Theatre as Philospohy
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-Theatre as Philosophy-
The evolution of theatre is a long and complex story. What once began as a ritual to the ancient gods has since developed into an elaborate examination of mankind. Theatre originated in Ancient Greece as a celebration to the god Dionysius, where amateur actors would dance and sing in order to imitate him. Consequently, as the Greek Empire developed, so did theatre. By the end of the Greek Empire, scripts were being written, theatres were being built, and professional actors were being used. The tradition of theatre continued to flourish with the rise of the Roman Empire. This age saw great playwrights such as Seneca, Terence, and Plautus become great cultural icons, performing their plays in extravagant arenas known as coliseums. Nevertheless, the Roman Empire fell giving way to the Medieval Period, where governments were weak allowing feudalism to become prevalent. This absence of power led to a period of time where theatre was also absent. As time progressed theatre rose again and became popular throughout the world. Each territory had its own way of showing these plays, which either dealt with mystery of morality. Eventually the Medieval Period gave way to the Renaissance, whereupon nations developed into their own powers, inciting different styles of theatre. All the aforementioned time periods and some others have formed theatre into what it is today. Whether a play, movie, or even televisions show, they all
can be attributed to the ever-evolving entertainment we know as theatre. However, no matter the time or the form of theatre, all have one thing in common. This is that they present a philosophy of life. In other words, they present a life lesson that intends to question the current way of life. The true challenge is entertaining an audience while teaching them at the same time. Nonetheless, this mesh of thought and pleasure is a must. Any good theatre is thought-provoking and didactic, while still remaining interesting. Most of these great works, old or new, are presented as either comedies or tragedies, where great storylines outline the theatrical productions life philosophy. Comedies usually portray a philosophical meaning through the use of satire, while tragic writers utilize a series of unfortunate events to deliver a message. Whether one or the other, it is undoubtedly necessary to add philosophical meaning into a work in order to incite thought within the audience.
Some playwrights believe their moral lesson is best presented with a comedic coating. They utilize satire, or comic criticism or societys ideals. Greek playwright Aristophanes was a pioneer in this form of writing. Aristophanes was a realist and a conservative and thus wanted very little change in society. Therefore, as the educational system of Athens became increasingly esoteric due to minds such as the Sophists, Aristophanes disagreed strongly with this. In his play “The Clouds,” Aristophanes attacks his contemporary educational system through comedy. He sees the views of the Sophists as detrimental towards Athenian values, causing Aristophanes to satirize them,
and hopefully inciting reform within society. “The Clouds” presents the teachings of the Sophists as wicked via two ways. First, he attempts to show to the audience that the Sophists views are downright ridiculous. Early on in the play, a student of this “new” teaching explains their latest experiments, where they measured how many flea-feet a flea could jump and whether gnats hummed with their mouths or their asses. As ridiculous as this sounds, Aristophanes goes even further when the student tries to vindicate the experiment. Here he declares that while bent over the students can study geology with their eyes and astronomy with their asses. Aristophanes is attacking the Sophists by making them out to be idiots who are only concerned with teachings of no particular value. This sets the tone for his other and more powerful argument later on in the play. Strepsiades, an old countryman, enrolls his son Pheidippides into the Sophist school. After being taught by the Sophists, Pheidippides returns home corrupt. He is shown beating his own father, illustrating to the audience that the Sophists have corrupted him to turn on his own father. This exemplifies the whole Sophist school system as a corrupt body and calls for a reform in society. Here, Aristophanes presents his life philosophies by satirizing those he wishes to reform. His beliefs on wisdom and knowledge become apparent while reading “The Clouds.” He tells society to sympathize with the “right” and avoid the “wrong.” By writing about it, Aristophanes hopes society will prosper from his lesson.
Other comic playwrights have shaped and molded this form of criticism to discuss
issues contemporary to them. Nowadays, the form has even made it into movies, where directors can utilize better visual effects to enhance their arguments. Similar to “The Clouds” the great comedies that reach the big screen often have a moral or life philosophy. Such is true of a movie like “Apocalypse Now,” which was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. “Apocalypse Now” is a dark and sinister film that shows the absurdities of war, and attempts to reform societys ideals on war. While many would hesitate to categorize “Apocalypse Now” as a comedy, it fits the mold set forth by Aristophanes. Similarly to the way “The Clouds” accomplishes its goal, “Apocalypse Now” satirizes war by making it appear completely ridiculous. In it Captain Benjamin Willard, played by Martin Sheen, receives a secret mission to assassinate traitor Colonel Walter Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando. Willards journey through Vietnam to find Kurtz chronicles numerous odd occurrences, including meeting Robert Duvall, who plays Lieutenant Killgore, a crazed leader more worried about surfing than his life. The film is highly anti-war, satirizing