Theater in Early 19th century and Romanticism PDF

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Notes on Deb Currier's lecture on Theater in Early 19th century and Romanticism...

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Early 19th century Drama: Romanticism: 1780-1850; Melodrama 1820s on, moving toward Realism

I. Occasion A. Large, unsophisticated audience 1. Theatre becomes entertainment for community (as opposed to monarchy or elite) boulevard theatre in France 2. Equivocal to TV and film in broad range of material and tastes B. Changes in drama: Romanticism to melodrama to realism 1. Rhetorical to conversational dialogue 2. Actor moves from being apart from environment to a part of the environment 3. Movement from declamatory to pictorial delivery 4. Idealized to pragmatic situations 5. archaeological realism: historical spectacle, scenery and costumes of daily life 6. Careless to careful w/ details of the environment 7. Casual attention to unity of production values (movement toward “production concept” or “idea”) 8. Season company to single play company - change in economy a. fewer plays and playwrights b. longer runs of plays II. Social Ideas (more Occasion) A. France: Napoleon Bonaparte 1. Models his rule after Rome 2. Favors classical drama a. demands a new masterpiece each year b. offers 10,000 francs for best tragedy: 5,000 for best comedy 3. The Revolution proclaimed, among other liberties, that of theatres, and fifty were soon open in Paris. 4. War against classicism in the drama a. Cénacle – club formed by Romantics in which Victor Huge was the chief poet b. Violently opposed by Academy - petitioned the king to forbid the representation of any Romantic piece at the Theatre Francais c. Romantics rejected the established canons of the classic drama: - unities - arbitrary selection of subjects - restrictions on the use of words - requirements of periphrasis instead of plain speech - cultivation of artificial beauty d. Romantics saw drama as the language of passion and emotion, the words in common use. 5. Victor Hugo's Hernani in February 1830 struggle culminated … a. Both parties assembled in force, one prepared to applaud, the other to hiss b. Cries arose as the play proceeded, and even blows were struck c. But …kept on the stage for two months, and the fierceness of the gut gradually subsided. Don’t forget, Hugo also wrote Les Miserables

6. Alexander Dumas (1802-1870) – Playwright and Novelist - Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Nutcracker, The Three Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo, etc. a. Adapted his novels for the stage and founded Theatre Historique in 1840’s b. His father, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, was the son of a French nobleman and a black slave, Nicked “The Black Devil” by Napoleon, who was jealous of his strength and size. After a shipwreck off the coast of Italy. Dumas was captured and throw into a dungeon for 2 years and lost his entire fortune, eventually dying penniless. The real Count of Monte Cristo! B. Germany: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832) 1. Most popular German writer and philosopher 2. Sturm und Drang- Storm and Stress - rebellion against neoclassicism and rationalism a. no agreed upon tenets, just general expressiveness and emotional outbursts b. broke down barriers of neoclassicism, but not produced much III. Romanticism A. Definition of Romanticism: not easy, because it was mainly a reaction against rather than a movement for anything 1. became synonymous w/artistic exploration, for a “unique stamp” of the artist on his work 2. Based on an inner search of the romantic individual 3. A refusal to follow established convention B. 3 occurrences leading to Romanticism: Warm Revolution and Nationalism: between Fr. Revolution of 1789 and European rebellions of 1848 1. War creates heroes and villains whose legends are quickly adopted into folklore of their nations 2. Revolution generates debate concerning the rights of humankind and the relationship of individual to the state 3. Nationalism: a rediscovery of folk traditions, a “cry of freedom” for a nation to exist without fear and with pride; a rediscovery of symbols IV. Three Key Ingredients to Romanticism: Imagination, Nature & Self A. Imagination 1. Reason does not explain the way the mind works 2. Imagination is key to Romantic ideal: a. organizes sensory impressions from nature b. invests the world with meaning and significance c. helps make the external world make sense through contemplations of beauty and nature d. Love is most important, as it is a harmony of the self with external forces 3. Imagination over Reason: individual OUTSIDE social structure, rather than operating as part of oiled machine of culture B. Nature 1. Nature is a complex organism deriving meaning from the whole rather than individual parts 2. Contemplation of Nature leads to understanding but also despair C. Self 1. The Romantic Self is alone in the world, dependent on him/herself to know the meaning of truth.

2. no set rules as in Age of Reason 3. philosophy means nothing, as rational discourse can explain nothing 4. The rational world comes to and end and loses it’s center - monarchies overthrown, laws and reason fail to explain emotion D. The Romantic Hero: 2 directions 1. confident and successful man who accepts fate of loneliness and enjoys solitude 2. Tragic hero: cannot stand emotional despair of life and wanders the world in search of stability - social outcast who never fits into dominant society, but is moral and just all the time. IV. Theatre and Romanticism A. Performers 1. Great spectacle and numerous scenes, and new scenic practices were invented to meet needs 2. Special effects were much more important than character development - plays often selected for a season due to novels events such as volcanoes and flaming stairways 3. Louis Jaques Daguerre (1759-1851): Diorama creator - adapted to the panorama of theatre a. huge painted canvas attached to uprights rollers on either side of the stage b. unrolled from one side to other to create moving scenery (chases) 4. Eugene Cicéri (1782-1868): French designer (Paris Opera) a. known for historical settings, exotic locations, and ancient ruins b. Huge sets w/ great columns, walls and stairways c. To match new sets, B. Acting Style: expressive and emotional (hence the riot over hernani) 1. histrionic displays of despair and an anguish written into stage directions 2. The first ever call for an actor to stand downstage w/ back to audience 3. No more declamatory semi-circle and step to apron style - huge debate among actors and many declined roles or changed lines in revolt of new style V. Standards of Judgment A. Critics either praised or reviled - no medium line 1. Romanticism appeal was emotional rather than logical and its power come mainly throw disruption of theatre values 2. A Romantic play was successful if it caused a scandal B. Romantic drama was about the playwrights exploration of an emotional state, rather than as an idea. Unities are abandoned in pursuit of emotional description. C. Romantic Hero or Heroine 1. in pursuit of true self 2. only emotions can be trusted 3. They challenge the greatest evil and break the most established social laws 4. Usually a noble purpose or intent, and is scripted like a “normal” person, but with the exception that they go after their dreams 5. This pursuit of dreams usually pits hero against a corrupt society in need of change D. Freedom of the soul as expressed through emotion is dominant theme E. Imagery becomes a dramatic end in and of itself 1. poetic moments are extended, pages of dialogue devoted to description rather than action 2. music used to communicate mood and heighten emotions

3. Very often the playwrights were ahead of their time in envisioning what could happen on stage

What are some contemporary parallels to/examples of Romanticism?...