The Barber of Seville and The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus - Term Paper Example

Epic theatre Introduction In order to analyze whether ‘The Barber of Seville’ (by Beaumarchais) and ‘The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus’ (by Christopher Marlowe) follow the Brechtian style of drama we must take a deeper look at what comprises Epic Theatre Epic theatre is a theory of theatrical presentation that was developed by twentieth-century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. Brecht fashioned a type of drama that the audience could view with total objectivity He pioneered the epic theatre, in which a play should not cause the viewer to emotionally identify with the characters before them, but should instead awaken balanced self-reflection and a critical observation of the actions on the stage. He held that the occurrence of a climactic catharsis of emotion left an audience self-satisfied instead of thoughtful. He wanted his audiences to use critical perspective to identify social ills and be moved to go forth from the theatre and work to address these social ills. Components of Epic theatre The epic form depicts both a style of written drama and a practical approach to the production of plays. Epic theatre integrates a mode of acting that utilizes what Brecht calls gestus. Brecht believed that the audience should always be aware that it is watching a play. “It is most important that one of the main features of the ordinary theatre should be excluded from [epic theatre]: the engendering of illusion.” (Brecht)1. Epic style also uses comedy to detach audiences from the depicted events and is heavily interspersed by music and song in which the characters frequently indulge. Common production technique in epic theatre include 1) Basic, non-realistic scenic design, 2) A discerning realism in costuming and props, 3) Declarations or visual caption that butt in and summarize the act. ‘Alienation effects’ are used to create an emotional distance between the viewers and the action on stage. Alienation effects used are 1) Short, self-contained scenes that keep the play from building to a cathartic climax, 2) Songs that comment on the action, 3) Techniques of acting that prevent the actor from developing an emotional identity with his role. The Barber of Seville Regardless of its comic situations, witty word play, and frivolous posturing, ‘The Barber of Seville’ written by French playwright Beaumarchais, carried social messages of great significance to its original audiences, the lower class of the French society of the 18th century The plot involves a Spanish count, called simply The Count who has fallen in love at first sight with a girl called Rosine. To make certain that she really loves him and not just his wealth, the Count masquerades as a poor college student named Lindor, and tries to woo her. His plans are frustrated by Rosines guardian Doctor Bartholo, who keeps her imprisoned in his house and plans to marry her himself. Figaro the Counts ex-servant devises a variety of ways for the Count and Rosine to meet and talk, and helps them deceive the Doctor. The story concludes in the marriage of the Count and Rosine. Structure of the play Commedia dellarte (comedy of professional artists) was a form of improvisational theater which began in the 16th century and was popular until the 18th century. Commedia dellarte followed a repertory of conventional plot lines written on themes of adultery, jealousy, old age, and love. The classic, traditional plot is that the two lovers wish to be married, but one or several elders are stopping this from happening, leading the lovers to ask an eccentric servant for help. Typically the story ends happily, with the marriage of the lovers and forgiveness for any wrongdoings. Countless variations on this story exist as well. The characters frequently use songs and music to convey their messages and satire on current events is incorporated into the stories according to locale and time. The story of ‘The…………..Seville’ follows a traditional Commedia dellArte structure, with many characters seemingly based on famous stock characters of Commedia dellArte performances. Figaro is based on the Commedia dellArte character of Brighella, and like his forerunner he is a clever liar; moral and yet deceitful; good humored, helpful and courageous, though fairly disillusioned and cynical. As he says in The Barber of Seville: "I must force myself to laugh at everything lest I be obliged to weep." Though normally calm, collected and intelligent, Figaro can be irrational when angered. Beaumarchais’s characters use song and music to communicate and Figaro freely comments on the social ills plaguing the French society in the18th century. Comparative Analysis of ‘The Barber……’ The most important component of epic theatre is the creation of awareness and the need to act against the prevailing social ills in the society. In this sense the …Seville fools the true Bretch style of creating social awareness .The messages conveyed by the play were against the irrationality and arbitrariness of the division of social classes. This issue was of rising interest in a society in which the majority of members, the exception being clergy and nobility, held few legal, political, or economic rights. The French system honored wealth and birth, as opposed to ingenuity, and hard work. Beaumarchais created Figaro, a servant who is smarter than his masters and through him demonstrates that the worth of every man lies in his abilities rather than his birth. Some critics even believe that Figaro’s monologue in act V, in which he chronicles the nobility’s abuses of the lower classes, forecasts the French Revolution and the end of the French aristocracy In regards to technique and alienation effect ‘The Barber…….’ does loosely adheres to the epic style. The characters are exaggerated caricatures of the nobility mocking their ineptitude and dependence on the lowly servant Figaro who is depicted as an intelligent and resourceful. But although the hero of the play; Figaro is detached from the drama of the lovers thus creating the alienation from the emotionality of the play. Comedy is also used to lighten the drama of the lovers to create a focus on the frivolity of the upper class. Music and song are very much integrated into the play providing explanations to various actions and also as a means of communication among the characters. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus The idea of a human being selling his or her soul to the devil for knowledge is an old theme in Christian folklore, one that had become linked to the historical personality of Johannes Faustus, a notorious astrologer who lived in Germany in the early 1500s. Christopher Marlowe used it as the basis for his play, ‘The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus’ Doctor Faustus, a respected German scholar, grows discontented with the limits of traditional forms of knowledge and decides that he wants to learn to practice magic. In this process Faustus makes a deal with the Satan; he exchanges his soul for twenty-four years of service from the devil Mephistopheles. Once Faustus gains his incredible powers, he does not do anything good or even remarkable with them. The play focuses on Faust his ambitions and his ultimate downfall due to the sin of pride and over-ambition. Structure of the play The legend of Dr. Faust is one of the most durable myths in Western culture; early performances of Fausts damnation were often the comical fare of clowns and humorists. But the playwright Christopher Marlowe recognized in the story of Fausts temptation and fall the basics of tragedy. The play is written in blank verse and prose Blank verse is largely reserved for the main scenes while prose is used in the humorous scenes. As popular in Elizabethan plays, there is a chorus who does not interact with the characters of the play but instead provides an introduction and finale to the play and gives a foreword to the events that have unfolded at the start of some acts. Morality plays were showcased the Christian doctrines; and the characters were personifications of abstractions such as good, angels, devils and the seven deadly sins etc. linked in plots that were devised to point specific morals. Dr. Faust is a morality play and Faust although being eulogized as a modern renaissance man is guilty of the sin of pride which leads to his eventual downfall Comparative Analysis of ‘The………………..Dr. Faust’ Although Dr Faust addresses the issue of the ills of pride, the focus is on the ill of an individual’s sins (pride, greed etc.).In this aspect the play does not follow the epic style as the focus is on the evils of personality rather than that of society. Although Marlow celebrates the free thinking spirit of the Renaissance man in the persona of Dr. Faust, the tone of the play is moralizing and does not focus on any social or political ideology in any great detail. The production technique involves a chorus that is separate from the characters and acts as outside narrators to the story but they do not attempt to raise any social consciousness from the audience. In fact the play, in direct opposition to the alienation technique, involves the audience into the emotional turbulences and degradation suffered by the central characters of Mephistopheles and the Doctor. In the epic style the audience is constantly aware that it is watching a play but Faustus involved its audience to such a degree that they believed that the stage was in fact a reality Conclusion ‘The Barber……’ portrays class conflicts developing against a background of a convoluted comedy of lovers. The reality of class separation is presented as it is, but there is an essential implication that social hierarchies are accidents of chance rather than indication of true worth. In the play Beaumarchais shares his belief that, a subtle use of wiles, wit, resolve, decency, and a little luck, can tip the scales against upper-class arrogance and power. In the play, Figaro is the true hero, the master of intrigue, and an ingenious man for all seasons; his imaginative cleverness raises him above the rest of society. Though written much before the time Bretch propounded his theory of epic theater, ‘The Barber….’ epitomizes all the criteria envisioned by Bretch for social drama and can be termed as theatre in true epic style. Christopher Marlowe’s ‘The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus’, is based on the Faust legend, where a man of great learning sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge. It is basically a moral story decrying the sin of pride, wherein the protagonist although aware of his sin and given various chances at repentance fails to salvage his soul and is damned for eternity. The potent effect of the early performances of ‘The…. Dr. Faust’ is indicated by the legends that quickly built up around them. In his polemic (Histriomastix) against the drama, William Prynne reports the tale that actual devils once materialized on the stage during a performance of Faustus, "to the great amazement of both the actors and spectators”. This exaggerated reporting in itself is proof that Dr Faust was more sensational drama than social drama that lay at the heart of the epic style promoted by Bretch. Hence by no means can Dr Faust be termed epic theatre. Reference: 1. Brecht, Bertolt. 1964. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. Ed. and trans. John Willett. British edition. London: Methuen Read More