07.12.20 Understanding Performance - Classicism
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- Classicism originated in Ancient Greece and valued philosophy, education, and independent thought. It influenced fields like astronomy, ethics, and politics. - During the Renaissance, interest in Greek classics was revived as many works were translated from Greek to Latin. This re-birth of classical ideas influenced humanism with its emphasis on education and the heights of human knowledge. - Enlightenment thinkers saw themselves as heirs to Greek classical thought and valued reason above religion. They believed humanity could progress through rationality, equality, and tolerance. Classical ideals came to inform theatre through concepts like the three unities and ballet through emphasis on order, balance, and symmetry.
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07.12.20 Understanding Performance - Classicism
- 2. Ancient Greece C12th BC to 600 AD Philosophy – love of wisdom The ancient Greeks believed that wisdom and education were important and your ideas and thoughts should be your own. Astronomy, Ethics, Medicine, Politics, Religion, Warfare, Olympics, Literature, Aesthetics,Theatre Week 11Understanding Performance
- 3. “ ” The unexamined life is not worth living. SOCRATES (469 – 399 BC) Understanding Performance Week 11
- 4. “ ” Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. PLATO (424 – 348 BC) Understanding Performance Week 11
- 5. “ ” It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. ARISTOTLE (384 BC – 322 BC) Understanding Performance Week 11
- 6. Renaissance From the Italian: Rinascimento [lit. Re-birth] 1450 onwards Re-birth from what!? Week11 UnderstandingPerformance
- 7. The Dark Ages (Medieval Europe) Much of the wisdom of the ancient world was lost during this period Intellectual life was dominated by religion and theology Man was thought as a little, insignificant insect at the mercy of an unforgivingGod or an inescapable destiny leading to death and disintegration…. Week 11Understanding Performance
- 8. Humanism Height of human knowledge Importance of education Learn Greek and translate texts to Latin Elitist, privileged, white male education Civic humanism Week 11Understanding Performance
- 9. The Age of Enlightenment Late 17th early 18th Century The post-Renaissance European elite, saw themselves as the spiritual heirs of Greece The word “classics” is derived from the Latin adjective classicus: “belonging to the highest class of citizens” "Nor can I do better, in conclusion, than impress upon you the study of Greek literature, which not only elevates above the vulgar herd but leads not infrequently to positions of considerable emolument." —ThomasGaisford,Christmas sermon, Christ Church, Oxford. Week11 UnderstandingPerformance
- 10. Key Tenets of the Enlightenment Reason is man’s main ability Individuals and humanity as a whole can, ultimately, reach perfection All men are equal in respect of their rationality Tolerance is key Beliefs are to be accepted only on the basis of reason Devalues local 'prejudices' and customs which aren’t rational Week 11Understanding Performance
- 11. “ ” It is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs, but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason, when the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs. ARISTOTLE, RHETORIC What is considered more important, mind or body? Week 11Understanding Performance
- 12. Classicism Across the Ages Iliad by Homer 8th Century BC The Trojan Women by Euripides 415BC Oath of Horatii by Jacques- Louis David 1784 The Magic Flute by Mozart 1791 Teatro Solis by Carlo Zucchi 1856 Swan Lake by Marius Petipa 1895 Legally Blonde The Musical by O’Keefe, Benjamin and Hach 2001 Troy by David Benioff 2004 Week 11Understanding Performance
- 13. What is Classicism? Classicism, a movement arising from the period of early modernity, is traditional and obeys rules rather than emotions. It looks back to the ancient Greeks and idealised the classicalGreek values. In the Greek period, classical paintings and architecture developed, with symmetry being predominant; simple and sparse. Week 11Understanding Performance
- 14. So how do these ideas inform performance, theatre and dance? Understanding Performance Week 11 https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/escapist- entertainment-and-civic-engagement/
- 15. Ancient Greek Theatre Western theatre has its roots in the theatre ofAncient Greece, (c. 520 BCE) It had two main forms, tragedy and comedy, and a third satyr play GreekTheatre was used to teach morality, nobleness, courage and patriotism. Week 11Understanding Performance
- 16. Key Plays Oresteia 458BCE – by Aeschylus Antigone 441BCE – by Sophocles Medea 431BCE – by Euripides Clouds 423BCE – by Aristophanes Week 11Understanding Performance
- 17. Key stylistic features Main characters come from nobility Greek chorus represented the towns people and played the role of narrator Theatre was used to educate, and everybody went Tragedies: main character has a tragic flaw, undergoes a reversal of fortune, has a downfall, recognises his misfortune Comedies: made fun of society, politics, culture Satyr: comical, parodied myths, made fun of honouredGreek institutions and heroes Week 11Understanding Performance
- 18. Classicism in Theatre Classicism in the theatre was developed by 17th Century French playwrights from what they judged to be the Aristotelian rules of Greek classical theatre, including the classical unities of time, place and action. Unity of time referred to the need for the entire action of the play to take place in a fictional 24-hour period. Unity of place meant that the action should unfold in a single location. Unity of action meant that the play should be constructed around a single ‘plot- line,’ such as a tragic love affair or a conflict between honour and duty. Week 11Understanding Performance
- 19. Classical Ballet in 19th Century “The term ‘classical ballet’,… indicates a concept of choreography that stresses formal values such as clarity, harmony, symmetry and order” (Au, 2002, p. 62) “signifies an ideal human body” “Strict sense of balance and formal design, which is serene and generalised rather than individual” (Lawson, 1979, p. 8) Classical ballet is most associated with the ballets The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake Week 11Understanding Performance
- 20. Key Ballets La Bayadere 1877 St Petersburg - Choreographed by Petipa Music: Minkus The Sleeping Beauty 1890 St Petersburg - Choreographed by Petipa Music:Tchaikovsky Raymonda 1898 St Petersburg - Choreographed by Petipa Music: Glazunov Swan Lake 1895 (the whole ballet) St Petersburg - Choreographed by Petipa (Acts 1 and 3), Ivanov (Acts 2 and 4) Music:Tchaikovsky Week 11Understanding Performance
- 21. Key stylistic features The main features of classical ballet in Russia: Ballets as a grand spectacle Supremacy of the ballerina Extension of ballet technique Ideals of order, balance and symmetry evident in the ballet An entertainment for theTsar and his court Week 11Understanding Performance
- 22. Key Questions What are the key characteristics of classical theatre/dance? What are the key values of the Ancient Greeks? How have these ideas been used and abused throughout history? What are the key assumptions made by Renaissance and Enlightenment thinkers? How does privilege play a part in this? How do the ideas of the Renaissance and Enlightenment inform the styles of classical theatre and dance? Do certain art forms hold more cultural value? Why? Week11 UnderstandingPerformance
- 23. Bibliography Anderson, R.J., Hughes, J.A. and Sharrock, W.W. (1987) Classic disputes in sociology, London: Allen and Unwin. Arnott, P. D. (1961) ‘The origin and structure of the plays’, in An introduction to Greek theatre. London: Macmillan & Co, pp. 15-31. Au, S. (2012) ‘Crystallization and ferment in Russia’, in Ballet and modern dance. 3rd ed. London, New York: Thames and Hudson, pp. 61-86. Bragg, M. (2001) ‘Humanism,’ In our time. [Online]. Cohen, S. J. (1992) ‘New life from Russia: Marius Petipa’, in Dance as a theatre art. 2nd edn. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Book Company, pp. 91-101. Encyclopædia Britannica (2016) Classicism and Neoclassicism. Guggenheim (2017) The dark side of classicism. [Online]. Hatfield, G. (2001) ‘Rene Descartes’ in Emmanuel, S. M. (Ed.) Modern philosophers: from Descartes to Nietzsche. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 1-27. Higgins, C. (2010) ‘Whatever happened to classics?’ Varsity, 5th March. [Online]. Horkheimer, M. and Adorno, T. W. (2002) Dialectic of Enlightenment: philosophical fragments. USA, Stanford University Press. Silk, M., Gildenhard, I. and Barrow, R. (2014) The classical tradition: art, literature, thought. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell. Sophocles (1993) Antigone. New York: Dover Publications. Storey, J. (2006) Cultural theory and popular culture: an introduction, 4th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Week 11Understanding Performance
Editor's Notes
- Renaissance scholars who studied the classics were called humanists (retrospectively) They believed the classical texts and works represented the height of human knowledge and were important models One consequence of the development of humanist philosophy during the Renaissance was the increased emphasis on the importance of education. People needed to learn ancient Greek and Latin in order to even begin to understand the ancient manuscripts. Early on this education was limited primarily to aristocrats and men of financial means. Indeed, much of the early humanist movement had a rather elitist air about it. How to encourage virtuous and prudent behaviour in the ruling class. The humanist answer — a classical education in virtue and wisdom, along with the creation of new social technologies of persuasion