Italian Renaissance and Elizabethan Theatre – Flashcards
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Renaissance
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French word meaning "rebirth"
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Difference between medieval Christian view of humanity and Renaissance view of humanity
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Humans are sinful and depraved vs. humans are the highest peak of God's creation
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Studia humanitatis
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Course that made one human; students of Greek and Roman literature, history, rhetoric, and ethics
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The Virtruvian Man
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Standard measure of greatness in the universe
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When was Gutenberg's printing press invented?
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1455
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What revolutionized military strategy during the Renaissance?
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Discovery of gunpowder
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Italian developments of theatre:
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Opera, commedia dell'arte, proscenium stage, painted perspective scenery, neoclassical rules for playwriting
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French developments of theatre:
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Moliere, Racine, Corneille, Comedie Francaise, Court Theatre
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English developments of theatre:
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Marlowe, Globe Theatre, Shakespeare, Lord Chamberlain's Men, Jonson, Webster
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Spanish developments of theatre:
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Spanish Golden Age, Lope De Rueda, Women on stage
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Niccolo Machiavelli
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Italian author, statesman, and political philosopher; looked at politics as science; The Prince (most famous work)
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Medici Family
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Supported the arts in Florence
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Humanism
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Focused on people rather than gods; what is the power of man?
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Dante Alighieri
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Wrote The Divine Comedy
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Four major areas of theatrical innovation during the Italian Renaissance:
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Acting, dramatic criticism, theatre architecture, and scene design
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Italian Drama
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No great drama from the Renaissance; staged or read aloud
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sacra rappresentaziono
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sacred respresentations; written by Italian dramatists
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Alberto Mussato
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Eccerinus (first tragedy of the Renaissance)
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Pier Paolo Vergerio
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Paulus
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When were plays written in the language of the people?
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1500
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Intermezzi
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Short pieces depicting mytholiogical tales; presented between acts of full length plays; preferred to the actual plays
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The Mandrake
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Written by Machiavelli while he was exiled for allegedly plotting against the Medici family; bawdy comedy which depicts a gullible husband being hoodwinked by wife and her lover; most frequently produced Italian Renaissance drama
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Italian Opera
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Only theatrical form of Italian Renaissance to survive in full form; developed at end of 16th century at an academy in Florence; usually studied as a style of music rather than drama
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Dafne
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First Opera with text by Ottavio Rinuccini, music by Jacopo Peri; staged during pre-lenten carnival at Palazzo Cori
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What are earliest operas based on?
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Greek myths and ancient history
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Euridice by Jacopo Peri
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Earliest surviving opera; performed for marriage of King Henry of Navarre to Marie de Medici
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Claudia Monteverdi
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First great opera composer; from Mantua; first opera "Orfeo"; increased sized and importance of orchestra; established formula followed into 20th century
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Libretto
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Text of the opera; secondary to the music
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Monteverdi's formula
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Divided opera into two units: musical (solos, duets, trios, and choruses), dramatic (chanted dialogue); musical part gave show color and dramatic moved story along
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Aria
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Solo sung by one of the opera's major characters; accompanied by orchestra
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Recitative
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Chanted dialogue which joined opera's musical movements
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Opera seria
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based on lofty mytholigical themes
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Opera buffa
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comic opera with broader appeal
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Leitmotif
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Clearly defined musical theme, representing a person, object, or idea; seen in music dramas of Richard Wagner, John Williams's scores for Indiana Jones and Star Wars
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Richard Wagner
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German composer of music dramas (not opera); based on Teutonic myths and legends; no longer a destinction between recitative and aria; musical motifs represented different characters
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Commedia Dell'Arte
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Play of professional artists
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How many people in Commedia Dell'Arte companies?
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10 performers; 7 men, 3 women (typically)
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Zibaldoni
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Manuscripts from the Renaissance put together by commedia performers
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I Gelosi (The Zealous)
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Most acclaimed commedia troupe; favorite of French and Italian nobility
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Film comics influenced by commedia:
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Charlie CHaplin, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers
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Teatro Olimpico
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Oldest surviving theatre constructed during the Italian Renaissance; designed by Andrea Palladio as miniature Roman theatre, finished by Vincenzo Scamozzi
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Design characteristics of Teatro Olimpico
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3000 spectators, elliptical benches connected to scaena, raised stage (70ft. x 18ft.), used perspective to create depth, 5 openings in facade (3 in back and 1 on each side)
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Theatre at Sabbioneta
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Paid for by Duke of Mantua, constructed for the Academia dei Confidenti
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Design characteristics of the Theatre at Sabbioneta
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Designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, 250 spectators, one background vista, smaller version of Teatro Olimpico with flat floor and no fixed seating, no complex scenic features
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Teatro Farnese
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Most notable theatre of the Italian Renaissance; designed by Giovan Battista Aleotti; completed in 1618; only proscenium arch theatre still standing
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Design elements of the Teatro Farnese
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Raised horseshoe-shaped style of seating accommodated 3500 spectators; semi-circular orchestra could be used for additional seating or flooded
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Proscenium arch houses
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Needed larger audience area; designed with pit, box, and gallery (auditorium style)
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Pit
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Where audience stood, ate, talked, moved around
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Boxes
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Lower tier of seating built into walls; most expensive, frequented by social elite
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Galleries
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Upper tiers, open bench seating
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De Architectura
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Roman text on architecture dealing with theatre design
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Perspective drawing
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What was the most significant scenic innovation of the Italian Renaissance?
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Sebastian Serlio
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Italian architect, painter, and designer who wrote Architettura and a 2nd book which influenced European theatre for over 100 years
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Tragivc setting (stately houses; open perspective), comic setting (common street; closed perspective), and a pastoral setting (trees, hills, etc.)
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Three basic settings according to Serlio
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Periaktoi
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Setting of revolving scenic devices
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Sabbattini's Equilateral Periaktoi
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2 types of 3 sided periaktoi; equilateral units present 3 different scenes; on a raked stage a cloth skirt would be required to hide the pivot
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Sabbattini's isosceles periaktoi
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2 sides creat an angle wing and 3rd side presented a changeable single flat panel for intermezzi; cloth skirt required on raked stage here as well
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Six Books of Perspective
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Written by Guido Ubaldus; outlined a method for painting a perspective scene on a flat wing
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Flat wings
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Series of individual wings on each side of stage, parallel to audience, enclosed at back by two shutters that met in middle
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Groove System
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Mechanized flat wing change using cuts in the stage floor
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Giacomo Torelli
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The "great wizard;" staging methods in Teatro Novissimo in Venice made him famous (perfected pole-and-chariot method; "in league with the devil"); invited to Paris by queen to work on Opera (declined when he discovered he was to work with Commedia)
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Pole-and-Chariot Method
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Used at Teatro Novissimo in Venice; poles attatched to scene flats connected to wheels that ran tracks below the stage; attached to ropes and pulleys so the entire set could move smoothly at once; adopted widely throughout western world (except England, US, and Netherlands)
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Candles and lamps which produced smoky, hazy atmosphere
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Lighting in Italian Renaissance
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Glories
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16th Century Flying Machines
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Sabbattini's Cloud Flying Machine
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Cloud masked the mechanism; required vertical track mounted on rear partition and horizontal beam with cloud that could be moved up and down with a winch
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Neoclassicism
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Movement involving all forms of art; drew upon classic Greek and Roman models; dominated dramatic theory in Europe for 200 years
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Julius Caesar Scaliger, Lodovico Castelvetro, adn Antonio Minturno
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Three major neoclassical critics
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Scaliger
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Believed theatre should be as real as possible and characters should display normal social behavior
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Castelvetro
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Believed theatre was invented to "please the ignorant multitude;" pleasure is more important than moral intent; limitations of space and time (should mirror real time and no scene changes); unities of time, place, and location became cornerstone of neoclassical criticism
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Minturno
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Tragedy should be lesson to audience on impermanence of worldly things
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Neoclassical Structure
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Decorum and Verisimilitude, Purity of genres (tragedy and comedy cannot be mixed), the "three unities," five act form, twofold purpose (to teach and to please)
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Decorum
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Neoclassical ideal which stated all dramatic characters should behave in ways based on age, profession, sex etc.
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Verisimilitude
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Important neoclassical ideal which stated all drama should be true to life; no ghosts or supernatural events; wanted stock characters because they were easily recognizable
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The Three Unities
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Time, place, and action; most famous neoclassical mandate; time should not exceed 24 hours or 12 hours within 2 hour span; one locale; one central story
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Genres
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Tragedy must deal with royalty and resolved with disaster; Comedy must deal with common people and resolved happily
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Rules of Neoclassicism
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Drama should teach moral lesson; characters must have morally acceptable actions; no onstage violence; no chorus or gods; no soliloquy
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Christopher Marlowe Background
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Born in Canterbury, England; attended the King's School; studied at Corpus Christi College; may have worked for British secret service
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Marlowe Career
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First major work was Tamburlaine (first notable English play in blank verse); work was performed by Lord Admiral's company 9(mature actors, not church boys); set standard for British dramatic structure; The Mighty Line (power of iambic pentameter)
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Marlowe's Major Plays
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Dido, Queen of Carthage; Tamburlaine; The Jew of Malta; Edward II; Masacre at Paris; Tragical History of Dr. Faustus
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Christopher Marlowe
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Who was charged with the murder of William Bradley, but aquited after 2 weeks in prison?
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Atheism
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Marlowe was murdered before he could be formally arrested for what?
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Shakespeare's Background
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Son of prosperous glove-maker; attended King's New School (withdrawn at 13 due to financial loss); married Anne Hathaway and had 3 children; Lord Chamberlain's Men
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Writing Style of Shakespeare
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Wrote in episodic structure; platform stage; powerful dramatic verse; stories taken from English and Roman history and Italian literature; well-rounded characters; powerful metaphorical and musical language
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Ben Jonson
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Apprenticed to a brick layer (escaped trade by joining army); Volpone (1606); playwright, literary critic, and poet; known for sharp wit and imperious manner; comedy of humors
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The Isle of Dogs
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Written by Ben Jonson; satire so offensive authorities imprisoned all persons involved and shut down all London theatres
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John Webster
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Pessimistic similar to the mood of some present day dramas; famous for dark comedies or "black comedies"
