...Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy received great popularity and stamped as a form to be imitated not only because it has revenge as a tragic motive but also because it is a imitation from medieval tragedy. This masterpiece was presented as blood - revenge where the sacred duty of the father to avenge the murder of his son - and from that sensational theme (which was also popular in classic tragic dramas) derived its polarity and uniqueness. Revenge tragedy in its general sense defines the real dramatic motivation behind which blood and violence lies. Kyd, as an Elizabethan dramatist wanted to show his uniqueness with academic tradition and for this he owns a great deal to Lucius Annaceus Seneca who was a successful dramatist of Roman tyrants. In Senecan tragedies blood-revenge for murder, supernatural elements and delay are presented in realistic perspective. This style is followed by Kyd in his The Spanish Tragedy. As a revenge tragedy, The Spanish Tragedy starts with supernatural effect or the ghost of Andrea in Act I. Just like medieval or Senecan dramas Kyd introduced the drama with a ghost who has connections between the plays main protagonist character and future development of the plot. As Don Andrea was killed in a fair battle an Elizabethan audience would have little sympathy for him so Kyd also introduced the partial hero Horatio who is good in every sense and perspective so that audience have sympathy for his death and also feels sympathetic for his father...
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...Elianne El-Amyouni Dr. Sabah Ghandour English 244 Comedy and Tragedy in Drama “All tragedies are finished by a death. All comedies are ended by a marriage,” (Byron, N.D.). To some degree, Byron is somewhat correct. Of course, there are dramatic texts considered under the category of “tragedy” that do involve death while there are also those that do not. In Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, the play tragically ends with the death of one of the main character’s daughters. On the other hand, Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, although including tragedy and sadness in the ending, did not involve death. Likewise with comedies, although some classics do end in marriage as in Chekhov’s The Brute, comic endings can vary greatly. Moreover, plays over time have varied greatly in their morals, structure and form, and belong to a much larger scale than only death and marriage. Musical Greek dramas, biblical re-enactments of Medieval drama, pastoral drama of 16th century Italy and the “Theatre of the Absurd” are all contributors to the definition of drama. While Byron may not have been completely serious when coming up with this saying, it is unfair to limit the end of all tragedies to death and of all comedies to marriage, especially since the categories of drama vary greatly. First of all, a common genre in dramatic plays is tragedy. Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba is an ideal example of Byron’s “tragedy”. The play discusses the sexually repressed lives of a group of young women...
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...14th century and 17th century, an old genre of literature was reinvented into a newer form that was closer to the mentality and the social development of the time, that being the tragedy. This type of literature has its origins in the Ancient Greek and Roman tragedy, which emerged around 2,500 years ago, in the 6th century BC. Tragedy, by its definition, is “a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in audiences” (qtd. in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy). Tragedy is considered to have been invented for the worshiping of Dionysus , which they considered to be one of their deities . In Greek, “tragedy” is called “tragodia”, which means goat song, being composed of the words “tragos” which means “he-goat” and “aeidein” which means “to sing” which is believed to make a reference to an old custom of offering a goat in competitions of choral dancing or using it for ritual sacrifices, but not before dancing around it. The three big representatives of Ancient tragedy are Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Their work further represented the inspiration for the medieval tragedy which developed during 14th century Middle Age, inside cathedrals, a highly...
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...Arellano University College of Arts and Sciences 2600 Legarda st. Sampaloc Manila Library Research Submitted to: Mrs. Acibo Submitted by: Dalia B. Sabucor I. Introduction II. Presentation of Data III. Conclusion IV. Insights Gained V. References I. Introduction Drama Throughout the middle ages, drama and theater only dealt with sacred subjects, such as biblical stories. Profane drama was either unheard of or only performed in burlesque. Classical dramatists were virtually unheard of in the middle ages. All the great dramatists of antiquity, such as the Greek playwrights Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides, and the Roman comedy writers such as Plautus and Terence, were only discovered by humanists in the Renaissance. Although classical drama is more read and studied in the modern period than other classical literature, in the Renaissance it was a distinct last place to epic poetry, lyric poetry, and philosophy. So drama isn't well represented in Renaissance literature. The first dramatist to imitate classical models in Italy was Giangiorgio Trissino, who was a wealthy humanist with an encyclopedic knowledge. Among other things, he was famous as a Neoplatonic philosopher and poet. He, like many others, attempted to write an epic poem, L'Italia liberata dai Goti (Italy Liberated from the Goths) which, though it's a poem about Justinian's reconquest of Italy, is mainly an encyclopedia of...
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...THEATRE HISTORY INSTRUCTOR: THAR 281 Fall 2013 Exam #1 Review What is Theatre/ The Origins of Theatre: 1. Define “theatron” the seeking place 2. List the specific areas of theatre: Performer, spectator, text, visual elements, spectators 3. What are the three types of playing spaces discussed in class? a. Proscenium b. Arena c. Thrust 4. What are the three areas of design discussed in class? What are the purposes of each? 5. What are the two most ESSENTIAL elements of theatre? Audience and performers 6. Performances developed in the moment of performance (without a formal written text) are known as 7. Define and cite examples of ritual. Ritual - the acting out of an established prescribed procedure. Example: aggie ring dunk, midnight yell, Thanksgiving 8. Define and cite examples of ceremony. -Ceremony- formal religious or social occasion, usually led by a designated authority figure -Examples: Wedding, funerals, church ( pastor has to keep the audience engaged), music 9. What is the primary distinction between ritual and ceremony? Ceremony is led by an authoritative figure 10. Define efficacious: done with expecting results 11. Define methexis: Group sharing 12. It is commonly accepted that theatre developed through: myth, ceremony, and ritual 13. Examples of theatrical performance can be seen in everyday life through People telling crazy stories about what happened to them and acting them out with hand signals etc. -Imitation, role...
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...Drama 2 - Semester 1 Study Guide and Review FORMAT OF TEST Section 1: Fundamentals & Acting (50 points) 20 questions (30 points) 3 short response (20 points) Section 2: Tragedy & Comedy (50 points) 20 questions (30 points) 3 short response (20 points) Section 3: Shakespeare (50 points) 20 questions (30 points) 3 short response (20 points) Section 4: Performance (50 points) Students will perform a monologue separately for Mr. Finley and be scored via the rubric below. 200 Points Total 90 points from 60 multiple choice / 60 points from 9 short response / 50 points from performance For each short response section, there are four questions offered, and you will choose three to answer, leaving one unanswered. You may choose to answer one additional question on the test for extra credit. FUNDAMENTALS & ACTING VIDEOS Personal Aesthetic Voice and Articulation Viewpoints for Movement Acting – Three Things NOTES Basic Voice Terminology Voice Terms Audible – able to be heard Articulate – to shape the sound in the mouth for clarity Inflection – variety of vocal pitch Pitch – the relative highness or lowness of the voice Project – to send the voice out to the audience Rate – speed at which one speaks Resonance – a rich, warm speaking quality Volume – the relative loudness of your voice Parts of the Instrument Articulators – the parts of the mouth which shape and define sound Diaphragm – the muscle below the...
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...The literature ‘Everyman’ is a morality play that enables people to understand the Christian teaching through the struggle between good and evil. This play is still performed today. It clearly presents the meaning of death through the characters, components, settings, and, the content. “Everyman is an unusual drama in that departs from its analogues and from much medieval death literature both in tone and purpose. Everyman is serious; whereas medieval death literature saw man's sinful nature as a grave impediment to dignified death, Everyman presents such a death as a reality. Informing the presentation of death in Everyman is the author's penetrating insight which views dying as a process and death as a learning experience”. (Allen D, 87p.)2) Firstly, this play allows the audience to realize the meaning of death through a unique style in its structure. ‘Everyman’ starts with the setting where people have denied God. They are committing the ‘Seven Sins’ written in the bible. Seeing people being drenched in sin, God exposes the ‘Book of Life’ to them. The interesting thing about this play is the fact that the character is a middle-aged (or possibly younger) man. Thus, he faced death earlier than expected. The conversation between God and death represents God’s judgment in the context through the characters’ accidental death. Spiritual or Philosophical, this is an issue human struggle to accept. “… as with style, so with structure. The artistry which finds a style expressive of...
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...Drama Essay Bruce Burton’s statement from Living Drama (2001), states ‘Drama is an art form which is directly concerned with living, with the way we lead our lives. Through drama we explore the way the humans being think, feel and communicate, learning to understand others and ourselves much more fully.’ I agree with this statement and believe that theatre is directly concerned with the way people live their lives. Through drama, we explore many aspects of our lives and learn to understand ourselves and others in differing perspectives. Various theatre styles reflect and address the contextual issues of their times, thus providing evidence to my thesis. Theatre is involved in many aspects of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. It is present in politics, in religion, in the way we participate in the rituals of daily life. It was in Ancient Greece that the first theatre originated – drama had its roots in religious ritual and celebration, particularly in the worship of Dionysus, the god of festivity. Festivals were serious religious occasions in Ancient Greek times. Tragedies were the main types of plays performed during these festivals – these plays always told the stories of Greek heroes and gods, and showed how good and evil were always in conflict. Citizens of Ancient Greece valued the teachings and values Ancient Greek theatre presented to them, and it affected what they believed in and the way they lived their lives. As the Ancient Greek plays idolised...
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...religious drama by the mid-16th century, and a new, dynamic secular drama developed in its place. The Renaissance began at different times in different areas of Europe and was a slow process of change rather than a sudden shift in ideas and values. England The English drama of the 16th cent. showed from the beginning that it would not be bound by classical rules. Many themes and ideas can be seen in the components of the Elizabethan drama. For example, many works were influenced by other works. Themes on revenge were seen and blood and killing was evidenced in many works by, for instance, Thomas Kyd 's Spanish Tragedy (c.1586). Marlowe’s works presented deeper meanings of questioning life. Shakespeare, of course, stands as the supreme dramatist of the Renaissance period, equally skilful at writing tragedies, comedies, or chronicle plays. His great achievements include the perfection of a verse form and language that captures the spirit of ordinary speech and yet stand above it to give a special dignity to his characters and situations; a marvellous ability to unify plot, character, imagery, and verse movement. With the reign of James I the English drama began to decline until the closing of the theatres by the Puritans in 1642. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_drama Comedy in Elizabethan Drama: The term "comedy" as applied to a division of the drama was not used in England until the Renaissance had brought a knowledge of the classical drama and theatre...
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...PHILIPPINE THEATER Theater in the Philippines is as varied as the cultural traditions and the historical influences that shaped it through the centuries. The dramatic forms that flourished and continue to flourish among the different peoples of the archipelago include: the indigenous theater, mainly Malay in character, which is seen in rituals, mimetic dances, and mimetic customs; the plays with Spanish influence, among which are the komedya, the sinakulo, the playlets, the sarswela, and the drama; and the theater with Anglo-American influence, which encompasses bodabil and the plays in English, and the modern or original plays by Fihpinos, which employ representational and presentational styles drawn from contemporary modern theater, or revitalize traditional forms from within or outside the country. The Indigenous Theater The rituals, dances, and customs which are still performed with urgency and vitality by the different cultural communities that comprise about five percent of the country’s population are held or performed, together or separately, on the occasions of a person’s birth, baptism, circumcision, initial menstruation, courtship, wedding, sickness, and death; or for the celebration of tribal activities, like hunting, fishing, rice planting and harvesting, and going to war. In most rituals, a native priest/priestess, variously called mandadawak, catalonan, bayok, or babalyan, goes into a trance as the spirit he/she is calling upon possesses him/her. While entranced...
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...Introduction to Masterpieces of the Drama (by Alexander W. Allison, Arthur J. Carr and Arthur M. Eastman) 1. “The implications of such natural playacting are vast, for good and for ill – for good, because individual and social happiness depends on right acting; for ill, because misrepresentations, deceit, mischief, and falsehood can also be learned by imitation.” "Much of what we know we learn by imitation, by acting parts, by practicing what we shall say or do." Language, for example, is taught by making the learner repeat what has been said. Filipino children exposed to English cartoon shows tend to become fluent in the language used. Those who are exposed to violent shows like wrestling become aggressive, as a result of idolizing the characters involved. People tend to "copy" what they observe in their environment. What makes drama vast is the fact that "the essentials of drama not only inhere in social experience; in basic ways they determine it." Materials of drama were used, including music, dancing, and the reenactment of important deeds and occasions. There are five epochs in which drama flourished, namely The Greek Classics, The Middle Ages, The Elizabethan Drama, The Neo-Classical French Drama and The Modern Drama. Looking back at the history of drama, it can be seen that each of these epochs has its own contributions to the modern drama. The Greek Classics was the epoch in which drama has begun. The most influential playwrights were Aeschylus, Euripides...
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...The distinguishing features of medieval drama are its Christian content and its didactic purpose. Vernacular plays typically dramatized the lives of the saints, stories from the Bible, or moral allegories. The biblical cycle plays, sometimes called mystery plays, were originally performed under church auspices, but by the late 14th century they were produced under the supervision of craft guilds (misteres) and performed in public places on the feast of Corpus Christi or during Whitsuntide. Fairly complete texts survive for the English cities of York, Wakefield, Chester, and an unidentified fourth town; two pageants are extant from the Coventry cycle. Similar cycles dramatizing events from the fall of Lucifer to the Last Judgment were produced on the continent. Although they contained Old Testament and nativity sequences, the cycles were primarily devoted to portraying the life and passion of Christ, his harrowing of hell, his resurrection and appearances to his disciples and to the two Marys, and his ascension. Some cycles centered on the life of the Virgin, but these were suppressed in Protestant countries during the Reformation period. Typically the plays adhered as closely as possible--given their "translation" into verse--to the biblical narratives; the most atypical are those based on episodes that had been left undeveloped in the Bible, such as the visit of the Shepherds or Balaam and his ass, or those derived from legendary sources, such as plays about the Antichrist. The...
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...1. INTRODUCTION Medieval theatre refers to the theatre of Europe between the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the Renaissance in approximately the 15th century A.D. Medieval theatre covers all drama produced in Europe over that thousand year period and refers to a variety of genres, including liturgical drama, mystery plays, morality plays, farces and masques. A theatrical performance in the Middle Ages was much more than just an example of a literary genre; it was often a social, religious, and commercial event affecting a whole community and involving not only the spoken word, but also spectacle, music, and even dance. 2. HIGH AND LATE MEDIEVAL THEATRE As the Viking invasions ceased in the middle of the 11th century A.D., liturgical drama had spread from Russia to Scandinavia to Italy. Only in Muslim-occupied Spain were liturgical dramas not presented at all. Despite the large number of liturgical dramas that have survived from the period, many churches would have only performed one or two per year and a larger number never performed any at all. The Feast of Fools was especially important in the development of comedy. The festival inverted the status of the lesser clergy and allowed them to ridicule their superiors and the routine of church life. Sometimes plays were staged as part of the occasion and a certain amount of burlesque and comedy crept into these performances. Although comic episodes had to truly wait until...
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...Performing Arts Theatre in London Amphitheatre –Romans at Guildhall Liturgical dramas (from the service of worship). Took place in church during the Easter celebration. Sung and in Latin – vast cycles performed all over Europe in medieval times. Performed by Monks and nuns inside church. The spice seller was the first comic character as well as the first non-religious character. Liturgical dramas developed into Mystery/ Miracle plays and were performed outside. This is when we get the first actors. Mystery Plays In England different Craft Guilds were employed to perform different plays e.g. Carpenters acted out the story of Noah’s Ark and the Fishmongers the story of Jonah and the Whale. They were performed on wagons or temporary stages. The audience would move to different wagons to watch different plays. They might see six or eight short plays in a day. The performers were all amateur and all male. The Mystery Plays that we know today are the York Cycle of Mystery Plays and the Chester Cycle. Most of the others have been lost over the centuries. The Tudor monarchy was very flamboyant. Henry VII had his own company of players. This dynasty loved tournaments, and royal processions etc. There was an increase of professional actors in 16thc. They were attached to noble and royal families who protected them from religious and political turbulence. This religious upheaval eventually silenced the performance...
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...Rather A Hollywood Story! Exploring the melodramatic traits in Sunset Boulevard “All right Mr. Demille, I am ready for my close up.” Norma Desmond acts out the words as she moves down the stairs, hypnotized by the gorging lights, camera sets and a room full of audience, towards the view. Parallel cuts of a broken Max, her butler and the tearful gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, the organ playing the finishing score in the background as the larger than life image of Norma Desmond dramatically dissolves into white. A scene so aptly melodramatic as the silent era empress slowly descends into reality of cameras, sets and popularity once again for some kind of finality as Max, her faithful butler prepares her onslaught , reminding the scene definition once again for her (as the presence of room full of audience in her deserted mansion for twenty years has quite overwhelmed her). The 1950 Billy Wilder film, “Sunset Boulevard” starring William Holden as Joe Gillis and Gloria Swanson as the silent film actress Norma Desmond is a classic amalgam of Gothic Melodrama and Film Noir. The film starts off with jolt, initially a track shot of the sunset boulevard road as the police rush towards the crime scene followed by the fishing out of a bullet ridden body from the swimming pool. The pilot scene leads the audience as to expect a murder mystery Film Noir number but ultimately emerges as a melodramatic form. The over...
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