Concetti Chiave
- Theater originated from religious events like Christmas and Easter, performed by lay members of trade guilds.
- Early performances were "Miracle plays" that dramatized biblical stories, conducted on movable stage wagons called "pageants."
- "Morality plays" evolved with characters personifying human virtues and vices, offering psychological interpretations.
- Professional acting companies emerged, performing under the protection of lords to ensure their safety.
- By the late 15th century, "interludes" combining drama and comedy were popularized, performed in lords' houses.
Origins of theater
The origins of the theatre are linked to the commemoration of religious events, so of Christmas and Easter. The performances were in English and the characters were lay people. They were not professional actors, they were just members of the trade guilds, so they were all amateur and they were paid for their services. They performed on movable stage wagons called ‘’pageants’’. They used to performed the ‘’Miracle plays’’ that gave a dramatic shape to the Bible. However, they were stopped by people who wanted to watch an episode, and they usually stopped in squares, in the villages, etc.
Evolution of dramas
The next development in dram were “Morality plays” whose characters were not taken from the Bible. They personified human virtues and vices, in fact they represented characters with psychological interpretations. They were collocated in an ancient world into a contemporary environment. The most popular one was ‘’Everyman’’. Another change was that actors were members of professional companies of acting. They were under the patronage of lords to protect themselves. At the end of 15th century, it started to be used the interlude, which is a short play that combine drama and comedy, and they were performed in the lords’ houses by a small company.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the origins of theater and how were performances conducted?
- What significant changes occurred in theater by the end of the 15th century?
The origins of theater are linked to religious events like Christmas and Easter, with performances conducted by lay members of trade guilds on movable stage wagons called "pageants." These amateur actors performed "Miracle plays" that dramatized the Bible.
By the end of the 15th century, theater saw the introduction of the interlude, a short play combining drama and comedy, performed by small companies in lords' houses. This marked a shift towards more professional and varied theatrical performances.
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