Aristotle, Theatre Spaces

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Aristotle, Theatre Spaces

• Theatre 100 -- Dr. Blood
• week 2 of class

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Definitions - Theatre Spaces

• Theatre must have a live performer and a live
  audience. Thats it.
• Proscenium stage
• Thrust stage
• Arena stage
• Found spaces
• Environmental staging

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Audience

• Forms a collective identity
• Cyclic interchange with performers
• Different behaviors expected in different times,
  performance styles
• Critic as privileged audience member
• Peer reviewers for grants
• Academic critics

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Aristotles Poetics

• C. 350 BCE

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Aristotles Poetics

• C. 350 BCE 1st extant work of literary or
  artistic criticism
• Focus on tragedy did he also write ones on
  comedy and epic poetry?
• Imitation is the basis of art (from Plato) drama
  is imitation of action
• Definition of tragedy

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Six Elements of Drama

• In order of importance to Aristotle
• Plot
• Character
• Thought (theme)
• Diction (artistic use of language)
• Song/Music
• Spectacle

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Plot Elements

• Beginning, middle, end structure
• Unity and probability
• A complex vs. a simple plot is preferred this
  includes peripety (reversal) and anagnorisis
  (recognition)
• Single vs. double (no subplots)
• Goal (telos) is catharsis - gives drama a social
  function in the polis

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Character elements

• Characters should also be probable or necessary
• Hero
• Good
• Aim at propriety
• True to life
• Consistent
• Hamartia (tragic flaw) meaning much debated

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Structure of Tragic Plot

• Prologue
• Parodos
• 3-5 Episodes (scenes) alternate with Choric parts
• Exodus
• Commos (optional) joint chorus and character
  section

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Old Comedy

• 5th century BCE
• Part of City Dionysia from 487 BCE
• Political and social satire
• Personal attacks, authors POV
• Aristophanes (c.448-380 BCE) bridges old and
  middle comedy Lysistrata (411 BCE) is old comedy

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Structure of Old Comedy

• Happy idea absurd but clear relevance to
  contemporary issue
• Prologue
• Chorus enters and debates the happy idea (agon)
  with each other and characters
• Parabasis choral section in the middle, direct
  address to audience,
• Scenes of adopting the happy idea
• Komos - reconciliation, often exiting to feast or
  revels

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Peloponnesian War 431-404 BCE

• Background of Aristophanes play 20 years into
  the war
• Athens (Delian League) vs. Sparta (Peloponnesian
  League)
• 1st phase (10 yrs) Athens navy raids coasts,
  Sparta repeatedly invades Attica
• Peace of Nicias, 421
• 2nd Athens launches attack on Syracuse in 415,
  whole force destroyed 413
• Persian joins Sparta, they chip away at Athens
  allies
• Destroy navy at Aegospotami, 405

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Results of Peloponnesian War

• Massive human cost
• Tremendous economic cost Athens never regains
  prosperity
• Democracy vs. oligarchy
• Warfare broke prior rules devastation of whole
  cities, crops and countryside, broken religious
  and cultural taboos
• Historians Thucydides, Xenophon
• How are these real costs lampooned by
  Aristophanes?