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Medici Family
Italian family of renowned merchants and patrons of the arts who ruled Florence during the Renaissance (also married into the France royal line) TERM 2
Cardinal Richelieu
DEFINITION 2 advanced Italian culture in France during the reign of Louis XIII; took power from nobles and Protestants and gave it to the King; wanted to establish standards in the arts that went along with Italian ideals TERM 3
Hotel Bourgogne
DEFINITION 3 theatre built by the Confrerie de la Passion (Confraternity of the Passion) in 1548; may have been first theatre built in Europe since Romans; never used by Confrerie for their productions since religious plays were banned in Paris before completion; but it was rented out to other companies for plays TERM 4
Royal Entertainments
DEFINITION 4 : prevalent in France in the 2nd of the 16th century; festivals for Catherine Medici led to Intermezzi-like performances (pageantry and visual spectacle); lack characters and dialogue of plays but have theatrical elements TERM 5
Alexander Hardy
DEFINITION 5 First professional French playwright; used neoclassical conventions but did not use unities, verisimilitude, or the showing of violent action offstage; produced at Hotel Bourgogne; set the stage for the great era of French theatre in the future
Le Cid Controversy
The Cid was a serious play by Corneille, about a couple separated by a quarrel between their fathers and both fight to uphold their honor -hugely popular in France, but attacked by critics for its non-adherence to neoclassical ideals TERM 7
Pierre Corneille
DEFINITION 7 wrote comedies after trying to become a lawyer like his father; Cardinal Richelieu commissioned him to join the Society of Five Authors and write for him; began writing plays that adhered to neoclassical ideas after The Cid (Horace); elected to French academy in 1647; considered theatre a secular art TERM 8
French Academy
DEFINITION 8 :a group in France that had Richelieus (and the monarchs) blessing to dictate drama TERM 9
Jean Racine
DEFINITION 9 playwright who succeeded in incorporating the neoclassical ideals in his plays; focused on the pressure that was on the chief character and minimized dramatic action; the character unravels TERM 10
Phaedre
DEFINITION 10 play that failed b/c Racines enemies had another play open on the same night; but great example of neoclassicism; begins near its final crisis, occurs in a short time, uses beautiful diction
Loges
boxes on the side of the Hotel de Bourgogne TERM 17
Paradis
DEFINITION 17 third tier of galleries along the side wall of the Hotel de Bourgogne TERM 18
Theatre du Marais
DEFINITION 18 a converted indoor tennis court that opened in 1634; 2nd major theatre in France; competition for the Hotel de Bourgogne TERM 19
Palais Cardinal
DEFINITION 19 : built by Cardinal Richelieu; first proscenium arch theatre in France -had stage at one end; galleries on three sides around it; put in front of stage -could accommodate 1, people -50 nobles could sit on stage itself -by 1640s, Italian design and scene shifting technology became standard in France TERM 20
Salles de Machines
DEFINITION 20 commissioned by Cardinal Mazarin for Louis XIVs marriage in 1660; largest theatre in Europe; 140 ft. of stage and stage machinery; rarely used after 1670 b/c of expense
Comedie Francaise
housed the French natl theatre (founded by Louis XIV in
- and was moved into its own building in 1689; also a converted tennis court but with better sight lines (had 27 societaires); hallmark of excellence in acting -shares in the company granted to the leading actors (responsible for company policy as well as play picking) TERM 22
Societaires
DEFINITION 22 shareholders in French acting companies (usually 8-12) TERM 23
Pensionnaires
DEFINITION 23 actors contracted to do minor roles in French acting companies TERM 24
Doyen
DEFINITION 24 head of the Comedie Francaise; the actor with the longest service to the troupe TERM 25
Scaramouche (Tiberio Fiorello
DEFINITION 25 manger of Commedia dellarte troupe that was most successful in Paris; took up permanent residence there
Why was there a strong Italian influence in
France?
-because the Medici family married into French royalty and also because Cardinal Richelieu wanted to adhere to the Italian idea of neoclassicism -push for neoclassical ideals as well as Italian scenic design by 1640s -pros arch stage, pole- and-chariot system (Palais Royal) TERM 32
Why was the formation of the Comedie
Francaise a significant event in theater
history?
DEFINITION 32 -because it was a govt supported French natl theatre that had a monopoly on spoken drama (it was the first national theatre in the world) -because it had a number of distinguished players and acting was the main focus -utilized the sharing plan of Molieres troupe with some modifications -sharers sometimes received less than a full share, and pensionnaires on a fixed salary TERM 33
Why was Moliere influenced by commedia
dellarte?
DEFINITION 33 -the characters in his plays resemble the stock characters in commedia -ex: in The Miser, Harpagon resembles Pantalone -hypochondriacs and misanthropes too -also utilized farcical humor like commedia -witty dialogue too
