REALIST DRAMA
Prepared by: Lea Turner
REALISM IN THEATRE
 movement in the late 19th century
 steered theatrical texts and performances towards
greater fidelity to real life
(=natančna reprodukcija resničnega življenja)
 describes life without idealization or romantic subjectivity
 characters product of social factors and environment
(naturalism)
 stage life = everyday reality
 catalyzing theatre
(=poučno gledališče)
 drama of ideas
(=tezna drama)
 psychological drama
(=psihološka drama)
 comedy of manners
(=nravstvena komedija)
 conversational piece
(=konverzacijska igra)
 comedy of ideas
(=tezna komedija)
 Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" (1879)
Themes

contemporary society

middle-class characters, situations, and problems

complex, three-dimensional characters shaped by their
family and heritage

unhappy marriages, relationships, sex, prostitution,
diseases, religious hypocrisy, social inequality
Characteristics

written in prose

realistic settings and natural speech, dialogue

natural movement, gesticulation and mimicry
(=izražanje z kretnjami, obrazom)

unities of time and place
(=enotnost časa in prostora)

often takes place indoors

emphasis on the depth of characters

creates tension and focus
Theatrical elements

stage settings accurately reproduce ordinary
surroundings

attention to detail

electric lighting

box set (proscenium stage)

slamming doors
The well-made play
(=dobro narejena igra)

Form of drama popular between realist playwrights
 secrets known to audience, withheld from certain
characters
 expected, logical reversals, hero - successes and failures
 the secret is revealed - the climax, the antagonist is
revealed
 the protagonist has dignity restored, receives reward
 denouement is believable and logical
Realist playwrights





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Henrik Ibsen
Oscar Wilde
George Bernard Shaw
Anton Chekhov
August Strindberg
Maksim Gorky
GLOSSARY
fidelity – natančna reprodukcija
gesticulation – izražanje s kretnjami
mimicry - mimika
unities of time and place - enotnost časa in prostora
catalyzing theatre – poučno gledališče
The well-made play – dobro narejena igra
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION 