VOCABULARY & DIAGRAMS
UNIVERSAL COMPONENTS OF THEATRE & AUDIENCE RESPONSE-
medium
theatre knowledge; how the
message is relayed.
sender
message
receiver
(artists)
(performance)
(audience)
context
culture; environment in which
the message is sent.
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catharsis - to purge intense emotions, especially fear and pity; allows lessons to be
learned through feelings
DRAMATIC STRUCTURE● plot - is the ordering or structuring of the events that actually take place on stage;
defines how the events unfold for the reader/viewer.
1.
Climactic Structurea play with a climactic structure has a tight-knit form that limits the scope of
events, the time in which they transpire, and the number of characters. Sometimes
referred to as an Aristotelian Plot.
● Point of Attack = the place in the story where the action begins; usually
late in the story.
● Exposition = the part of the play where events that occurred before the
start of the play are revealed. Enables character to voice all the
necessary information to set up the plot.
● *Complication = circumstances build on each other through cause and
effect, causing complication of the dramatic situation. Leads to…
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Climax = the point of highest emotional intensity.
Resolution (Denouement -french; “unknotting”)
○ When a plot can easily resolve itself, playwrights often use a
convention called “a deus ex machina” - a god from the machine,
to resolve the drama.
climax
events in the
story that take
place before
point
2.
Episodic Structure ● characterized by an early point of attack in the story and a proliferation of
characters and events
● less restricted than climactic structure
● takes place over a long time span and multiple locations
● may follow many different stories at once
3.
Circular Structure ● plays that seem to end where the began; no resolution
GENRES● Tragedy ○ “goat song”
○ Main character falls from a great height; does not usually see it coming
○ causes catharsis - pity and fear
○ began in Ancient Greece
○ ends unhappily
○ everything that happens because of a tragic hero’s character
○ tragic hero - high-born and prosperous; an essentially good person with whom
we can identify, who does not deserve his misfortune; the “sacrificial goat”
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Melodrama ○ “music drama”
○ Has the emotional intensity of a tragedy with the circumstantial predictability of a
comedy
○ Good will be renewed; Evil will be punished
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Villains are bourgeoisie (stuck-up upper class); Heroes start as upper class then
have a fall to lower class
reaffirms “Moral Order”
began in Europe during “Age of Revolutions” (late 18th-mid 19th centuries)
sensationalizes; uses melos - the capacity for music to evoke certain emotions
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Tragicomedy ○ cognate of Tragedy and Comedy
○ blending of funny & serious; Characters are in mortal danger, but no one dies
○ blends characters of high and low social standing
○ began in Renaissance Italy and later in England
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Farce
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French
“Stuffed” (with jokes)
has no return to sanity
universal
relies on absurdity; exaggerated in its illogic
all about circumstance and not the characters themselves
terrible characters that never get better
CHARACTERS TO REMEMBER
Antigone ● was the daughter of Oedipus, sister to Ismene, Polyneices and Eteocles, niece of Creon
● wanted to disobey her uncles orders and bury Polyneices instead of leaving him out in
the middle of the city to rot
● Seeks the help of Ismene, but continues with the burial after Ismene declines to help
● Gets caught by a guard and is sentenced to be buried alive by Creon
Creon ● Uncle of Antigone, Ismene, Polyneices and Eteocles; Father of Haemon
● Appointed King after Eteocles and Polyneices kill each other in battle
● Prohibits anyone from burying Polyneices because he was traitor to the city
● Sentences Antigone to be buried alive after she is caught trying to bury her brother
● Is abandoned by Haemon (who is betrothed to Antigone) because he will not reverse
Antigones punishment
● Wife kills herself after there son decides to leave and she blames Creon for it
● Realizes that he was wrong and decides to save Antigone, but is too late
● Is the tragic hero because he suffers the most due to his own actions/errors
Haemon ● Son of Creon; cousin of Ismene, Polyneices and Eteocles; engaged to Antigone
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abandons his father because he disagrees with Antigone’s punishment and believes that
his father is going too far
Tartuffe ● convinces Orgon that he is a humble, pious man but is really the opposite
● is taken in by Orgon to live with his family, but does not get along with them because
they can see his true nature and are not fooled by his hypocrisy
● Lets Orgon believe that he is loyal to him, but secretly tries to seduce Orgon’s wife,
Elmire
● When Orgon orders him to leave, he threatens to go to the King a reveal Orgon’s secret
which will get him arrested
● The King sees through Tartuffe’s fake personality and orders that he be arrested
because he wanted for crimes in another city
Orgon ● comes under influence of Tartuffe
● unreasonable character because he acts on emotion
● admires Tartuffe’s piety because he believes that if he gains religious piety he can
regain control of his family and household again
● his family thinks that he has lost all his good sense because he believes the “pious act”
that Tartuffe is putting on
● he lets Tartuffe take control of his household and business matters not realizing that
Tartuffe is taking advantage of him
Elmire ● Orgon’s wife
● is the most Reasonable character in the household; can see the truth for what it is
● tries to convince Tartuffe to back out of marrying her step daughter, Mariane
● Tartuffe attempts to seduce her and her step son, Damis, catches him.
● Unable to convince her of what happened, suggests that Orgon hide under a table while
she meets with Tartuffe again
COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE CHARACTER GROUPS ● il vecchi - the old ones; the masters
● il inamorati - the ones in love; the lovers
● il zanni - the zaney ones; the servants
JAPANESE THEATRE ● Aragoto
○ Kabuki
○ bold acting style for heroic figures
○ highly exaggerated and physical
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○ pioneered by Ichikawa Danjuro
○ red & black face makeup
Wagoto
○ Kabuki
○ soft acting style
○ portrayal of lovers & scholars
○ graceful movements and delicate speech
○ developed by Sakato Tajuro
Onnagata
○ Kabuki
○ female role played by male actor
○ characterized by a stylized portrayal of femininity, as an ideal
■ takes a real man to know how a woman should act
CHINESE THEATRE ● Sheng
○ Xiqu
○ heroic male character
○ educated, high-class, morally upstanding
○ can be a scholar, a general, or an amorous student
● Dan
○ Xiqu
○ virtuous female
○ can be high or low born
○ often portrayed in anguish or in an adverse situation (damsel in distress)
○ can also be a woman warrior who is skilled in fighting and riding (Wudan)
● Jing
○ Xiqu
○ painted face role with ornate patterns in makeup
○ male
○ makeup reveals characters nature (good or bad)
○ sometimes has supernatural powers
○ usually powerful characters
○ loud, strong voice and vigorous body movements
THEATRE TRADITIONS
Classical Tragedy
● originated in Ancient Greece
● Characters are usually high-born
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Tragic hero has some sort of fall from greatness by the end of the story because of their
own actions.
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Commedia dell’Arte
● Formed during 16th century Europe and dominated for 300 years
○ began as a street performance
● had stock characters that usually split into 3 major groups:
○ il vecchi - the masters
○ il inamorati - the lovers
○ il zanni - the servants
● used scenarios - general outlines of plots with short descriptions of each scene
● script was improvised
● actors wore leather, half-masks specific to each character and had exaggerated
movements
● a commedia performer would play the same character throughout his/her career
● sets were simple because commedia players/actors traveled in troupes
Chinese Opera
● originated in 18th century Beijing
● Beijing was becoming an important port city with people coming from all over the country
bringing their regional theatre styles to one central area
● the plays can depict a range of subject matter with characters of various social standing
● performance texts come from well known stories
● integrated form including speaking, singing, and acrobatics
● stage is bare
● elaborate costumes and makeup
○ costumes tells about character’s external identity & social standing
○ makeup tells about internal identity & moral standing
● stock characters
○ sheng
○ dan/wudan
○ jing
○ chou
Noh
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developed in 14th century
was performed exclusively for Japan’s medieval noble warrior class (samurai)
the performances were based off the Buddhist and Shinto religions
○ stories often dealt with ghosts, demons, vengeful spirits, and murderous women
tempo based on principle of Jo-Ha-Kyu (rhythm of life)
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○ Jo = beginning
○ Ha = breaking
○ Kyu = Fast
tempo would repeat throughout play
slow, rigid, complicated style of performance
a performance could last all day
○ audience members may fall asleep because it is considered meditation
performers wore masks and elaborate costumes
○ masks were styled a certain way so that depending how the actor would hold
their face, the characters expression could change
○ actors would emote expressions through the mask
created more of a meditative, spiritual mood; its purpose was to enlighten while being
performed in a subtle, refined style
○ wanted to blur the lines between reality and illusion
○ heavily carried the Buddhist principle that the visible world is an illusion and
enlightenment could only be achieved through meditation and by
relinquishing your attachments to the physical world
Kabuki
● began around 1600 by a woman named Okuni - a prostitute.
○ began as a dance she would perform in the outskirts of the city
○ the dance was copied by prostitutes; used to advertise their wares
● women were banned from performing Kabuki in 1629 in an attempt by the Shogunate to
control the erotic for and its rebellious & disruptive audience
○ men then took over the style and now the actors today are all male
● was the “Rock-n-roll” of 17th century Japan
○ considered unorthodox, irreverent, and rude
● audience members support their favorite actors by yelling or clapping, as well as give
gifts
● high points of play are captured in physical poses called mie (physical exclamation
points)
● costumes and makeup are elaborate and would reveal the characters nature and social
status
○ costumes often displayed the actors family crest
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT/UNIT OF DRAMA IS CONFLICT****