Before
1642 – the royalty supported the theatre.
1) In 1642, a civil war – the Puritan Revolution. Charles I was beheaded and the country’s
leadership taken over by Oliver Cromwell
(the Lord Protectorate)
2)
From 1642 - 1660 Theatre was outlawed; it was connected with the monarchy and
with "immoral," non-Puritan values.
3)
The monarchy was restored in 1660. Charles I’s son,
Charles II, was restored to the throne (thus, this period is called
"the restoration"). He had
been in
The
II.
Restoration Comedy of Manners:
Characterized
by:
2)
Stock situations: Missed communication, deceit, arranged marriages. Witty
dialog
3)
Sophisticated sexual behavior of a highly artificial and aristocratic society
"virtue" comes form succeeding in catching a lover or
cuckolding a husband without getting caught
"honor" comes from reputation, not integrity
"witty"—saying things in clever ways
4)
Character names describe actor: (i.e.: Fidget, Squeamish, Witwould)
5)
The comedy of manners pokes fun at the affectations, manners, and conventions
of society.
III.
Playwrights of the Restoration:
William Congreve (1670-1729) – The Way of the
World (1700)
William Wycherly (1640-1715) – The Country Wife
(1675)
George Etheridge (c. 1637-1691) – She Would If
She Could (1668)
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was one of the first woman
playwrights of the Restoration. Wrote eighteen plays.
Early
1700’s moral plays became popular again.
Eighteenth Century Theatre
1)
Restoration comedy, an aristocratic form of theatre, declined, at least in part because
of the rise of a conservative Protestant (Puritan) middle class.
2)
During the 1700’s, the concept of Rationalism
(The Age of Reason), faith in reason, began to take over from faith in
God. Part of this led to the movement of
Sentimentalism in the theatre. – Asserted that each person was essentially
good.
1) Sentimentalism: characterized by a
sympathetic response to misfortune.
Begins in
Sentimental Comedies / tearful comedies: more
conservative, middle-class, sentimental, moralistic.
2) Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729)
The Conscious Lovers (1722) – sentimental comedy with protagonists drawn
from the middle class. The 18th century view held that people are good; their
instincts let them retain goodness. People could retain virtue by appealing to
virtuous human feelings.
3) Oliver Goldsmith (1731-1774)
She Stoops to
Conquer
(1773) – mistaken identities, benign trickery, keep
two lovers apart.
4) Richard Sheridan – The Rivals (1775 – Mrs. Malaprop was
a character).
School for
Scandal
(1777)
III. Serious Drama in the 18th
Century:
1) Joseph Addison (1672-1719) – Cato
(1713) is considered a masterpiece.
Heroic Tragedy:
Dealt with conflicts between love and honor or duty, contained violent
action.
These
eventually declined in public favor – they were easily ridiculed and parodied.
2) Became replaced with more
Neoclassical plays, such as:
John Dryden (1631-1700) – All
for Love – a reworking of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, with neoclassical
ideals.
Other 18th
Century Forms:
1) Pantomimes – became popular by 1715 –
combined dancing, mime (silent mimicry), done to music, with elaborate scenery
and special effects – done as an afterpiece after plays. They combined commedia,
farce, mythology.
2) The Harlequin came from these pantomimes – with his magic wand, the
scenery would change. Primarily visual and aural entertainment.
Staging in the 18th
Century Theatre
1) Theatres increased in size:
from seating 650 people during the Restoration to 1500 people by 1750.
2) Women on stage-Acting
companies used women for all female parts except witched and old women.
3) It was common for "lines of business" to emerge: the
kind of role one would play and seldom stray from. Many companies used "possession of parts": an agreement
that when an actor joins a company he "owns" a particular role.
The
Rise of the middle class was occurring – trading and manufacturing joined
agriculture as major sources of wealth.
1) Between 1750 and 1800,
Romanticism took hold, and flourished between 1789 and 1843 in
The
American Revolution (1770) and the French Revolution (1791) further asserted
that men had freedom to act on their own consciences.
Often called the Age of
Independence.
2) Romantic Plays, old and new, tended to
appeal to emotions rather than intellect.
Special
effects therefore focused on the supernatural and the mysterious – visual over
verbal, sensational rather than intellectual..
3) Aristocrats tended to go to
the opera and ballet, and more middle-class now went to the theatre.
4) Romanticism’s sub-category
in
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [Guurr’ tuh) (1749-1832) – his
plays characterized by sprawling action, long and arduous.
Friedrich
Schiller (1759-1805) – William
Tell (1804) – a stirring celebration of democracy, individualism, and
nationalism.
5) In
It
contained elevated language, noble characters, and the five-act form, and was
thus Neoclassical;
However, it also had common people as some important characters, struggles with a ruler, violence and death, and humor -- and was thus NOT neoclassical.
Eventually,
Romanticism won out.
Actors During
the Romantic Period:
The Kembles
– dominated
English theatre till 1815:
Edmund Kean (1787-1833) – considered to
"perfect" the romantic style. Usually played
villainous roles.
William Charles Macready (17930-1873) – a compromise between the Kembles and Kean – careful
rehearsals, detailed characterizations. He popularized historical accuracy in
settings and costumes.
In
Edwin Booth (1833-1893) – brother of John Wilkes Booth – famous for
interpretations of Shakespearean roles.
1)
Seeing becomes more important than hearing, the orchestra seats (which had up
till then been the cheap seats) became more valuable.
2)
The upper galleries – the "gods" – were the cheapest.
3)
Audiences, especially those in the gods, were loud and vocal.
4)
Scenery included drops, flats, ground rows (cutaway flats standing free on the
stage floor).
5)
Carefully and realistically painted.
6)
Candles or oil lamps – but by 1830, gaslight was used (Chestnut Street Theatre
in Philadelphia was the first to be lit by gas, in 1816).
