European Theater History

Description

Please watch the links below. They’ll introduce you to three main types of Renaissance theater. They’re brief; but they’ll give you a sense of the explosive growth in theatrical presentation that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries across Europe.

When you’ve watched these clips, read the assigned pages in your text, and looked at the illustrations and text below, please write a brief essay (2-3 pages).

Choose one aspect of Renaissance theater and describe your reaction to it. Discuss what especially interests you about it and why. Give examples from further viewing and reading.

Your essay should be two-to-three pages, double-spaced, in a 12 pt. professional font, using one- inch margins. If you quote anything or use extracts from other writing, do please cite your sources. Remember to be creative and enjoy your writing.

VIEWING LINKS

“The World of Commedia”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_0TAXWt8hY

This brief documentary from Britain’s National Theatre illustrates the types of characters in traditional commedia and the masks they wore. Also indicates the relationships among the characters.

Prologue to Shakespeare’s Henry V. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOQozTk5Gj0

This is the first six minutes of Laurence Olivier’s Oscar-winning film version of Shakespeare’s Henry V. It’s old; but it’s a great illustration of what play-going was like in Renaissance England.

Claudio Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_kVeA1YGVY

This is a brief excerpt from one of the earliest operas (1607) by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. It’s a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth from ancient Greece. Notice the traditional staging with painted scenery and the musicians in period costume. This is pretty close to hat an audience would have experienced in the early 1600’s.