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True or False: While Ancient Greek theatre had secular themes...


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I would guess they want you to say true. Liturgical plays are well known to have been widespread in the medieval period. Non-liturgical plays certainly survive from that period, but the frequency of which they were performed is a matter of debate.

Edited by Mrs Mungo
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Well, it is a T/F.

 

Can you prove or disprove one part of the statement? That's all I need to make it false.

 

According to Wiki. , "Medieval theatre covers all drama produced in Europe over that thousand year period and refers to a variety of genres, including liturgical drama, mystery plays, morality plays, farces and masques"

 

Is this enough to make the second part of the statement false?

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I think Mrs Mungo is probably right, but if you count all the masques...

 

And the Greek theater thing is pretty questionable. IIRC most of the plays were performed at religious festivals--it's just that the Greek idea of religion didn't really look a whole lot like ours. So, yeah, Greek theater had secular themes (esp. the comedies)...but it wasn't a mainly secular thing by any means.

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I think it is a poorly worded question. I could write a lengthy essay discussing the topic. Religion in theatre is huge. The statement is too general. I would assume the answer they are looking for is true. It seems mostly true, but not fully. But it is also not truly a false statement. I hate vague questions. I was not allowed to use t/f questions for my classes as a grad assistant for just this reason. :glare:

 

I would go true, but want to write an explanation of my thoughts ;)

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I may have just changed my mind. I pulled out my Brockett's History of the Theatre and in the Medieval section I have found as much if not more secular drama. Cycle plays were religipus, but the morality play os actually secular as are farces,the plays of the Chambers of Rhetoric, interludes, street pageant, and a full secular theatrical movememt of which we have several surviving scripts.

 

The surviving religous plays are more numerous than secular plays. It was the late middle ages before the religious plays were given outside of the church.

 

 

So, now I would say false.....Greek plays may have had secular themes, but overall I think the theater was more religious in ancient Greece. Their plays were written for religious festivals.

 

Still, it is a tough question that really deserves an essay.

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Sounds like its a question that the correct answer would be based on how it was addressed in class.

 

Pre-15th century - going how far back?

most - could be subject to perception.

religious - just meaning Christian? or any religious connection at all?

 

I would have expected the professor to teach this in some way that gave a clue to what answer he was expecting. Or that it could be found in the text book.

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Sounds like its a question that the correct answer would be based on how it was addressed in class.

 

Pre-15th century - going how far back?

most - could be subject to perception.

religious - just meaning Christian? or any religious connection at all?

 

I would have expected the professor to teach this in some way that gave a clue to what answer he was expecting. Or that it could be found in the text book.

 

:iagree: Post an update on the answer he was looking for when you get the test back. It's a loaded question, if you ask me.

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All Ancient Greek theater involved Gods in some way. There was nothing secular in Greek society.... nothing. They didn't even have a word for "religion" because it was so integrated into regular life. Sometimes the plays themselves do not mention Gods - but these plays were preformed as part of religious festivals, and had religious ceremonies performed on stage before they were acted out.....

Same with the Romans.

I'm only well versed up to the Reformation, and really I stick to the Renaissance and pre-Renaissance (Europe and the East) if I have to really know my stuff, but I'd say that it was probably in the late 1200's when any actual "secular" theater began to show up (at least anything we still have documentation for). I believe the first real production that can be considered secular was written sometime in the 1270's, but I can't remember the name at the moment. You wouldn't have seen it as much in Byzantium, or anywhere else in the more Eastern areas.

If you are really, technically wanting theater productions before the 1500's, I think it is important to remember that a huge percentage of the audience (I'd throw 85% out there without looking it up) never went to a real theater before the 1500's or so, and their entertainment was more like what you'd see around a campfire or at a small stage in their towns. So - depends on what you're calling theater.

Edited by SailorMom
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Ultimately, the problem with the question is that it is comparing the two using different terms.

 

1. Did some ancient Greek plays have secular themes? Absolutely. Were they performed at religious festivals? Yes, but that isn't really addressed in the question.

 

2. Were the 12th-14th century plays performed in Europe mostly religious? Yes, but so were the ancient Greek plays, especially when you consider that they were part of religious ceremonies.

 

There were some of each that were secular, both were mostly religious.

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Ultimately, the problem with the question is that it is comparing the two using different terms.

 

1. Did some ancient Greek plays have secular themes? Absolutely. Were they performed at religious festivals? Yes, but that isn't really addressed in the question.

 

2. Were the 12th-14th century plays performed in Europe mostly religious? Yes, but so were the ancient Greek plays, especially when you consider that they were part of religious ceremonies.

 

There were some of each that were secular, both were mostly religious.

 

 

Yeah - it's really hard to look at Greek plays in isolation.... One may look secular if you read it by itself, but then you find out that they were preforming the play in honor of Dionysus and that the actors portrayed aspects of his existence... ug. The more you know about it, the less black and white it can be.

Then again, there were medieval plays that were religious because they had to be, but the writers were sneaking in jabs at religion and many who watched the plays knew that the person writing them hated the church :) So - religious or a secular jab at religion, and how can we really be sure???

:tongue_smilie:

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I don't agree with the first part of the statement and I don't think we know about the second.

 

I don't think Greek theatre can be considered secular: even in Aristophanes, and more so in the tragedies, the gods and worship are intertwined in the stories. It's important to look at themes that to us seem secular: satyrs with bouncing phalluses were worship, for example. This is in addition to the pieces being performed as part of religious festivals.

 

We know about the religious European theatre (Mystery plays, etc.) because it was connected with the people who could write. We don't know how much other theatre there was. At what point does a court masque become theatre? When is a fool's fooling theatre? What street performances were there in the market place? We really don't know.

 

Laura

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