РефератыИностранный языкReRealism And Theatre Essay Research Paper Realism

Realism And Theatre Essay Research Paper Realism

Realism And Theatre Essay, Research Paper


Realism is the movement toward representing reality as it is, in art. Realistic


drama is an attempt to portray life on stage, a movement away from the


conventional melodramas and sentimental comedies of the 1700s. It is expressed


in theatre through the use of symbolism, character development, stage setting


and storyline and is exemplified in plays such as Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House


and Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters. The arrival of realism was indeed good


for theatre as it promoted greater audience involvement and raised awareness of


contemporary social and moral issues. It also provided and continues to provide


a medium through which playwrights can express their views about societal


values, attitudes and morals. A Doll’s House is the tragedy of a Norwegian


housewife who is compelled to challenge law, society and her husband’s value


system. It can be clearly recognized as a realistic problem drama, for it is a


case where the individual is in opposition to a hostile society. Ibsen’s


sympathy with the feminine cause has been praised and criticized; as he requires


the audience to judge the words and actions of the characters in order to


reassess the values of society. The characters in A Doll’s House are quite


complex and contradictory, no longer stereotypes. In Act II, Nora expresses her


repulsion about a fancy dress worn to please Torvald (her husband): "I wish


I’d torn it to pieces"; she attempts to restore it and resign herself to


her situation right after: "I’ll ask Mrs Linde to help". In Act III,


Torvald ignores his wife’s plea for forgiveness in order to make a moral


judgement: "You’ve killed my happiness.You’ve destroyed my future".


"I can never trust you again." Later on in the same act, he


contradicts himself: "I’ll change. I can change-"; much after Nora


confronts him: "Sit here, Torvald. We have to come to terms".


"?There’s a lot to say". Here, Ibsen shows us he has worked in depth


with the psychology of the characters, giving them a sense of complexity and


realism. Playgoers therefore recognize the revelation of characters through


memory. Thus drama became an experience closely impinging on the conscience of


the audience. Ibsen was also unique for his use of symbolism to assist realism


on stage. Symbolic significance is presented through the detail of design, props


and actions of the characters. For example, in Act III, Nora goes offstage to


get changed; "I’m changing. No more fancy dress". It is a symbolic


representation of her personal change, one where she has come to the realization


that she has been living the life of a doll, confined to the roles of a


"featherbrain", "plaything", "dove",


"skylark" and "songbird". Thus, symbolism enhanced realism,


and its effect can be seen as positive in the sense that it stirred conscious


awareness of values. The stage settings of A Doll’s House are an integral part


of the theatrical design, and not mere d?cor to be overlooked. The setting in


Act II; "?the Christmas tree stands stripped of its decorations and with


its candles burnt to stumps" is symbolic of the lack of happiness in Nora’s


life at t

hat moment. Also the change of setting in Act III; "The tables and


chairs have been moved centre" foreshadows a character change that will


take place in Nora. The many references to doors also have significance beyond


the stage directions. The play begins with the opening of the door and finishes


with the "slamming" of the door. Nora enters the doll’s house with the


values of society and departs from it, symbolizing her rejection of them. All


these intricacies of play settings and characters depict realism on stage.


Ultimately, it has been good for theatre because it presents the playwright’s


ideas in interesting and original ways. Realism, as expressed through symbolism,


also draws the attention of the audience, thus stimulating moral thought, and


stirring reaction. Realism is also defined as art-imitating life (source). This


is a fitting account of Anton Chekhov’s plays, for they tend to show the


stagnant, helpless quality of Russian society in the late C19th. Quite evident


in The Three Sisters, when Tuzenbakh illustrates realism; "The suffering we


see around us these days – and there’s plenty of it – is at least a sign that


society has reached a certain moral level." Hence, while the portrayal of


life here seemed ‘gloomy and pessimestic’, it was still good for theatre in that


it presented issues which audiences could identify with. It was also more


intellectual theatre when the playwright could express their views, compared


with the conventional dramas that merely played out fiction. Chekhov tends to


portray people who are perpetually unsatisfied, such as Olga; "I felt my


youth and energy draining away, drop by drop each day. Only one thing grows


stronger and stronger, a certain longing." (Act 1). This is reflective of


Chekhov’s realistic character work, where people dream to improve their lives,


but most fail. Realism here effectively presents harsh realities onstage, and


not having to promote idealistic ways of life. Reality is difficult as Olga


expresses; "What is all this for? Why all this suffering? The answer will


be known one day, and then there will be no mysteries left, but till then, life


must go on, we must work and work and think of nothing else." (Act IV).


Chekhov also exposes human foibles and anti-social tendencies, such as with the


character Natasha; "you have so many people here. I feel awfully


nervous?I am just not used to meeting new people." Thus, audiences can


sympathize and identify with characters, as these traits are reflective of


certain aspects of the human condition. So realism in theatre has been good in


the respect that it has greater impact when there are elements of truth in the


play. In the final analysis, the arrival of realism has been good for theatre


primarily because it promoted greater audience involvement. While the portrayal


of realistic issues may have been contentious in some cases, such as in A Doll’s


House, it nevertheless stirred reaction, which encouraged moral thought.


However, one could argue that its arrival has lead to less use of the


imagination. In either case, realism has raised awareness of social and moral


issues and the playwright’s views serve to challenge the audience ultimately


making theatre more interactive and interesting.

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