PERDURANCE OF ANCIENT THEATRE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Marıa Jesus Horta Sanz

Article Details

PERDURANCE OF ANCIENT THEATRE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Authors:

Marıa Jesus Horta Sanz

Publisher:

Izmir Katip Celebi University

Main Topics:

Ortaçağ Avrupa Tarihi

Journal:

Cihannüma Tarih ve Coğrafya Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.21-34

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338222

pISSN:

2149-0678

Keywords:

Abstract:

 It is commonly said that the theatrical genre perished after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and that it did not emerge again up until at least the eleventh century. This idea served to deepen the European Enlightenments provided image of the Middle Ages as a period dominated by religion in which the values of the classical world had been completely lost. However, this is not a totally accurate image. Theatrical plays in the classical style would be performed until the end of the second century, but after this historical period most of them started to disappear from the stage and to be confined to the libraries of intellectuals and specialists, thus being substituted by rough comedies of rather vulgar or even obscene content, albeit much to the audiences liking. This is the theatre that would decline and disappear for several reasons. Nevertheless, there was also another type of theatrical representations of an itinerant character bringing a diverse range of artists together which focused not so much on their literary quality as on everyday occurrences that would indeed survive despite the pressure exerted by the Church throughout the centuries. It is quite possible that the custom of attending such plays, the techniques used for developing the street performances and the actors who interpreted them collaborated to some extent, even if only indirectly, in the emergence of the first plays of a fundamentally religious character that appeared in the European Middle Ages, i.e., the liturgical dramas.

 It is commonly said that the theatrical genre perished after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and that it did not emerge again up until at least the eleventh century. This idea served to deepen the European Enlightenments provided image of the Middle Ages as a period dominated by religion in which the values of the classical world had been completely lost. However, this is not a totally accurate image. Theatrical plays in the classical style would be performed until the end of the second century, but after this historical period most of them started to disappear from the stage and to be confined to the libraries of intellectuals and specialists, thus being substituted by rough comedies of rather vulgar or even obscene content, albeit much to the audiences liking. This is the theatre that would decline and disappear for several reasons. Nevertheless, there was also another type of theatrical representations of an itinerant character bringing a diverse range of artists together which focused not so much on their literary quality as on everyday occurrences that would indeed survive despite the pressure exerted by the Church throughout the centuries. It is quite possible that the custom of attending such plays, the techniques used for developing the street performances and the actors who interpreted them collaborated to some extent, even if only indirectly, in the emergence of the first plays of a fundamentally religious character that appeared in the European Middle Ages, i.e., the liturgical dramas.

 It is commonly said that the theatrical genre perished after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and that it did not emerge again up until at least the eleventh century. This idea served to deepen the European Enlightenments provided image of the Middle Ages as a period dominated by religion in which the values of the classical world had been completely lost. However, this is not a totally accurate image. Theatrical plays in the classical style would be performed until the end of the second century, but after this historical period most of them started to disappear from the stage and to be confined to the libraries of intellectuals and specialists, thus being substituted by rough comedies of rather vulgar or even obscene content, albeit much to the audiences liking. This is the theatre that would decline and disappear for several reasons. Nevertheless, there was also another type of theatrical representations of an itinerant character bringing a diverse range of artists together which focused not so much on their literary quality as on everyday occurrences that would indeed survive despite the pressure exerted by the Church throughout the centuries. It is quite possible that the custom of attending such plays, the techniques used for developing the street performances and the actors who interpreted them collaborated to some extent, even if only indirectly, in the emergence of the first plays of a fundamentally religious character that appeared in the European Middle Ages, i.e., the liturgical dramas.

 Tiyatro türünün Batı Roma İmparatorluğunun yıkılmasıyla öldüğü ve en az 11. yüzyıla kadar yeniden ortaya çıkmadığı, yaygın olarak söylenir. Bu fikir; aydınlanmış Avrupalıların klasik dünyanın değerlerinin tamamen kaybolduğu, dinin hâkim olduğu Orta Çağ için sunduğu karanlık imajının derinleşmesine hizmet etmiştir. Ancak, bu tamamen doğru bir imaj değildir. İkinci yüzyılın sonlarına kadar İmparatorluğun her yerinde klasik tarzda oyunlar oynanmaya devam etmiş; ancak, daha sonra çoğu, entelektüellerin ve uzmanların kütüphaneleriyle sınırlı kalarak sahneden kaybolmuş ve bunların yerini, halkın beğenisine çok uygun olmasına rağmen, oldukça bayağı ve hatta müstehcen içeriğe sahip kaba komediler almıştır. Çeşitli nedenlerden dolayı gerileyen ve yok olan bu tiyatrodur. Bunun yanı sıra, yüzyıllar boyunca Kilisenin uyguladığı güçlü baskıya rağmen hayatta kalmayı başaran, edebi niteliğe daha az önem verip günlük olaylara odaklanan ve çok çeşitli sanatçıları bir araya getiren gezici tiyatro temsilleri de görülmektedir. Bu oyunlara katılma alışkanlığının, sokakta sergilenen gösterileri geliştirmek için kullanılan tekniklerin ve bunlarda rol yapan oyuncuların, Avrupa Ortaçağında dinsel drama adıyla anılan ilk dini oyunların -dolaylı olarak da olsa- ortaya çıkmasına büyük olasılıkla katkıda bulunduğu söylenebilir.

Article Details

PERDURANCE OF ANCIENT THEATRE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Authors:

Marıa Jesus Horta Sanz

Publisher:

Izmir Katip Celebi University

Main Topics:

Ortaçağ Avrupa Tarihi

Journal:

Cihannüma Tarih ve Coğrafya Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.21-34

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338222

pISSN:

2149-0678

Middle Ages

Europe

Theatre

Theatrics

Liturgical DramaOrta çağ

Avrupa

tiyatro

teatrallik

dinsel drama.

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Marıa Jesus Horta Sanz

Publisher: Izmir Katip Celebi University

Main Topics: Ortaçağ Avrupa Tarihi

Journal: Cihannüma Tarih ve Coğrafya Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.21-34

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2024

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001338222

pISSN: 2149-0678

Issues

Authors:

Marıa Jesus Horta Sanz

Publisher:

Izmir Katip Celebi University

Main Topics:

Ortaçağ Avrupa Tarihi

Journal:

Cihannüma Tarih ve Coğrafya Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.21-34

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338222

pISSN:

2149-0678