Comparison Of Tartuffe And A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Comedy is an astounding, all expenses paid, trip to a world revealed with jokes and laughter. Inside the lines of the surface reality, are there more to be inferred from this stress absent fantasy trip? The theatre productions, Tartuffe and A Midsummer Night’s Dream would suggest a correlation to cultural values and realities of 17th century Neo-classical France and the Elizabethan society. Two different societies that shared huge impacts, not only in the world of theatre, but the art world as a whole entity. In comparison, the two cultures share congruent aspects as well as differ on key features as detailed within the text, audience, and staging practices of the productions. Inference can be drawn from the denouement of each production and…show more content… The audience had a desire, a desire beyond all other desires, for all of the injustices to be resolved by the time the curtain was drawn and it was time to go home. This simulates a strong Greek theatre influence through the tendency of Greek plays to end with a deity coming into action and doling out justice to the unrighteous criminals. The production is certainly lacking in moments of worry for an immoral victory, and there is no point in this production where the reader has reason to feel this way. For example, Tartuffe had all the opportunity in the world to make away with Orgon’s fortune and send him to jail, but no matter the circumstance, this was destined to never unfold. Suddenly, a very wise king sniffed out the entire plan and annexed the whole idea of an unjust ending (Greek influenced deity). With the influence of Greek and Roman theatre within the Neo-classical movement, the stage design and practices were altered to house a grandiose journey to perfection. An important value in this era. Stages began to include special effects and an addition of a “window” that is known as a proscenium stage, which allowed better vision for the audience, and the ease of hiding things not in the current scene. It’s almost as if piling all of these aspects together makes for the calling of an unrealistic reality. This production…show more content… We see Tartuffe influenced by religious aspects and the need for a realistic plot line that is believable in the eyes of the audience. On the other side of things, we visualize A Midsummer Night’s Dream taking a secular route, one that involves mythical creatures, love potions and magic, and a sense of wild imagination. There’s also a grand contrast in the way the stages were set up in the two eras. The French Neo-Classical era featured a “windowed stage” that was much more tunnel vision focused on what was happening, whereas the Elizabethan culture had a much more open stage design, one where people would stand on their feet in front of the stage. Similar to a modern day music concert. With increased learning of science and astrology in the Elizabethan culture, there was a growing interest and paranoia in the subject of the supernatural (witches always seemed to be the popular subject). Theatre was a means of intricate self-expression in the life of an Elizabethan, and non-traditional route of mystery and intrigue, whereas the Neo-Classical French period was much more “by the book” traditional. All things considered, both styles incorporated the influences of ancient Greek and Roman ideals within their stories and values. Both societies value productions that give the audience an opportunity to sympathize with the story unfolding and give them hope for beneficial climax, not only in the story, but in their lives as well. There is also an apparent nod to the theme