英国十六世纪戏剧.pptVIP

Sixteenth-Century Drama I. Origin of Drama 1. Definition Greek meaning of drama: “things done” Aristotle: drama “imitated human action.” Manly: Drama is a story told in action by actors who impersonate the characters of the story. Drama is “a composition in prose or verse, adapted to be acted upon a stage, in which a story is related by means of dialogue and action, and is represented with accompanying gesture, costume, and scenery, as in real life.” 2. Drama arose from ancient rituals. (1) Primitive rituals Celebrating the death and rebirth of vegetarian (or fertility) god Crops like rice and wheat were regarded as gods sacrificing their lives for the survival of man (2) Egyptian rituals Celebrating the death and rebirth of Osiris （丰饶之神） Performed at Abydos, Egypt, between 2500 BC and about 550 BC (3) Greek rituals Celebrating the death and rebirth of Dionysus 3. Greek drama Greek drama arose from those phases of the Dionysian rites, dealing with life and death One character and the chorus (more characters added later) Dionysus Dionysus (or Bacchus, as the Romans called him) was the god of wine and fertility. Every year the Greeks held a number of festivals in his honor. On these occasions, the worship of Dionysus took the form of a combination of dance and song, accompanied by music and wine. Chorus Aeschylus In the fifth century BC, the Greek playwright Aeschylus added a second actor, and drama as we know it was born. Arena Stages In classical times, dramas were performed in open-air amphitheatres, or arena stages. 4. The rise of Christian drama Medieval drama arose out of rites celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ Miracles and Mysteries (plays about the stories from the Genesis and the birth of Jesus Christ) II. The Development of Drama 1. Religious Period (1) Mystery plays presented stories from the Old and New Testament of the Bible. Creation of the World, the Fall, the Great Flood, Redemption, Final Judgment, etc. The birth of the Chr