I can't seem to find the post for today's Marat/Sade so I'm just going to post here.
I thought it was interesting that Marat/Sade is considered Brechtian even though even though the play is written in verse. In the essays from yesterday, Brecht wanted to distance modern, epic, theater from dramatic theater. He said it was unrealistic for opera to break out in song. However, it is also unrealistic to break out into verse. So Marat/Sade does not follow the epic theater outline, but does fall under Brechtian theater in that it distances the audience. Brectian theater should be defined as theater that distances the audience rather than epic theater. Rather than a manifesto of Brectian theater, epic theater seems to be a list of possible ways to distance an audience. However, the list is not exaustive by any means. A play does not need to have all the qualities of epic theater in order to be considered Brectian.
I can't find it either, so I'm going to post here too. What I enjoy most about the play are the conversations between Marat and Sade. So much wisdom and thought can be seen in the things they say and discuss. I also like the lack of, or if any at all, punctuation. One character I particularly enjoy is the Herald because, whenever Coulmier would comment about situationsor sayings in the play, he (Herald) always had some type of witty or justifying comment to say back to him.
I'm gonna post here as well... Reading Marat/Sade put Brechtian theatre into perspective for me. I enjoyed the part in the beginning where they place leaves on Marat's head. In ancient Greece, laurel wreaths were given to the winners of athletic events. In Rome, it was a sign of military victory. Laurel wreaths also appear in many depictions of emperors and the scholarly elite. It's funny that Marat is given a wreath of non-laurel leaves. My favorite line is when Marat says "Dictator/The word must be abolished/I hate the words that remind us of masters and patriarchs/I am talking about a leader/who in this hour of crisis..." Originally, in Rome, the ideal dictator only served in a time of crisis. Once the crisis was over, he would step down from the position and return to his normal life. Marat wants a leader for this hour of crisis, and technically that leader is a dictator. :)
I can't seem to find the post for today's Marat/Sade so I'm just going to post here.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that Marat/Sade is considered Brechtian even though even though the play is written in verse. In the essays from yesterday, Brecht wanted to distance modern, epic, theater from dramatic theater. He said it was unrealistic for opera to break out in song. However, it is also unrealistic to break out into verse. So Marat/Sade does not follow the epic theater outline, but does fall under Brechtian theater in that it distances the audience. Brectian theater should be defined as theater that distances the audience rather than epic theater. Rather than a manifesto of Brectian theater, epic theater seems to be a list of possible ways to distance an audience. However, the list is not exaustive by any means. A play does not need to have all the qualities of epic theater in order to be considered Brectian.
I can't find it either, so I'm going to post here too. What I enjoy most about the play are the conversations between Marat and Sade. So much wisdom and thought can be seen in the things they say and discuss. I also like the lack of, or if any at all, punctuation.
ReplyDeleteOne character I particularly enjoy is the Herald because, whenever Coulmier would comment about situationsor sayings in the play, he (Herald) always had some type of witty or justifying comment to say back to him.
I'm gonna post here as well... Reading Marat/Sade put Brechtian theatre into perspective for me. I enjoyed the part in the beginning where they place leaves on Marat's head. In ancient Greece, laurel wreaths were given to the winners of athletic events. In Rome, it was a sign of military victory. Laurel wreaths also appear in many depictions of emperors and the scholarly elite. It's funny that Marat is given a wreath of non-laurel leaves.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line is when Marat says "Dictator/The word must be abolished/I hate the words that remind us of masters and patriarchs/I am talking about a leader/who in this hour of crisis..." Originally, in Rome, the ideal dictator only served in a time of crisis. Once the crisis was over, he would step down from the position and return to his normal life. Marat wants a leader for this hour of crisis, and technically that leader is a dictator. :)