Theatre Presentation France and Moliere By Jesse Tabernaberri

Theatre Presentation: France and Moliere By Jesse Tabernaberri and Geoffrey Webber

Neoclassical France Ø Neoclassicism emerged during turbulent times in France, in the early sixteenth century Ø After the French Revolution, France became a democracy. French government was to be modelled on the high virtues and moral principles of classical Rome Ø Neoclassical artists created paintings and sculptures that depicted inspirational scenes from Roman history Ø Architecture and interior design began to reflect the neoclassical period.

Neoclassical Theatre Ø Began to develop in the 16 th century Ø Had a great effect on writing, scenic design, and production Ø Comedies of this time used farce and principles of Commédia dell'Arte Ø Plays based on unity of time, action, place, etiquette if a play was a neoclassical piece Ø Costumes and scenery were very intricate and elaborate Ø Acting characterized by large gestures and melodrama.

Theatre cont’d Ø Church plays were banned in 1548 by because of the religious uproar during this period Ø This ban dealt a painful blow to French theatre, but allowed secular theatre to develop. Ø In this time the French language was encouraged to be written in plays, strengthening culture.

Palais royal, where Moliere and other neoclassical playwrights performed

End of Neoclassicism Ø Neoclassicism came to an end when there were only two theatres left in Paris Ø French politics became more and more conservative. Ø By 1680, the great period of French Playwriting was over Ø Molière’s company merged with the Marais Theatre to form the Comèdie Française, the first (and still existing) national theatre.

French Social Structure Ø There were 17, 000 to 25, 000 noble families in the neoclassical period Ø Estimates of individuals range from 80, 000 to 350, 000. Ø Nobles accounted for 0. 05% of the 28 million people in the French population

Social Structure cont’d Ø A family's prestige was determined by: ü how long had a given family been noble ü into what other families did it marry ü what positions its members achieved and what offices they held ü what actions they performed Ø Arranged marriages were common, mainly business relationships created desire and/or need for property, monetary or political alliances. Ø The revolution abolished the feudal system, however titles were reintroduced in 1806 by Napoleon

Bibliography Ø http: //www. heraldica. org/topics/france/noblesse. htm Ø http: //www. stage-lighting-museum. com/museum/images/history 2/jpg/Richelieu-Palace-i. jpg Ø http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu Ø http: //novaonline. nvcc. edu/eli/spd 130 et/neocfrance. htm Ø http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/French_nobility Ø http: //everything 2. com/title/Moli%25 E 8 re Ø http: //people. brynmawr. edu/cwillifo/Paris. Playhouses/partthree_text. s html Ø http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_theatre#Neoclassical_theatre Ø http: //www. librarything. com/subject/Social+classes%09 France%09 H istory%0918 th+century Ø http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_French_peerages Ø http: //genealogy. about. com/cs/timelines/a/romance_history. htm