The Renaissance Theatre Development Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Renaissance theatre developed in Italy and spread to all the other parts of Europe at a very fast rate between the1500s and 1700s.

Protestant Reformation and English Renaissance Theatre

The most important influence of the Protestant Reformation on English Renaissance Drama was the rejection of pastoral features of medieval drama. Rejecting them succeeded because of scholars who influenced people with humanist ideologies.

Theatre eliminated all its religious aspects and adopted secular nature. Playwrights reverted to classical theatre ideologies. Plays adopted the classical structure that had acts and scenes. It also borrowed other elements of classical drama like; spectacle, music, and dance.

Impacts of reformist ideas on Italian theatre

Italians developed the proscenium theatre design 1500s. This theatre had a raised stage where actors performed, and the audience sat behind them. There were two entrances on either side of the scenery. The architectural development in Italy at that time was a major influence in the development of this theatre. Theatres were attended by all people regardless of status and class.

Reformists renewed people’s interests in classical drama by rejecting the religion-oriented drama of the medieval era. Playwrights, therefore, wrote plays that resembled classical drama. The new drama put much emphasis on verisimilitude; it advocated for realism. Playwrights removed unrealistic elements of classical drama from their plays. They, for example, reduced the time for performing one play from several days to some minutes. They believed that this would enhance credibility.

Neoclassicism in France

It took time for French audiences to embrace neoclassic ideas. The reluctance to accept neoclassic drama in France was because of the deep-rooted commedia farce. Theatre in France has its roots in the period of Louis XIII who instructed Cardinal Richelieu to construct a theatre that resembled the Italian theatre. In the mid-1600s, plays from Pierre Corneille and Jean Batiste Racine influenced the development of renaissance ideologies in the French Theatre.

Neoclassic principles involved; faith in human capabilities, as opposed to belief in religion. Playwrights in the neoclassic era eliminated the influence of religion on theatre and developed secular plays. They recreated classical drama by coming up with the drama that had classical features.

Their drama emphasized verisimilitude, purity of drama, a five-act plot, and the purpose of drama. These principles were accepted due to support from the French Academies, the Monarch, and the church; they argued that this drama helped nurture a French moral society.

Major neoclassic playwrights in France were Jean Batiste Moliere, Jean Racine, and Pierre Corneille. In England, playwrights included Lord Robert Chamberlain, Thomas Lupton, Sir William Berkeley, William Shakespeare, and Walter Raleigh while in Italy; Niccolo Machiavelli was the most notable playwright.

Commedia dell’arte and Moliere

Commedia dell’arte was a branch of drama that became very prominent towards the end of the 1550s. It started in Italy and slowly spread throughout Europe. It had storylines whose characters improvised lines on stage; there was no written plot.

Messages in these plays were, therefore, not as important as the comic elements in them. Other features of this genre were; the use of lazzi and stock characters. Lazzi was the element of this drama that could make people laugh. The stock characters included; Arlecchino, Pedrolino, Harlequin, Pulcinella, and Brighella.

Moliere acquired commedia dell’arte skills from Fiorillo and wrote a play, Sgnarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire in tribute to this genre and Fiorillo. He wrote plays with stock characters similar to those in Commedia dell’artes. Most of these characters were foolish and from a low social class, while others were young lovers.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2020, March 16). The Renaissance Theatre Development. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-renaissance-theatre-development/

Work Cited

"The Renaissance Theatre Development." IvyPanda, 16 Mar. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/the-renaissance-theatre-development/.

References

IvyPanda. (2020) 'The Renaissance Theatre Development'. 16 March.

References

IvyPanda. 2020. "The Renaissance Theatre Development." March 16, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-renaissance-theatre-development/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Renaissance Theatre Development." March 16, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-renaissance-theatre-development/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Renaissance Theatre Development." March 16, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-renaissance-theatre-development/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1