Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song and Spectacle.
Old vs. New Greek Comedy
New Comedy looks at human relations, while Old Comedy satirizes the life of the polis. For this reason Old Comedy is called political comedy and bears marked similarity to modern political cartoons. New Comedy focused on family matters such as complications in love relationships. Another difference between Old Comedy and New is that the chorus is a central feature of older drama (whether tragedy or comedy).
At the foot of the seating area of the theatre of Dionysus was a flat circular area where the actors performed. This was called the
skene
Poetics, written by _________________________________, describes the six elements of drama.
Aristotle
The function of the chorus in Ancient Greek theatre was to:
all of the above
the dithyramb was
chorus of men singing in honor of Dionysus
In ancient Greece, the archon appointed a choregus, who is the modern-day equivalent of the:
producer
The Greek dramatist best known for his superb plot construction (structure) was:
Sophocles
Which of the following is true of the Greek Chorus?
Its importance in tragedy decreased during the fifth century.
The first of the extant Greek playwrights, his characters embody cosmic conflicts
Aeschylus
The ______________________________ was a device which flew in the gods in Greek drama. The term is now used for any surprise ending
deus ex machine
who wrote tragedies, unlikely plays were performed in Roman public theatres
Seneca
Makes fun of society, politics, or culture
Old comedy
In the center of the Greek orchestra was found a _______________________; this is a reminder that Greek drama was rooted in religious rituals
thymele
One scene-changing device believed to have been used in Ancient Greece was the ____________________, which had three painted flats hinged together
periaktoi
The ________________________, a platform on wheels, was used to reveal climactic offstage events
ekkyklema
The ________________________ theory argues that theater originated with large choral odes which were sung by a chorus of fifty men as part of religious festivals.
dithyrambic
While the characters in the plays of _____________________________ embodied cosmic conflicts (i.e. were superhuman), _______________________ placed emphasis on individual characters who were complex and psychologically motivated
Aeschylus, Sophocles
The only extant Greek comedies from the fifth century B.C. were written by
Menander
According to your text, the first critic to attempt to pinpoint the characteristics of Greek tragedy was
Aristotle
uses domestic situations of middle class citizens and is generally concerned with love and financial considerations.
New Comedy
In the Hellenistic period, actors wore large headdresses known as the:
onkos
In the Hellenistic period, the __________________________acted as the producer of plays
agonthetes
t or f
Hellenistic theatres had stone seats rather than the wooden ones, which were used in the classical period.
true
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy
“Tragedy is
an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament…in the form of action. not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its katharsis of such emotions.”
What was the first major Roman festival to incorporate theatre?
Ludi Romani
who was the most popular of all Roman comic writers?
Plautus
Who is sometimes called “The Roman Aristotle” because of his work in dramatic criticism?
Horace
was the chief Roman tragic writer; there is strong speculation that his plays were never performed.
Seneca
Roman theatre focused primarily on
comedies
was improvised and dealt with exaggerated family problems.
Atellan faarce
were sea battles staged on lakes or other bodies of water
Naumachiae
required a single dancer, a chorus, and musical accompanists.
pantomime
The Roman version of the theatron was the
cavea
The popular Roman playwright who was admired for his Latin dialogue, poetic meters, and witty jokes was
Plautus
Which is true of the theatre of the Roman Empire
The stage house and auditorium were joined to form a single architectural unit
The basic scenic background in the Roman theatre was the:
scaenae frons
The chief means of differentiating place in the Roman theatre was the:
periaktoi
The four stock characters Bucco, Pappus, Maccus, and Dossenus originated with
Atellan Farce
possibly the first Black playwright, stressed characterization, subtlety of expression and elegant language.
Terence
the idea that language and actions must fit traditional ideas of suitable behavior for the character is known as
decorum
The _______________, an actor who was head of a troupe, made financial arrangements and bought dramas from playwrights
dominus
The Roman ________________ was two or three stories high and was used for storage and dressing space
scaena
Much of what scholars know about Roman theatre architecture came from
Marcus Vitruvius
Which of the following is true of mime performances?
risque
Which of the following is true of Roman theatre?
all of the above
Roman theatre differs from Greek theatre in that
all elements of the Roman theater building were connected
t or f
Historians estimate that after the mid-third century, Roman theatrical presentations were staged on one hundred days of the year.
true
t or f
Seneca was a great comic playwright whose work influenced situational comedies today
true
t or f
The Roman theaters were roofed, with a smaller, more intimate playing space than was typically found in Greece
false
The greatest work of Indian dramatic criticism is the
Natyasastra
Bharata Muni wrote __________________________, an Indian treatise on the performing arts translated as “The Study of Theatre
Natyasastra
Identify the conventions of Sanskrit drama
Ornate costumes, mainly bare stage, few props, music,
Four pillars in the auditorium indicating where members of the four different castes were to sit
Men and women actors
Caste system
Priestly, academic class: Brahmins
Rulers, administrators, warriors
Artisans, tradespeople, farmers, merchants
Manual laborers
“Untouchables”/out of caste
The scenic building used for staging liturgical drama was the
Mansion
Everyman is an example of a ____________________________play.
morality
Liturgical dramas primarily used two areas for its staging
mansion; platea
A _______________________________________play attempts to teach a lesson through allegorical characters
morality
The Second Shepherds Play and The Mysteries are both examples of what type of medieval drama
cycle plays
The person who supervised the mounting of plays on wagons in the Middle Ages was known as the:
paegant master
An important innovation of cycle plays is that they were in the __________________language.
vernacular
was a favorite occasion for the presentation of cycle plays.
The Feast of Corpus Christi
t or f
Hrosvitha was the earliest known female dramatist
true
t or f
Medieval actors performed inside mansions, which realistically depicted contemporary locales.
false
t or f
Mystery plays dramatized biblical events as well as other stories concerning biblical figures and the lives of saints.
true
t or f
Mystery plays were historically accurate, placing all characters and events in appropriate chronological order
false
Production conventions of ta’ziyeh performances
Audience/performance configuration
Male performers
Costumes: symbolism of green vs. red, white clothe or shirt, women in black
Music
Singing: protagonists sing, antagonists declaim
structure
Ta’ziyeh Plays in Persia/Iran performed in
Takiyeh or Husseinyeh
Which of the following is true of commedia dell'arte
all of the above
One important ideal, known as _________________________, meant that all drama should be "true to life.
verisimilitude
were short pieces depicting mythological tales; they were presented between the acts of full-length plays
Intermezzi
Repeated bits of physical comic business are known as:A
lazzi
Criticism which argues for a certain point of view is known a
prescriptive
he Italian equivalent of the Greek satyr plays was the _________________________,the characters of which are usually shepherds or creatures who inhabit the forest or
pastoral
Renaissance scholars, in keeping with their desire to revive classical forms, believed they were recreating the Greek tragic style when they developed
opera
The oldest surviving theater constructed during the Italian Renaissance was the:
Teatro Olimpico
At Novissimo, __________________________ perfected the pole-and-chariot method of scene shifting
Giacomo Torelli
The subject matter of a(n) ______________________ is romance, and usually has a happy ending.
pastoral
The _____________________________ is used as a framing device to restrict the view of the audience.
proscenium arch
One of the most important developments in the Italian Renaissance scene design was the introduction of ______________________________ drawing, whereby the set had the illusion of depth
perspective
A major movement in Renaissance literature was ________________, which focused on people rather than gods.
humanism
The most popular of the comic servants in commedia dell’arte was
Arlecchino
Servants in commedia dell’arte, known as _____________, were sometimes sly and other times foolish.
zanni
Harlequin carried a _________________, which was a wooden sword used in comic fight scenes
slapstick
was the most acclaimed commedia dell’arte troupe in Europe
I Gelos
The _______________ is significant because it is the prototype of the proscenium arch theatre
Teatro Farnese
Stages in the Renaissance were often _____________________, meaning they were slightly inclined or seated
raked
formulated the unities of time, place, and action and argued that theater was invented to “please the ignorant multitude
Lodovico Castelvetro
One of the neoclassical ideals was _______________, which meant each character was expected to follow set behavior, which was deemed appropriate for their position in society
decorum
Which of the following conventions did the neoclassicists oppose
all of the above
Identify the conventions of the commedia dell’arte
men and women actors
Identify the neoclassical ideals, including
decorum, verisimilitude, and the unities of time, place and action. No chorus, no deus ex machine, no soliloquies, no supernatural events, no onstage violence.
Tragedies: royal/noble characters and unhappy endings. Comedies: common people and happy endings.
Genres don’t mix.
The first significant dramatist to emerge in the Elizabethan period, ________________established blank verse as the medium of dramatic expression
Christopher Marlowe
The Elizabethan ___________________________functioned much like a Greek skene
tiring house
Which of the following is true of private theaters in Elizabethan England
all of the above
Which of the following is true of Elizabethan theatrical costumes:
Actors usually wore contemporary (Elizabethan) clothes on stage
William Shakespeare wrote many of his plays with the leading actor, ____________________, in mind.
Richard Burbage
Writing such works as Volpone and The Alchemist, ___________________________ was one of the first writers in England to champion the neoclassical rules
Ben Johnson
The ______________________________was an elaborate, professionally staged allegory which was written to praise the monarch
masque
brought Italian innovations in scene design to England
Indigo Jones
he contemporary of Shakespeare's who sought to reform human behavior through the comedies he wrote was
Ben Jonson
In Elizabethan theaters, the lower class generally stood in the area known as the:
yard
The famous designer of English masques, who did scenery, costumes and special effects was
Inigo Jones
The roof of Elizabethan theaters was called the ______________, and extended out from the tiring house
heavens
The major builder of theaters during the Elizabethan age was
James Burbage
The most important private theater of the Elizabethan age was
The Second Blackfriar
was used in Elizabethan plays: characters would describe the settings and verbally indicate what location they inhabited.
Spoken décor
By a decree of Queen Elizabeth, all plays and companies had to be licensed by
the master of revels
Which of the following is true of Elizabethan acting
all of the above
Shakespeare was a member of the ___________________, for which he wrote most of his plays
Lord Chamberlain’s Men
working together, excelled at writing dramas that werea mixture of serious and comic elements
Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher
t or f
English copyright law prohibited playwrights from borrowing source material from other works
false
t or f
Public theaters were built outside of the London city limits due to city leaders’ opposition to theatre
true
t or f
Private theaters were large, outdoor theaters, which took advantage of natural daylight
false
Castle of Perseverance
The Swan
Witt Drawing
teatro olimpico
Playwrights who did government service
Sophocles, Ben Jonhson, Christopher Marlowe
Which plays had religious connotations?
Tazieh plays- sides in hands
Greek plays- had high priest in front row
Hrovsvita
What was the role of the actor and how did it differ?
Only men for Greek England
Women in Sanskrit dramas and Commedia del Arte
How were actors viewed in society?
Greek- civic duty, public service
Rome- lower than a prostitute
Amateur members of guild
Sanskrit- professional,
England- had to be performed outside center of city,
public vs private theatre england
public- outside, bigger
private- inside, smaller, pay more
Staging conventions in terms of sets
greeks- moving scenery
England- set inferred
public spaces. Poor people (groundlings) stood in the pit
for court theatre- more realistic and fancy, indigo jones set design.
Italians- had perspective, single point, first proscenium.
Liturgical- had mansion
Costume/prop storage english renaissance theatre
tiring house
compare and contrast costuming...
English ren.- wore contemporary clothes. Little something to give a sense. For royalty- they took former clothes of royalty that were donated.
Greek- wore masks tragedies. because people played many parts
Comedies- phallus, padding to exaggerate body parts.
Cycle play- contemporary clothes
T'azieh- green (good guys), red (bad guys), black (women), white (about to die)
Sanskrit- of the period, but elaborate.
mimed props
plays in which props are important
midsummer- flower
T'azieh- marriage couch
Crossdressing?
Midsummer- thisbe
The Portrait- Slyvia as page
thought to be crossdressing- in Volpone
Compare and contrast role of audience
Greek- more important people upfront. Sit with your group. Front row- high priest.
Cycle plays- anyone, On paegant wagons
Sanskrit- separated by their class. Different color
England- if you can pay you can get in
T'azieh- in the round
what is a closet drama?
never meant to be performed
An example of someone who wrote closet drama
Hrvosvita, Seneca
Who influenced many comedies? common people, family issues.
Plautus and Terrance
Music/sound
Greek- chorus sung
T'azieh- good people sang, bad people proclaimed
Sanskrit- musical accompanyment
Volpone- song stops when shit gets too real
Purging of emotions (pity and fear)
catharsis
Political concerns
Lysistrata- end war real life Polypenesian
Edward II- giving power to someone who isn't nobility
what are the three unities?
time- 24 hours
space- on location
action- one plot
true to life. no soliloquies or asides. Confidant character gets created. no mixing of genres. Tragedies- wealthy, Comedies- common
