The History of Italian Theatre Essay Example for Free

The History of Italian Theatre Essay The Italian Renaissance occurred from 1550 1700. The rapid economic growth in Italy during this time made it possible for the more wealthy citizens to endulge in alternate forms of entertainment. Wealthy families such as the Medicis began a system of patronage, in which they would finance artists to produce art in many forms. Italian theatre used the plays of ancient Greek and Roman theatre (dramas) as well as mediaeval theatre (religious plays) as a foundation. Commedia dellArte The main style used by theatre groups in Italy during this period was called commedia or Commedia dellArte. Commedia dellArte or the comedy of professional artists was a mainstay in Italian theatre during its renaissance. This included bits of comedy performed by different actors called lazzi. The type of comedy used in the Italian Renaissance was what is now known as slapstick or farce. This was a comedy style, which highlighted pain or misfortune occurring to the actors in a humorous context. For the most part the actors in these comedies used no scripts. The actors were given a plot or scenario and acted out these plots in a humorous way. These performances were often vulgar and obscene. Standardize characters developed and appeared in familiar costumes and wearing masks. The character standards for Commedia included these general outlines: Pantalone: A greedy old man, merchant or fool, often lustful, conniving, and  meddling. Dottore: A drunk, often proffesor or doctor dressed in a cap and gown. Capitano: A soldier who was braggadocios and cowardly. Inamorati: Young lovers who appeared quite normal compared to the rest of  the characters. zanni: Foolish servants. Usually two servants, one being drunk and  more foolish than his cohort. Neoclassicism Neoclassicists were rigid critics of Italian drama. They developed rules for theatre performances that survived for nearly 200 years in Europe. These mandates were claimed to have been derived from Greek and Roman models. Five central concepts of neoclassicism are as follows; verisimilitude, decorum, purity of genres, the three unities, and two fold purpose. Verisimilitude The seeking of truth. An attempt to portray the performance as a reasonable interpretation of what is real or reasonably expected in real life. Decorum The way in which characters of certain classes behaved according to that class. Age, sex, rank, and profession would be acted out as if the characters held those standings. A strong sense of moral right and wrong was upheld, reflected by the punishment of evil, and the rewarding of good. Purity of Genres Comedy and tragedy were never mixed. The elements of one genre were never to be interspersed with the performance of another. The use of the chorus, the deus ex machina, and the soliloquy, was prohibited. The Three Unities The concept of the unity of time, place, and action. Unity of time required a reasonable time for the action of the play to take place; usually no more than 24 hours. Unity of place required that the play should include no more than one place or location. Unity of action required that there be no sub plots, secondary plots or counter-plots. Two Fold Purpose The two purposes of neoclassical Italian plays were to teach and entertain. Opera Opera is the one form of Italian renaissance theatre that still survives to this day. It was developed in the late 1500s in Florence. Opera was originally an attempt to recreate a genuine Greek tragedy. Observing the Greek fusion of music and drama, the originators of opera attempted, and succeeded in, producing a completely sung dialogue in their interpretations. Opera is a form of drama that creates its mood, actions, and characters through music The first opera on record is called Dafne (1597). The text of the opera was written by, Ottavio Rinuccini (1562 1621). The music was scored by, Jacopo Peri (1561-1633). The opera, which consisted of a prologue and six scenes, was performed during the pre-Lenten Carnival of Palazzo Corsi. The Camerata Fiorentina, an academy of wealthy Italians who studied ancient Greek and Roman theatre, produced Dafne. The actual textual part of the opera is called the libretto. One, two, three or four performers can sing the librettos; these performances are called an aria (solo), a duet, a trio, and a quartet respectively. The visual display (intermezzo), along with musical excellence and strong performances, keep opera alive as a form of powerful dramatic art. Staging, Scenery, and Lighting The use of perspective drawing as a means to capture realistic backdrops was a common theme among 16th century stage designers. The illusion of depth was achieved through perspective drawing techniques using vanishing points as objects appeared closer to the horizon; they were painted smaller and smaller on their scenic backdrops. The first use of this technique is believed to have occurred in 1508, for a performance of Ariostos La Cassaria. A leading author and set creator named Sebastion Serlio wrote about this technique and other scene design methods in his book Architettura (1545). Different kinds of illusionistic backdrops settings were developed for the three major types of plays of the era (comic, pastoral, and tragic). A three-sided revolving prism called the periaktoi, was developed to change between different settings. This was quite an innovation for its time, as the scenery could be changed right before the audiences eyes. Other advances included the proscenium frame and front curtain along with varied flying machines (glories) and other special effects. Lighting inside the dark theaters of renaissance Italy also had to be addressed. Oil lamps and candles were the primary source of stage lighting. Though candles and lamps produced some smoke, they were placed in chandeliers and on the front of the stage. Placing translucent receptacles or canisters over them could dim candles when lower light levels were called for. Due to the size and lack of sufficient lighting of the theatres, artificial lighting was an ever-present necessity.

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Same-sex marriage does not harm society or anyone particular; marriage is a relationship between two people. How is society hurting when society is not involved in their marriage? The exordium-We allow rapists, murders, child abusers, and irresponsible parents to get married; why do we have a problem with same-sex marriages? Same-sex marriage does not harm society or anyone in general. Marriage is a relationship between two people and is not defined by the gender of the two that are united. Marriage is important in our society a civil and emotional bond between two people that is sacred. We cannot deny Americans this right. America is known as the land of free, but we deny people of freedom because they are a same-sex couple. According to John Schwartz, the United States has made a huge gain towards the approval gay’s marriages in all our fifth states. Many states such as New York, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington D.C have already passed same-sex marriage laws, making marriage possible between two people of the same gender. Other states in the nation still have voted to ban partnership of same-sex, which the court feels, is unfa ir to the gay community. The narratio-In Baker v Nelson in 1970, a couple tried to apply for their marriage license and was denied. This did not stop them from filing a suit in the state court. Baker argue that the law is unconstitutional because denies petitioner a fundamental right guaranteed by the ninth amendment to the U.S constitution arguably made applicable to the states by the fourteenth amendment petitioner are deprived of liberty and property without due process and are denies the equal protection of the law. Many think that they can rationalize their opinion about same-s... ...because of their partner. Reason three denying gay is couple to adopt. Confirmatio –Denying same-sex couples the right to adopt is against their rights as an American. People stated that same-sex couples cannot provide proper care or a conducive environment to raise a child, but we can let convicted felons, murders, or unfit parents have children. If gays can provide a safe and nurturing environment then where is the harm? I think this would help decline the number of child who need a family. According to the research guide from the Georgia States University College of Law. Gay adoption number just about one quarter of children adopted has been to same-sex couples in the United States. However, in some states such as Florida, they have over- turned a ban that prevented same-sex couples from adopting children. The Supreme Court has ruled the ban unconstitutional.

Example of Critical Thinking

I dropped out of college 3 times since I graduated from high school. The challenging part about it is that I know I need an education to be successful in life and to support my family but I often get bored with school very fast. If its not interesting or doesn’t grab my attention, I’m not interested. I barely made it out of high school. So this time I felt I had to do something with my life besides living. I decided to go back to school and what was challenging was the decision to even go back to school.Two questions I had about that problem of dropping out were, do I really want to go back to school? What could I do differently that I didn’t do at my last 3 schools I went to? After thinking about the career path that I wanted to work towards, I did my research on different schools with my chosen degree program. The school choices were Phoenix University, Ashford University, and Devry University. My oldest sister attended Phoenix University to become a schoolteac her. She told me stories about her classes, instructors, and difficulty dealing with peers in class.She also had problems dealing with finances for school and they were giving her a hard time. So taking her experience with that school and doing research on my own, I decided that that school would not be a good fit for me, (facts & opinions) My past experiences with online schools and my decision on choosing Ashford for my choice of school to work towards my degree came from wanting a school that will work with my busy schedule and me. I needed Instructors that are willing to help you instead of telling what to do and expecting you to figure out what it is that you’re trying to learning.I needed a school that would be fair and helpful when needed. These things I’ve listed were things I weren’t getting from my past schools I’ve attended. I also had take blame for my action as well. Turning in late work or not at all. Procrastinating to get things done and t urned in on time. I have to focus on my goal and that is to graduate with a degree and become the successful person my grandmother would want me to be. In conclusion, I believe if I work hard, stay focused and do my work I will be successful this go round with school here at Ashford University.

How to Stress Syllables in English

Words are made up of letters and those letters create syllable sounds.  You can recognize a syllable by remembering that each one contains a vowel sound.  For example, in the word computer,  there are three syllables: com /  pu  /  ter. The word  bike, however, has only one syllable. A single syllable may contain as little as just one letter, or as many as five: idea - i / de / a (three syllables) cough - cough (one syllable) In words that have more than one syllable, one syllable will be stressed. In English, there are a number of word syllable stress patterns. Counting Syllables You can check how many syllables a word has by putting your hand under your chin and saying a word. Each time your chin moves to make a vowel sound, count a syllable. For example, the word difficult  moves your chin three times. Therefore, difficult is three syllables. Exercise Count the number of syllables in each of these words. Answers are below. housejacketglassesencyclopediaemployerinformationtroublemaker  thought  happyincoherent Answers 1 (house)2 (ja / ket)2 (gla / sses)6 (en / cy / clo / pe / di / a)3 (em / ploy / er)4 (in / for / ma / tion)4 (trou / ble /ma / ker)1 (thought)2 (ha / ppy)4 (in / co / her / ent) Word Syllable Stress In multi-syllable words, the stress falls on one of the syllables. The other syllables tend to be spoken quickly. This leads to sounds that are not clear (muted) on unstressed syllables. In order to improve your pronunciation, focus on pronouncing the stressed syllable clearly. However, dont be afraid to mute (not say clearly) the other unstressed vowels. For example: Listen  to these specific examples. Notice where the syllables are stressed: PersonNELTOtallyInDUstrialToMAtoFanTAstic One Syllable - Stressed All one-syllable words have the stress on the one syllable. The intonation should go down.   Listen  to the general pattern. EATDRINKSIGNWELL Two-Syllable First Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: GIantPICtureHEAting Second Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: toDAYaHEADaLLOW Three-Syllable First Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: ENergyOperateORganize Second Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: meMORialaSSUMPtioncaNAdian Third Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: employEEjapanESEvoluntEER Four-Syllable Second Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: psyCHOLogyeVAporatecerTIficate Third Syllable Stressed Listen  to the general pattern and these specific examples: poliTIcianindiVIdualrepuTAtion Double Vowel Sounds Its not the number of letters that make up a syllable, rather it is the number of single vowel sounds. Sometimes, a number of vowels combine to make just a single sound. For example: tree 1 sound goal 1 sound because 1 sound Common Double Vowel Sounds Its important to learn spelling patterns for these sounds. Here are some of the most common: ay - (diphthong EI sound)  play, say, may au - (long A sound) fault, launch, haunt augh - (long A sound) caught, taught, daughter augh - (short A sound as in cat) laugh ee - (long EE sound) tree, see, three ea - (long EE sound) each, peach, teach ea - (short E sound) dead, head, health ea - (long EE sound) break, steak, great eu - (long U sound) deuce, sleuth ei - (diphthong EI sound) beil, eight, weigh ey - (diphthong EI sound) they, grey eigh - (diphthong EI sound) eight, freight eigh - (long EE sound) seize eigh - (diphthong AI sound) height ie - (long EE sound) thief, pice ie - (long I sound) die, tie oo - (long U sound) moo, boo oo - (short U sound) book, foot oa - (long O sound) boat, moat oe - (long O sound) hoe, Joe oi - (diphthong OY sound) soil, toil ou - (long O sound) soul, your ou - (short U sound) tough, rough ue - (long U sound) cue, muse ui - (long U sound) fruit, juice Schwa for Unstressed Syllables Unstressed syllables keep the correct sound, but are muted. Sometimes, unstressed vowels become a  schwa sound  - like a soft uh sound. Listen  to these specific examples: LittleRepeatTomato At other times, the vowel is pronounced but not stressed. Listen  to these specific examples: IndustrialNoisily Generally speaking, stressed syllables retain a clear vowel sound, while unstressed syllables tend to soften towards a schwa-like sound.