her opponent or opposing force: the antagonist; the minor characters. Motivation, the driving force for an action: a character flaw or defect; anagnorisis (epiphany); dynamic vs. static
Three Origins
Drama arose from religious ceremonial. Greek comedy developed from those phases of the Dionysian rites which dealt with the theme of fertility. Greek tragedy came from the Dionysian rites dealing with life and death; and medieval drama arose out of rites commemorating the birth and the resurrection of Christ.
The Unities
Principles of dramatic composition Aristotle: the unity of a living organism, and that the action it represents should last, if possible, no longer than a single revolution of the sun The three unities: action, time, place
The Origin of Drama
Religious ceremonies. Greek tragedy and comedy in 6th century BCE Process of Drama: Imitating nature – Religious Ceremony – Greek tragedy and comedy – Medieval Drama (rites commemorating the birth and death of Christ ) -- the late medieval period and the early Renaissance (drama gradually altered to the form we know today) -- The midsixteenth century in England in particular (one of the greatest periods of world drama)
Elements in detail
Theme (thought): the major ideas or moral precepts Style (diction): imagery, symbolism,. Diction, sentence structure; soliloquy; aside music: the auditory aspect: sound effects and the tonal pattern of the spoken word Spectacle: visual aspects: scenery, lighting, costume, make-up, the movement of the actors. Act & Scene: Act I: Scene I, Scene II, etc.
Some Genres & Terms
Tragedy Comedy Melodrama Tragicomedy The Unities
Tragedy
the downfall of the protagonist: a central character faces, and is finally defeated by, some overwhelming threat or disaster. arouse pity and fear in the audience :an effect of purgation or catharsis of these strong emotions by the audience. in their earliest stage performed by a single actor who interacted with the chorus. Aeschylus: a second actor on the stage to allow additional conflict and dialogue. Sophocles and Euripides added a third .
I Religious Period
The earliest Miracle recorded in England: The Ludus de Santa Katharina performed in Dunstable about the year 1110 In the following four centuries: fun and hilarity predominating even in the most sacred representations By the year 1300: the Miracles out of ecclesiastical hands In the 16th century, the Miracles were replaced by the Elizabethan drama.
Drama & Play
DRAMA: (imitated human action) A composition in prose or verse presenting, in pantomime and dialogue, a narrative involving conflict between a character or characters and some external or internal force. Playwrights usually design dramas for presentation on a stage in front of an audience. Aristotle called drama "imitated human action.“ Play: A specific piece of drama, usually enacted on a stage by diverse actors who often wear makeup or costumes to make them resemble the character they portray. Playwright & Dramatist
Melodrama
drama of disaster: the forces outside of the protagonist cause all of the significant events of the plot. The protagonist is usually a victim of circumstance. He is acted upon by the antagonist or anti-hero and suffers without having to accept responsibility and inevitability of fate. a sense of strict moral judgment The good characters are rewarded and the bad characters are punished in a means that fits the crime.
Basic Elements of Dramas
Aristotle & Poetics: Plot Character Thought Diction; Music Spectacle Critical Approach: Performance vs. Reading: Stage Directions Setting Style Character Plot Theme
Tragicomedy
the most life like of all of the genres. It is non-judgmental and ends with no absolutes. It focuses on character relationships and shows society in a state of continuous flux. There is a mix of comedy and tragedy side by side in these types of plays.