Theatre Presentatio
n:
France and Moliere By Jesse Tabernaberri
and Geoffrey Webber
Neoclassicism emerged during turbulent times in France, in the early sixteenth century
After the French Revolution, France became a democracy. French government was to be modelled on the high virtues and moral principles of classical Rome
Neoclassical artists created paintings and sculptures that depicted inspirational scenes from Roman history
Architecture and interior design began to reflect the neoclassical period.
Neoclassical France
Neoclassical Theatre Began to develop in the 16th century Had a great effect on writing, scenic design, and
production Comedies of this time used farce and principles of
Commédia dell'Arte Plays based on unity of time, action, place,
etiquette if a play was a neoclassical piece Costumes and scenery were very intricate and
elaborate Acting characterized by large gestures and
melodrama.
Church plays were banned in 1548 by because of the religious uproar during this period
This ban dealt a painful blow to French theatre, but allowed secular theatre to develop.
In this time the French language was encouraged to be written in plays, strengthening culture.
Theatre cont’d
Palais royal, where Moliere and other neoclassical playwrights performed
Neoclassicism came to an end when there were only two theatres left in Paris
French politics became more and more conservative.
By 1680, the great period of French Playwriting was over
Molière’s company merged with the Marais Theatre to form the Comèdie Française, the first (and still existing) national theatre.
End of Neoclassicism
There were 17,000 to 25,000 noble families in the neoclassical period
Estimates of individuals range from 80,000 to 350,000.
Nobles accounted for 0.05% of the 28 million people in the French population
French Social Structure
A family's prestige was determined by: how long had a given family been noble into what other families did it marrywhat positions its members achieved and what offices
they heldwhat actions they performed
Arranged marriages were common, mainly business relationships created desire and/or need for property, monetary or political alliances.
The revolution abolished the feudal system, however titles were reintroduced in 1806 by Napoleon
Social Structure cont’d
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/noblesse.htm http://www.stage-lighting-museum.com/museum/images/history-2/jp
g/Richelieu-Palace-i.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/spd130et/neocfrance.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_nobility http://everything2.com/title/Moli%25E8re http://people.brynmawr.edu/cwillifo/ParisPlayhouses/partthree_text.s
html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_theatre#Neoclassical_theatre http://www.librarything.com/subject/Social+classes%09France%09H
istory%0918th+century http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_peerages http://genealogy.about.com/cs/timelines/a/romance_history.htm
Bibliography