Theatre History

Why Theatre History?  Theatre reflects: human life human life desires desires needs needs society society politics politics economy economy religion religion

Primitive Theatre  Drama= “to do” or “to act” Greek word  Roots: dance danceimitationmimicking telling a story

Primitive Theatre  Dances- a major component to celebrate or prepare for an event -war-hunts-battles -keeping spirits happy -passing into adulthood

Primitive Theatre  Ritual- chanting, singing -medicine man -witch doctor -priests  Circles  Temples  Fires  Some still exists today in tribes/reenactments

Egyptian Theatre  3000 BC  Life after death- focus  Pyramids  Afterworld

Egyptian Theatre- 5 categories  1. Pyramid Plays priests performed these priests performed these painted on tomb walls: plotcharacters stage directions  Plot: ascent of the soul to the stars and resurrection resurrection

Egyptian Theatre- 5 categories  2. Coronation plays new pharoah-pageantry new pharoah-pageantry  3. Heb Sed- Coronation Jubilee 30 th year on throne remembering great events of reign

Egyptian Theatre- 5 categories  4. Medicinal Plays the magic of healing Goddess Isis of the Nile her child bitten by a scorpion saves her child with magic and CPR

Egyptian Theatre- 5 categories  5. Abydos Passion Plays- Annual event Story: Set, the god of evil, is jealous of his brother, Osiris, and puts him in a coffin, nails it shut and throws him in the Nile. Osiris’s wife, Isis, finds Osiris and buries him. Set takes the body, chops it up, and scatters the body. Isis collects it and reburies Osiris- he becomes the King of the Dead. Set, the god of evil, is jealous of his brother, Osiris, and puts him in a coffin, nails it shut and throws him in the Nile. Osiris’s wife, Isis, finds Osiris and buries him. Set takes the body, chops it up, and scatters the body. Isis collects it and reburies Osiris- he becomes the King of the Dead. The annual production of this play lasted several days as part of a religious festival. It included a mock water battle on the Nile and a funeral procession in which the audience participated

Hebrew Theatre  Israelites had theatre  Stated in Bible that they had plays and ceremonies  Two books of the Bible are actually plays: poetic drama Song of Solomon- poetic drama used at weddings- (no evidence it was ever performed as a play) 5 act play with prologue and epilogue about the trials in Job’s life Book of Job- 5 act play with prologue and epilogue about the trials in Job’s life  Modern version called JB

 Prologue on earth and in heaven  The prologue on earth shows the righteous Job blessed with wealth and sons and daughters. The scene shifts to heaven, where God asks Satan (ha- satan, literally "the accuser") for his opinion of Job's piety. Satan answers that Job is pious only because God has blessed him; if God were to take away everything that Job had, then he would surely curse God. God gives Satan permission to take Job's wealth and kill all of his children and servants[9] but Job nonetheless praises God: "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." God allows Satan to afflict his body with boils. Job sits in ashes; his wife prompts him to "curse God, and die," but Job answers: "Shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil?"  Job's opening monologue; dialogues between Job and his three friends  Job laments the day of his birth; he would like to die, but even that is denied him. His three friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, console him. The friends do not waver in their belief that Job's suffering is a punishment for sin, for God causes no one to suffer innocently, and advise him to repent and seek God's mercy. Job responds with scorn: a just God would not treat him so harshly, patience in suffering is impossible, and the Creator should not take his creatures so lightly, to come against them with such force.[10]  Three monologues: Poem to Wisdom, Job's closing monologue, and Elihu's speeches.  The dialogues of Job and his friends are followed by a poem (the "hymn to wisdom") on the inaccessibility of wisdom: Where is wisdom to be found? it asks, and concludes that it has been hidden from man (chapter 28).[11] Job contrasts his previous fortune with his present plight, an outcast, mocked and in pain; he protests his innocence, lists the principles he has lived by, and demands that God answer him.[12] Elihu (a character not previously mentioned) intervenes to state that wisdom comes from God, who reveals it through dreams and visions to those who will then declare their knowledge.[11]  Two speeches by God  God speaks from a whirlwind. His speeches neither explain Job's suffering, nor defend divine justice, nor enter into the courtroom confrontation that Job has demanded, nor respond to his oath of innocence.[13] Instead they contrast Job's weakness with divine wisdom and omnipotence: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Job makes a brief response, but God's monologue resumes, never addressing Job directly.[14] In 42:1-6 Job makes his final response, confessing God's power and his own lack of knowledge "of things beyond me which I did not know;" previously he has only heard, but now his eyes have seen God, and "therefore I retract/ And repent of dust and ashes."[15]  Epilogue  God tells Eliphaz that he and his two friends "have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has done." The three (Elihu is not mentioned) are told to make a burnt offering with Job as their intercessor, "for only to him will I show favour." Job is restored to health, riches and family, and lives to see his children to the fourth generation.

Prologue on earth and in heaven The prologue on earth shows the righteous Job blessed with wealth and sons and daughters. The scene shifts to heaven, where God asks Satan (ha-satan, literally "the accuser") for his opinion of Job's piety. Satan answers that Job is pious only because God has blessed him; if God were to take away everything that Job had, then he would surely curse God. God gives Satan permission to take Job's wealth and kill all of his children and servants[9] but Job nonetheless praises God: "Job sits in ashes; his wife prompts him to "curse God, and die," but Job answers: "Shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil?" Job's opening monologue; dialogues between Job and his three friends Job laments the day of his birth; he would like to die, but even that is denied him. His three friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, console him. The friends do not waver in their belief that Job's suffering is a punishment for sin, for God causes no one to suffer innocently, and advise him to repent and seek God's mercy. Job responds with scorn: a just God would not treat him so harshly, patience in suffering is impossible, and the Creator should not take his creatures so lightly, to come against them with such force. Three monologues: Poem to Wisdom, Job's closing monologue, and Elihu's speeches The dialogues of Job and his friends are followed by a poem (the "hymn to wisdom") on the inaccessibility of wisdom: Where is wisdom to be found? it asks, and concludes that it has been hidden from man. Job contrasts his previous fortune with his present plight, an outcast, mocked and in pain; he protests his innocence, lists the principles he has lived by, and demands that God answer him. Elihu (a character not previously mentioned) intervenes to state that wisdom comes from God, who reveals it through dreams and visions to those who will then declare their knowledge. Two speeches by God God speaks from a whirlwind. His speeches neither explain Job's suffering, nor defend divine justice, nor enter into the courtroom confrontation that Job has demanded, nor respond to his oath of innocence. Instead they contrast Job's weakness with divine wisdom and omnipotence: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Job makes a brief response, but God's monologue resumes, never addressing Job directly. Job makes his final response, confessing God's power and his own lack of knowledge "of things beyond me which I did not know;" previously he has only heard, but now his eyes have seen God, and "therefore I retract/ And repent of dust and ashes."[15] Epilogue God tells Eliphaz that he and his two friends "have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has done." The three (Elihu is not mentioned) are told to make a burnt offering with Job as their intercessor, "for only to him will I show favor." Job is restored to health, riches and family, and lives to see his children to the fourth generation. Prologue on earth and in heaven[edit] The prologue on earth shows the righteous Job blessed with wealth and sons and daughters. The scene shifts to heaven, where God asks Satan (ha-satan, literally "the accuser") for his opinion of Job's piety. Satan answers that Job is pious only because God has blessed him; if God were to take away everything that Job had, then he would surely curse God. God gives Satan permission to take Job's wealth and kill all of his children and servants[9] but Job nonetheless praises God: "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." God allows Satan to afflict his body with boils. Job sits in ashes; his wife prompts him to "curse God, and die," but Job answers: "Shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil?" Job's opening monologue; dialogues between Job and his three friends[edit] Job laments the day of his birth; he would like to die, but even that is denied him. His three friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, console him. The friends do not waver in their belief that Job's suffering is a punishment for sin, for God causes no one to suffer innocently, and advise him to NEXT WEEK: GREEK THEATRE