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T

PERODO

LETRAS
INGLS

Literatura Inglesa:
Teatro
Alexandre Veloso de Abreu
Alexandre Veloso de Abreu

Literatura Inglesa:
Teatro

#
EDITORA
UHIMONTU

Montes Claros/MG - 2012


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Ficha Catalogrfica:

2012
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EDITORA UNIMONTES
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r Unimontes

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Paulo Cesar Mendes Barbosa Maria Narduce da Silva

Chefe do Departamento de Artes


Maristela Cardoso Freitas
Autor
Alexandre Veloso de Abreu
possui graduao, mestrado e doutorado em Letras pela Pontifcia
Universidade Catlica de Minas Gerais. Atualmente professor Adjunto III
da mesma universidade. Tem experincia na rea de Letras, com nfase em
lngua e literaturas de lngua portuguesa e inglesa, atuando principalmente
nos seguintes temas: estudos literrios, epopeia, romance, estudos
comparados, cinema e semitica. Publicou o livro de contos A Mulher de
Nanquim (2004) pela Edies Horta Grande e o romance 'Edoneu' (2011) pela
Marginal 2d.
Sumrio
Apresentao 9

Unit 1 11
Origins of drama 11

1.1 Early English theatre (13407-1500) 11

1.2 The renaissance 1500-1650 12

Dica de filme 18

Activities 19

Referncias 20

Unit 2 21
Importance of being drama 21

2.1 Language and Irony in Oscar Wilde's plays 21

Dica de filme 23

Activities 24

Referncias 24

Unit 3 25
Modern drama 25

3.1 Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw 25

3.2 Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett 30

3.3 Closer by Patrick Marber 31

Dica de filme 33

Activities 34

Referncias 34

Resumo 35

Referncias Bsicas e Complementares 37

Atividades de Aprendizagem - AA 39
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Apresentao
Caro(a) acadmico(a),
O caderno de Literatura Inglesa: Drama, que aqui se encontra, procura nortear seu leitor
acerca do teatro ingls desde sua origem at os tempos atuais. O gnero dramtico, que at bem
pouco tempo atrs figurava entre as manifestaes artsticas mais reverenciadas, tomou outro
rumo nas sociedades contemporneas. Alunos de ensino mdio encontram dificuldades ao le
rem uma pea, desacostumados e no familiarizados que esto com o gnero. O mesmo ocorre
com universitrios.
A meta desse caderno servir de ferramenta para um melhor contato com a literatura e
com a produo teatral e dramtica.
Nomes como os de Shakespeare, Shaw, Beckett e Wilde so lembrados no s pela sua con
tribuio para o gnero dramtico, mas por sua importncia para a cultura ocidental.
Assinalamos a impossibilidade de contemplarmos tudo. Temos um estudo analtico-crtico
sobre alguns desses dramaturgos e informaes historiogrficas sobre a evoluo do drama na
terra da rainha. A inteno instigar, fazer com que o acadmico construa seu prprio caminho,
por isso peo desculpas se omiti algum imprescindvel.
O Caderno encontra-se em Lngua Inglesa. Julgou-se mais proveitoso manter os textos no
original, assim como estimular a leitura. Privilegiou-se um texto mais direto, buscando uma inte-
rao imediata. Caso sinta dificuldade para fazer as atividades, boas tradues das obras existem
no mercado e so de fcil acesso. Boa leitura!

Alexandre Veloso de Abreu

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Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

UNIT 1
Origins of drama

1.1 Early English theatre (1340?-


1500)
Performance in churches and churchyards widespread from medieval times into the early
seventeenth century, constitutes a case in point. Scholars argue about whether we should see TIP_
the difference between church ritual and church drama. Fact is that the church was the main
Locus and Platea
place of performance, crucial item in drama. The church was host to a whole spectrum of per
formances from simple acts of mass through expanded elaborated ritual scenes. What seems to the two terms denote
be a major issue is the actual place where these rituals happened. The notion of elevated stages two interconnected
started to come up and a crowd would gather to watch the performances. Such notions intro ways of using space,
duced the entire structure of drama that would consolidate in the Renaissance, (DILLON, 2006). the locus can be liter
ally a scaffold, but can
Biblical stories were generally the themes of the performances. Eventually the plays started
also be a specific de-
to be performed outside the clerical space. This led to separated theatre places, called the play marked location, char
houses. acterizing a dramatic
Early plays in the church may have been no more than simple performances with actors scene. Platea concen
mimicking the sermon. For instance, on Easter a play focusing on the adoration of the cross may trate more in the actor's
performance and rely
have been acted out before the altar; at Christmas, a play celebrating the Nativity; on other feast less in dramatic space.
or holy days, some other event may have been celebrated. Eventually this kind of primitive form Both these terms origi
was replaced by more elaborate versions. However, it is obvious that the cradle of English drama nated in the medieval
had its origins on the church altar. The main type of theatre in England was the Mystery Pageant. period and are very
Short episodes from the bible were performed outdoors during one day at the beginning of the relevant for theatrical
concepts today.
summer. They were staged for the feast of Corpus Christi. They were grouped in cycles, and the
idea was to instruct the audience in the ways of the Christian Faith and to lead them, through
examples, to live their lives in a way which would ensure the eternal peace rather than damna
tion. There were four Mystery Cycles - the York, Wakefield, Chester and Coventry Cycles which
Noah's wife is vigorous
consisted of many plays, amongst them are The Creation of Adam & Eve and Noah's Flood. ly depicted as a scold
The Mystery Plays seem to have reached their greatest popularity in the fourteenth and fif ing shrew who gives
teenth centuries. In the dawning light of the Renaissance and the modern spirit they gradually Noah a hard time and
waned, though in exceptional places and in special revivals they did not altogether cease to be refuses to get on board
the ark till the very last
given until the seventeenth century. On the Continent of Europe, indeed they still survive after a
moment. The plays
fashion in a single somewhat modernized form, the celebrated Passion Play of Oberammergau. combine entertainment
In England by the end of the fifteenth century they had been for the most part replaced by a kin with a serious message
dred species which had long been growing up beside them, namely the Morality Plays. about obeying God for
The Morality Play probably arose in part from the desire of religious writers to teach the an audience, most of
whom even if literate
principles of Christian living in a more direct and compact fashion than was possible through the would not have had
Bible stories of the Mysteries. In its strict form the Morality Play was a dramatized moral allegory. the text of the Bible in
It was in part an offshoot from the Mysteries, in some of which there had appeared among the English.
actors abstract allegorical figures, either good or bad such as The Seven Deadly Sins, Contempla
tion, and Raise-Slander. In the Moralities the majority of the characters are of this sort though
not to the exclusion of supernatural persons such as God and the Devil and the hero is gen
erally a type-figure standing for all Mankind. For the control of the hero the two definitely op
posing groups of Virtues and Vices contend; the commonest type of Morality presents in brief
glimpses the entire story of the hero's life that is of the life of every man. It shows how he yields
to temptation and lives for the most part in reckless sin, but at last in spite of all his flippancy and
folly is saved by Perseverance and Repentance, pardoned through God's mercy, and assured of
salvation. As compared with the usual type of Mystery plays the Moralities had for the writers

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UAB/Uriimontes - 7o Perodo

Picture 1: Medieval this advantage that they allowed some in


Lithograph dependence in the invention of the story;
Source: Prints division the and how powerful they might be made
New York Public Library
Astor, Lenox and Tilden in the hands of a really gifted author has
Foundations. been finely demonstrated in our own time
by the stage-revival of the best of them,
'Everyman' (which is probably a transla
tion from a Dutch original). In most cases,
however, the spirit of medieval allegory
proved fatal, the genuinely abstract char
acters are mostly shadowy and unreal,
and the speeches of the Virtues are ex
_ TIP treme examples of intolerable sanctimo
Everyman Noah's wife nious declamation. Against this tendency,
is vigorously depicted on the other hand, the persistent instinct
as a scolding shrew for realism provided a partial antidote;
who gives Noah a hard the Vices are often very lifelike rascals,
time and refuses to get abstract only in name. In these cases the
on board the ark till
the very last moment. whole plays become vivid studies in con
The plays combine temporary low life, largely human and in
entertainment with a teresting except for their prolixity and the
serious message about coarseness which they inherited from the Mysteries and multiplied on their own account. Dur
obeying God for an au ing the Reformation period, in the early sixteenth century, the character of the Moralities, more
dience, most of whom,
even if literate, would strictly so called, underwent something of a change, and they were sometimes made the ve
not have had the text hicle for religious argument.
of the Bible in English.

1.2 The renaissance 1500-1650


In the opening years of the fourteenth century,
there began to develop in Italy an increasing inter
est in the manuscripts that had survived from an
cient Greece and Rome. As more and more of these
manuscripts surfaced in the libraries and monaster
ies, Italy fell under the influence of the intellectual
movement known today as the Renaissance. Re
naissance, meaning rebirth in French, was based on
classical learning and philosophy. Spreading west
ward across Europe, the phenomenon of the renais
sance arrived in England already in the Medieval Pe
riod. As far as England was concerned, however, this
early contact was negligible, largely because exter
nal wars and internal strife ravaged the country for
Picture 2: Portrait of almost a century and a half, from 1337 to 1485.
Elizabeth I. As the Renaissance developed in Italy and in
Source: Prints division other European countries, it began to take on added
the New York Public Li dimensions. Perhaps stimulated by the discovery
brary Astor, Lenox and that the men and women of ancient Greece and
Tilden Foundations. Rome were intelligent, cultured, and creative, the
Renaissance gradually became also a rebirth of the
human spirit, a realization of the human potential
for development. This realization led eventually to
many discoveries - geographical, religious, and sci
entific, as well as artistic and philosophical. Both the
age of Discovery, including the exploration of America and the Protestant Reformation had their
origins in the Renaissance spirit. To the same spirit may be attributed Copernicus' assertion that
the earth was not the center of the universe. Upsetting traditional religious teaching, this discov-

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Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

ery indirectly fostered the renaissance belief that life in this world was not merely a preparation
for the next world, as taught by medieval Christianity but that, on the contrary, an active life in
this world had value in itself.

1.2.1 The Renaissance in England

The Renaissance period in England may conveniently be divided into three parts: the rise of
the Renaissance under the early Tudor monarchs (1500-1558), the height of the renaissance under
Elizabeth I (1558-1603), and the decline of the Renaissance under the Stuart monarchs (1603-1649).
In 1485, with the end of the Wars of the Roses and the crowning of Henry VII, domestic un
rest ended. Henry immediately set about unifying the country, strengthening the crown, and re
plenishing the royal treasury. Under the reign of his son, Henry VIII (1509-1547), England became
mature for the intellectual ferment of the Renaissance. The population had begun to increase
rapidly, feudalism was on its deathbed, and there was a steady movement of population to the
larger towns and cities, especially London. The population of London, only 93,000 in 1563, had
by 1605 more than doubled, to 224,000.

CHART 1
Major Events in England during the Renaissance

I Event Regent Year

Death of Mary I; accession of Elizabeth I 1558


Elizabeth I

Execution of Mary, Queen of Elizabeth I 1587


Scots

Defeat of the Spanish Armada Elizabeth I 1588

Death of Elizabeth I James VI 1603

Peace with Spain James VI 1604

Pocahontas is brought to James VI 1616


England
Death of Shakespeare James VI 1616

Source: DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. p. 235

In addition, the invention of the printing press together with improved methods of manu
facturing paper made possible the rapid spread of knowledge. In 1476, during the War of the
Roses, William Caxton had set up England's first printing press at Westminster, a part of Lon
don. By 1640, that press and others had printed more than 26,000 different works and editions.
With the advent of the printing press and the increased availability of the books, literacy also in
creased. It is estimated that by 1530 more than half the population of England was literate.
Near the end of the fifteenth century, Renaissance learning made its late entry into Eng
land, carried home by scholars who had traveled to Italy. Earliest among these was the Oxford
Group, which introduced the new learning of the Renaissance to Oxford in the 1490's and 1500's.
A decade later, the great Dutch humanist, Desiderius Erasmus, was teaching Greek at Cambridge.
The first major impact of the Renaissance on English literature is observable in the poetry of Wy-
att and Surrey who introduced and Anglicized the sonnet, a verse form that has proved to be
both popular and durable. Surrey is also credited with inventing English blank verse. Other verse
forms borrowed from the Italian and the French had a lesser impact. Elaborate Renaissance con
ventions of love poetry were also transplanted finding their outlet chiefly in sonnets and sonnet
sequences.
Though the non-native influence was strong insofar as poetry was concerned, the native
drama continued to develop and gain popularity. Miracle and morality plays remained a favorite
form of entertainment, while a new dramatic form, the interlude, developed. One of the impor
tant ancestors of Elizabethan drama, the interlude was a short play designed to be presented be
tween the courses of a banquet. While the Renaissance was gathering strength in England, two

13
UAB/Unimontes -7o Perodo

events occurred that were inimical to the influence of the Catholic Church. The first was Mar
tin Luther's posting of his Ninety-five Theses on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517,
an act which heralded the Reformation. The second event was brought about by the desire of
Henry VIII for a male heir and his wish to divorce Catherine of Aragon, who had only one child,
Mary. At the time when the Pope refused to end the marriage, Henry, with an eye also to seizing
the vast and wealthy holding of the Church, overthrew papal jurisdiction, married Anne Boleyn
and was declared with the Parliament's help head of the English Church. Thus England became
a Protestant nation.
During the reign of his successor, the child king Edward VI, the movement toward Protes
tantism continued. However, Queen Mary, the next monarch, was a devout Catholic. Her at
tempts to restore Catholicism to the country resulted in internal turmoil and much bloodshed.

CHART 2
First performance of four Shakespearian Plays

Romeo and Juliet 1594


Hamlet 1600
Othello 1603
King Lear 1605
Picture 03: Map of
Theatres in London Source: DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre (Cambridge Introduction to Literature)
1580-1607 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, p.219.
Source: Adapted from::
http://www.english-onli-
ne.at/history/elizabethan
theatre/shakespeares- 1.2.2 The Elizabethan theatre
-theatre.htm

The Elizabethan theatre established
parameters for drama as we know today,
although certain characteristics defined
only the drama produced at the time.
Authors wrote plays for the illiterate
masses. The authorities did not like the
idea claiming it had a bad influence on
people and kept them from going to
church. Queen Elizabeth, on the other
hand, loved acting and helped the the
atre become popular. Theatres were
built in areas considered unsafe with
crime and prostitution. Shakespeare's
Globe theatre was one of the most pop
ular. People did not sit all the time and
it was not quiet during the performance.
The audience could walk around, eat
and drink during the play. They cheered,
booed and sometimes even threw ob
jects at the actors. Theatres were open
arenas or playhouses that had room for
up to three thousand people. They were
structures made mainly of wood. There
was no heating and no protection from
the rain. The stage was higher and there
U Map u( London ihuiin.i I5ML-I64J
was an open pit in front of it where most
of the people could stand in. Richer people and noblemen sat in the gallery. Colourful and well-
designed costumes were very important and told the people about the status of a character.
Women never performed in plays, so young boys played female characters. The performances
took place in the afternoon because it was too dark at night. There was no stage crew as there
is today. Actors had to do everything themselves - from making costumes to setting the stage.
Plays were organized by acting companies. They performed about 6 different plays each week
because they needed money to survive. They had almost no time for rehearsals. The companies
in Shakespeare's time had a hierarchical system.
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Theatre and business

The company belonged to shareholders and managers. They were responsible for every
thing and got most of the money when the company was successful. Sometimes they even
owned their own buildings;
Actors worked for the managers and after some time became a permanent member of the
company;
Apprentices were young boys who were allowed to act in menial roles. They also played fe
males characters in plays.
Lord Chamberlain's Men and the Admiral's Men were the two most important companies
in London at that time. Among the most famous theatres during were the Globe, the Swan
and the Fortune.

1.2.3. The Globe Theatre

One of the most famous Elizabethan


theatres was surrounded on three sides by
seating "galleries". Shakespeare's troupe per
formed here and he was part owner in the
theatre's revenue. The acting company had Picture 04: The Globe
about 25 actors, all male and half of the actors Theatre Illustration
were shareholders in the theatre. Source: DILLON, Janette.
Different colored flags were used to ad The Cambridge Introduc
tion to EarlyEnglish Theatre
vertise the themes of plays which were to be (Cambridge Introductions
performed at the Globe Theatre. A black flag to Literature) Cambridge:
Cambridge University
indicated a tragedy, a white flag indicated a
Press, 2006.
comedy and a red flag indicated a history play.

Some interesting facts about the theatre:

The Globe theatre was burned to the ground in 161 3.


Fire started when a prop cannon explode during the first night performance of Henry VIII.
It was rebuilt on the same site.
It was demolished in 1644 when theatres were closed.

TIP
1.2.4 William Shakespeare Read and performed
throughout time, Wil
liam Shakespeare was
born in Stratford-upon-
Avon. Author, director
and actor of his com
edies and tragedies,
he was also one of the
owners of the Globe
Theatre in London. He
Picture 05: William is considered to be
Shakespeare (1564- one of the brightest
1616) play writers of Western
Source: DILLON, Janette. literature, creating an
The Cambridge Introduc elaborate paradigm of
tion to Early English Theatre characters and plots.
(Cambridge Introductions
to Literature) Cambridge: DILLON, Janette. The
Cambridge University Cambridge Introduction
Press, 2006.
to EarlyEnglish Theatre
(Cambridge Introduc
tions to Literature)
Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2006.

15
UAB/Uriimontes - 7o Perodo

1.2.4.1 Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

In 'Hamlet', Shakespeare deals with his great tragic themes in the frame of a revenge trag
edy. Upon his return to Denmark from his university studies, young prince Hamlet learns from
the ghost of his recently dead father, old king Hamlet, that he had actually been poisoned by his
brother, Claudius, who was now the new king and who had married Gertrude, the widow queen.
Young Hamlet is thus confronted with the horrors of fratricide and incest and with the immense
burden of revenge required by his dead father. In order to find confirmation for the ghost's story,
Hamlet arranges a play which represents a similar scene of murder; Claudius's guilty conscience
betrays him. Hamlet hides his terrible grief behind the mask of madness and is extremely disap
pointed with his mother for marrying his uncle. The prince Hamlet killed Polonius accidentally,
the father of beautiful Ophelia, rejected by Hamlet in spite of their mutual affection. Ophelia has
drowned herself and her brother, Laertes, accepts Claudius's treacherous plan of killing Hamlet
during a duel, with a poisoned sword. The plot escapes their control and, in the confusions of the
final scene, all the main protagonists find their death.
Structurally Hamlet is presented to us with a classical Shakespearean model, summarized by
Gustav Freytag as follows:

Act 3: Climax: Itymlct discovers that Claudius


is guilty with the ly (main plot), but kills
Polonius by mistak : in the Closet scene

4: Falling
: Claudius,
2: Rising Action
events:
Hamlet lake
: will he act?

ofrevenge/iusticc philosophical aijd MB .1 nil


fl meaning of lil r

Act I: rr act 3: trrr


Exposition: Rising Climax: Falling Act S: Catastrophe:
Something Action: Hamlet action: Everyone's Vengeance is
rotten in the Hamlet tries springs Moves to consummated: bloody end; onb
state of to discover his trap. have Horatio is left to tell the talc
Denmark. the truth of catches Hamlet
Ghost the ghost's proof of killed
appears and accusalions Claudius'
calls for guilt
vengeance

A
Picture 06: Freytag's Pyramid of Hamlet
Source: DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to EarlyEnglish Theatre (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

16
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Act I: Exposition. The rotten state of Denmark is disclosed, and the ghost appears with his
call for vengeance.
Act II: Rising action. Hamlet tries to discover the truth about the ghost's accusations.
Act III: Climax. Hamlet elaborates his plan and proves Claudius is guilty.
Act IV: Falling action. Claudius takes charge of the events in the play.
ActV: Catastrophe. The consummation of all revenges ends in bloodshed. Only Horatio sur
vives.
During the play many soliloquies (A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a char
acter talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener. A
specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse and the act of speaking to oneself are
presented. We now focus on the most celebrated one, Act III, Scene I lines.56-90:
Box 1

To be, or not to be: that is the question:


Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.-Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

Commentary

Hamlet enters, brooding "To be or not to be." In 'The Story of English', Robert MacNeil writes,
"When Hamlet says 'To be or not to be: that is the question,' he has summarized in one sentence
all that follows." Many scholars consider this speech to be one of several existential manifestos in
'Hamlet'. (Existentialism professes that the past and future are intangible; the present is all that
humans can be sure of. For humans, being what IS is the only truth; everything else is noth
ing.)
In this soliloquy, Hamlet explores the ideas of being and nothingness by asserting a basic
premise: We are born, we live, and we die. Because no one has returned from death to report, we
remain ignorant of what death portends. Hence, Hamlet's dilemma encapsulates several univer-
17
UAB/Unimontes - 7o Perodo

sal human questions: Do we try to affect our fate? Do we take action in the face of great sorrow
or do we merely wallow in the suffering? Can we end our troubles by opposing them? How do
we know? What is the nature of death? Do we sleep in death, or do we cease to sleep, thereby
finding no rest at all?
Hamlet hopes that death is nothingness that death will "end the heartache and the thou
TIP sand natural shocks that flesh is heir to"that death will end thinking, knowing, and remembering.
It is common to rep But he fears that, in death, he will be haunted interminably by bad dreams of life itself, by dreams
resent Hamlet with a heavy with the memory of fear and pain. Ultimately, he says, that's why humans dread death. We
skull in his hand and fear that our consciences will torment us forever. Thus, human beings choose life, with its tor
reciting the famous
line "To be or not to ment and burdens, chiefly to avoid death, the great unknown. However, death is, like life, ines
be". But this is not the capable and Hamlet curses his luck for having been born at all.
moment the prince of Hamlet's dilemma underlies the entire soliloquy. If he kills Claudius, he will assuredly be
Denmark interacts with killed himself. Hamlet is not sure he is ready for death; life is all he knows, and he fears the un
the skull. This will only
known. Further, he is not yet ready to take responsibility for sending another human being into
appear in Act V, Scene
I, in the graveyard. The the throes of death. He understands his duty to avenge the murder that is now disclosed, and
scenes are generally as he accepts responsibility for the Ghost's torment, but he knows that by killing Claudius he could
sociated because of the be consigning himself to his father's fate for all eternity. Hamlet ends his reverie when he sees
proximity concerning Ophelia enter, engrossed in her book. He entreats her to remember him in her prayers. His words
the themes: a pro
startle her, and she responds by inquiring after his health. Immediately, she recovers and launch
found reflection about
existence and death. es into her assigned speech:

DILLON, Janette. The My lord, I have remembrances of yours


Cambridge Introduction That I have longed long to redeliver.
to EarlyEnglish Theatre
I pray you now receive them.
(Cambridge Introduc
tions to Literature)
Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2006.

Dica de filme
TIP
It is recommended you read at least four
major plays by Shakespeare. The suggestions
are Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Othello, Mac
beth and King Lear. Many films were done
based on Shakespeare's plays. A very com
plete version is 'Hamlet' (1996), adapted and
Mint . directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars
in the title role as Prince Hamlet. Derek Jacobi
plays the role of King Claudius, Julie Christie is
Queen Gertrude, Kate Winslet stars as Ophelia,
Michael Maloney as Laertes, Richard Briers as
Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. The
dialogue is unchanged, but the play's setting is
updated to the 19th century, giving the film a
unique interpretation. 'Hamlet' holds the dis
tinction of being the last major dramatic film
to be filmed entirely in 70 mm film.
Picture 07: Poster of Kenneth Branagh's
Hamlet (1996)
Source: http://bardfilm.blogspot.com/2010/08/
kenneth-branaghs-hamlet-on-blu-ray.html

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Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Activities
After reading the play and watching the film, answer these questions based on Hamlet,
prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare.

a. What are the main reasons for the introduction of Fortinbras and the captain in Act 4,
Scene 4?
b. In what moment a play within a play is presented? What is its importance for the dramatic
action?
c. How do you explain Hamlet's actions towards Ophelia in Act III, Scene 1. Can you find evi
dence that he really loves her?
d. Ophelia is torn between two contradictory poles. Her father and brother believe that
Hamlet would use her, that he would take her virginity and throw it away because she
could never be his wife. Her heart has convinced her that Hamlet loved her, though he
swears he never did. To her father and brother, Ophelia is the eternal virgin, the vessel of
morality whose purpose is to be a dutiful wife and steadfast mother. To Hamlet, she is a
sexual object, a corrupt and deceitful lover. With no mother to guide her, she has no way
of deciphering the contradictory selves her men demand that she be and still retain an
equilibrium. In modern society, young women like Ophelia often become depressed or
anorexic as a result of the conflicting demands; Ophelia's desperation literally drives her Picture 08: Calvin and
crazy, and she has no means with which to heal herself. Are Ophelia's conflicts still pres Hobbes
ent in modern times? Explain. Source: WATTERSON, Bill.
The Indispensible Calvin
e. In what ways can Hamlet be considered a revenge tragedy? and Hobbes. Andrew Mc-
f. Read the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson and identify how the 'to be or not Meel Publisher, Missouri,
to be' soliloquy is parodied. 1992

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19
UAB/Uriimontes - 7o Perodo

Referncias
ARP, Thomas R. JOHNSON, Greg. Perrine's Story and Structure. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning, 2005.

BERKLEY, James. The Literature of England. New York: Random House, 1969.

DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre (Cambridge Introduc
tions to Literature) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

EMMERSON, Richard. Approaches to Teaching Medieval English Drama. New York: The Mo
dern Association of America, 1990.

FEINGOLD, Michael. William Shakespeare's Hamlet. New York: Baron Educational Series, 1986.

KENNEDY, X.J., GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. Lon
don: Longman, 2002.

MATEGRANO, Terry. Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2000.

McDonnell, Helen., NAKADATE, Neil E PFORDRESSHER, John., SHOEMATE, Thomas E England


in Literature. Oakland, NJ: Foresman and Company, 1979.

SHAKESPEARE, William. Hamlet, prince of Denmark, London: Penguin Classics, 2004.

WOMACK, Peter Womack. English Renaissance Drama (Blackwell Guides to Literature) Oxford:
Blackwell Publishers, 2006.

20
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

UNIT 2
Importance of being drama
Little has been said about British Drama since the period of greatness following the
Restoration. The reason, quite simply, is that there was none or almost none. The nineteenth
century produced some "closet dramas" by Shelley, Tennyson, and Browning but little else.
(A closet drama is one that is meant to be read privately or recited before a small group, not
to be staged). One of the reasons for this scarcity was that the two theatres, Convent Garden
and Drury Lane, held a government monopoly for many decades; no other theatres could
exhibit plays. Unfortunately these two theatres were huge, barnlike auditoriums where any
subtle words on the part of the author or gestures on the part of the actors were completely
lost. Audiences were largely the emerging middle classes, not too well educated, and with little TIP_
developed taste for subtleties of language and situation. To stay in business theatre managers Theatre of the Ab
had to resort to loud and colorful spectaculars to keep the people awake and coming back for surd came about as a
more. reaction to World War
Toward the end of the nineteenth century things began to improve. The government II. It took the basis of
existential philosophy
had broken up the monopoly, and many new and smaller theatres opened. Oscar Wilde's and combined it with
clever ironies and broad burlesques were a sign of new life for the theatre. In Ireland a group dramatic elements to
of talented young men at the famous Abbey theatre caused what amounted to an Irish literary create a style of theatre
revival. Yeat's plays have been mentioned elsewhere; Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, Frank which presented a
O'Connor and Sean O'Casey were exploring such diverse literary themes as fate, Irish politics, world which cannot
be logically explained,
mythology, whimsical humor, and social satire. hence, life absurd.
But towering above the lesser dramatist of this turn-of-the-century era was the strong- This genre of theatre
minded, cantankerous genius named George Bernard Shaw. Shaw was influenced by Norwegian took quite some time
playwright Henrik Ibsen, who was largely responsible for the new life flowing into the theatre to catch on because
throughout Europe at this time. From Ibsen, and from his own long apprenticeship as drama it used techniques
that seemed to be
critic, Shaw learned that a play could be the vehicle of ideas. Shaw's satires are incisive analyses illogical to the theatre
of society. He skillfully manipulated audiences, moving them to rage or to laughter at his world. The plots often
portrayals of their own foibles. Shaw proved that the theatre could once again be an exciting deviated from the more
experience. traditional episodic
Other dramatist followed Shaw, but it is hard to discern any real"movement" such as we find structure and seemed
to move in a circle end
in the age of Elizabethan Drama. W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood collaborated on highly ing the same way it be
skilled verse drama, but did not produce much. Oscar Wilde had extensive production of plays gan. The scenery was
although his novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'ended up being more celebrated than his drama. often unrecognizable
Drama takes a drastic turn when Samuel Beckett releases his 'Waiting for Godot' in 1953. as well as the dialogues
This play began Beckett's association with the Theatre of the Absurd which influenced later which never seemed to
make any sense.
playwrights like Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard. The most famous of Beckett's subsequent Source: KENNEDY, X.J.,
plays include 'Endgame' (1958) and 'Krapp's Last Tape' (1959). He also wrote several even more GIOIA, Dana, Literature:
experimental plays, like 'Breath' (1969), a thirty-second play. Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize an introduction to fic
in 1969 and died in 1989 in Paris. tion, poetry, and drama.
Late twentieth-century and twenty-first century drama tendencies involve other media such London: Longman,
2002.
as television and cinema.

2.1 Language and Irony in Oscar


Wilde s plays
Oscar Wilde was considered an eccentric artist, he was the leader of the aesthetic move
ment that advocated "art for art's sake" and was once imprisoned for two years with hard labor
for homosexual practices/The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895) subtitled, "A Trivial Comedy
for Serious People," is often considered Wilde's masterpiece. Based on a misunderstanding over
the name "Ernest," it is an attack on earnestness.
UAB/Uriimontes - 7o Perodo

Although his most acclaimed and important work is the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray'
(1886), Wilde gained substantial notoriety as a playwright. Wilde had a peculiar way with audi
ence. It is important in considering his early comedies to remember the character of the audi
ence with which he had to contend. Arthur Randsome explains us that:

his public asked to feel as well as to smile, a public that had grown accustomed
to smile with tears in its eyes, a public that was best pleased to laugh loudly
and to sob into handkerchiefs, and judged a play by the loudness of the laughs
and the number of the handkerchiefs that it made necessary.

Randsome also reminds us that he had not a "restoration audience of men and women with
sharpened wits and a delight in their exercise, ready to smile and quite unready to take anything
seriously except amusement", but a rather duller public.
The spectacular effects of the theatre, the possibilities of delightful dialogue, the public glo
ry of which he was always rather greedy drew Wilde to the writing of plays. But beside these less
intimate motives he had a genuine dramatic instinct that kept him from his early youth intermit
tently preparing himself as a playwright.
The first thing he wrote after the publication of 'Poems' (1880) was a play. The character of
Wilde's study of the theatre was shown in his early plays and in the dramatic criticism that he
wrote in the years immediately following his marriage. It was a study of methods and concerned
no less with stage-management than with the drama. Thanks to Wilde and his constant pleas
for beautiful scenery, that modern drama has a considerable harmony between costumier and
scene-painter.
'The Importance of Being Earnest' shows great innovation, especially when it comes to wit.
Wilde wrote a play whose very foundation was a pun. Nothing could be a better proof of the
inessential nature of those tricks with which he had been making sure of his audience than the
immense superiority of this play to the others. Free from the necessity of living up to any drama
more serious than its conversation, it preserves a unity of feeling and of tone that sets it upon a
higher level. Wit is a little heartless, a little jarring when flashed over a crisis of conscience even
when we know that the agitated politician is only a figure cut from an illustrated paper and
TIP mounted on cardboard.
Part of 'The Importance of Being Earnest's' success comes from Wilde's insightful epigrams.
An epigram is a bal
Though some of the concise, often paradoxical statements refer to contemporary events (the
anced statement
encapsulating a clever state of 19th-century French drama, for instance), most are universal, reflections on beauty, art,
or comic thought. It men, women, and class; they are endlessly quotable and continue to delight audiences with their
involves reducing a blend of sophistication and absurdity.
moral system or a social One feature of epigrams which ensures their durability is that they can be separated from
attitude to a neatly
the play's narrative. Epigrams have little effect on the story because they encapsulate many of
turned phrase. The wit,
in the eighteenth-cen Wilde's beliefs on how art should function: above all, art should be beautiful and serve little use.
tury sense of a creative, The epigram is the epitome of this ideal; beautiful in its elegant construction and it is also dra
cultivating intelligence, matically useless to the play.
is conspicuous. There 'The Importance of Being Earnest', the most trivial of the social plays, should be the only one
are many examples of
epigram in 'The Impor
of them that gives that peculiar exhilaration of spirit by which we recognize the beautiful. It is
tance of Being Earnest': precisely because it is consistently trivial that it is not ugly. If only once it marred its triviality with
a bruise of passion, its beauty would vanish with the blow.
ALGERON. More than Arthur Randsome (2001) points out that it:
half of modern culture
depends upon what never contradicts itself, and it is worth noticing that its unity, its dovetailing of
one shouldn't read. dialogue and plot, so that the one helps the other, is not achieved at the ex
LADY BRACKNELL. pense of the conversation, but at that of the mechanical contrivances for filling
Ignorance is like a a theatre that Wilde had not at first felt sure of being able to do without. The
delicate exotic fruit; dialogue has not been weighted to trudge with the plot; the plot has been li
touch it and the bloom ghtened till it can fly with the wings of the dialogue.
is gone.
GWENDOLEN. In the
matters of grave impor We can see that wit is the comical vein of this play but at the same time It is not easy to de
tance, style, not sincer fine the quality of that laughter. "It is not uproarious enough to provide the sore throat of farce," (
ity is the vital thing. RANDSOME, 2001:25).

22
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Professor Glenda Leeming (2010) makes an interesting remark:

The Importance of Being Earnest' is to solid comedy what filigree is to a


silver bowl. We are relieved of our corporeal envelopes, and share with Wilde
the pleasure of sporting in the fourth dimension. Nothing better illustrates
Wilde's extraordinary versatility than his almost simultaneous business as two
entirely different dramatists. The one wrote the plays we have been discussing,
the other, plays so different from these in character that it is hard to believe
that they are the work of the same man. These other plays have been called
"romantic," a word that hardly distinguishes them from the "romantic" comedy
of 'The Importance of Being Earnest.'

Leeming also observes that Wilde delighted in laughter but also in a quality in emotion al
most hostile to laughter, a quality that can best be described as magnificence. In his prose books
both are expressed; if his dramatic writing had been limited to the four plays that brought him
success, it would have seemed that the Wilde who wrote 'The Sphinx' had not been represented
on the stage. It is possible that we owe 'The Importance of Being Earnest' to the fact that the Cen
sor prevented Sarah Bernhardt from playing 'Salome' at the Palace Theatre.
We can say that Wilde had the secret of a wonderful laugh
ter, but he preferred to think of himself as a person with mag
nificent dreams. He would rather have been a magician than a
jester. The well-dressed modern plays starved too many of his
intimate desires. He was unable to clothe magnificent emotions
in evening dress. But applause was necessary to him. He made
sure of it by the modern plays, and had not a chance of secur
ing it by anything else. And so there are four social comedies,
amongst them 'The Importance of Being Earnest', and only one
'Salome'.

Dica de filme
Picture 09: OSCAR
WILDE 1854-1900
Source: MCDONNELL,
TIP Helen., NAKADATE, Neil
Two Thumbs Ur!" E., PFORDRESSHER, John.,
A modern film version of the play was released in SHOEMATE, Thomas E
Witty!'~tSmart!' 2002.lt tries to preserve Wilde's wit, helped by an expres England in Literature.
sive cast that includes Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Reese Oakland, NJ: Foresman and
"Coun FlKTH Is A DlllGHT AND Company, 1979.
Rttsi Witihr,'iwnapds SM*ur Witherspoon and Judi Dench. The film can give the read
er an idea of Wilde's impact on stage, but cannot really
transport him to the vividness of stage. If possible, wait
for Theatre Company to present it!
4 Picture 10: Poster of the film The Importance of Being
Earnst (2002)
Source: KENNEDY, X.J., GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an introduction to
fiction, poetry, and drama. London: Longman, 2002.
IMPORTANCE*:

mwn
EARNEST
Mh 0 COmOt IIHH'OX -MM "M

23
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Activities
a. How can wit and irony relate to each other? What is the impact of these resources in
Wilde's plays?
b. Choose some epigrams elaborated by Wilde and analyze their ironic features.

Referncias
ARP, Thomas R. JOHNSON, Greg. Perrine's Story and Structure. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning,
2005.

DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre (Cambridge Introductions to Li
terature) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

KENNEDY, X.J., GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. London: Long
man, 2002.

LEEMING, Glena. Commentary: The Importance of Being Earnest. London, Methuen 2010..

RANDSOME, Arthur. Critical Oscar Wilde, London, Prentice Hall, 2001.

McDonnell, Helen., NAKADATE, Neil E., PFORDRESSHER, John., SHOEMATE, Thomas E., England in Litera
ture. Oakland, NJ: Foresman and Company, 1979.

24
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

UNIT 3
Modern drama
Changes in British society affected and were reflected in the theatre of the times. Play
wrights reacted to the social circles, governmental constructs and economic conditions around
them, using the essential elements of theatre characterization, set, dialogue to exaggerate,
parody, manipulate, or deconstruct them.
In modern London, plays matter. They are part of the cultural dialogue of the nation. They
are important for Britain's idea of itself and for its self-presentation to the world. They have been
exported with great success to America and the rest of the English-speaking world. We will see
important authors that vividly participated in these changes.

3.1 Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw


Shaw took his title from the ancient Greek legend of the famous sculptor named Pygmalion
who could find nothing good in women, and, as a result, he resolved to live out his life unmar
ried. However, he carved a statue out of ivory that was so beautiful and so perfect that he fell
in love with his own creation. Indeed, the statue was so perfect that no living being could pos
sibly be its equal. Consequently, at a festival, he prayed to the goddess of love Aphrodite that he
might have the statue come to life. When he reached home, to his amazement, he found that his
wish had been fulfilled, and he proceeded to marry the statue, which he named Galatea.
Even though Shaw used several aspects of the legend, most prominently one of the names
in the title, viewers, writers, critics, and audiences have consistently insisted upon there being
some truth attached to every analogy in the myth. First of all, in Shaw's 'Pygmalion', Professor
Henry Higgins is the most renowned man of phonetics of his time; Higgins is also like Pygmalion
in his view of women cynical and derogatory: Higgins says, "I find that the moment I let
a woman make friends with me, she becomes jealous, exacting, suspicious, and a damned
nuisance." And whereas in the myth, Pygmalion carved something beautiful out of raw stone and
gave it life, Shaw's Higgins takes a "guttersnipe," a "squashed cabbage leaf" up out of the slums
and makes her into an exquisite work of art. Here, however, the analogies end. Shaw's "Galatea,"
Eliza, develops a soul of her own and a fierce independence from her creator.
In the popular film version and in the even more popular musical comedy version ('My Fair
Lady'), the ending allows the audience to see a romantic love interest that blends in with the an
cient myth. This, however, is a sentimentalized version of Shaw's play. Shaw provided no such
tender affection to blossom between professor and pupil.
Shaw's play is in five acts summarized in this manner:

ACT ONE

Heavy rain drenches Mrs. Eynsford-Hill and her two adult children, Freddy and Clara, as they
wait hopelessly for a cab. The Eynsford-Hills and other patrons have just exited the theatre after
a late night show. As Freddie leaves to continue looking, he runs into flower girl Eliza Doolittle.
Dressed in dirty rags, Eliza is not shy about voicing her displeasure, and in her loud cockney ac
cent, demands payment for her ruined flowers. She is overheard by a gentleman note-taker, who
correctly identifies Eliza's neighborhood simply by listening to her speech. He does the same for
various bystanders and amazes all, including linguistics expert Colonel Pickering, who has coin-
cidently traveled to London to meet the famous note taker, phonetics extraordinaire Henry Hig
gins. Professor Higgins admonishes Eliza for her "kerbstone" English, and jokingly asserts to Colo
nel Pickering that "in three months (he) could pass that girl off as a duchess at an ambassador's
garden party." Pickering and Higgins leave to discuss phonetics over dinner, and Freddy arrives
with a cab only to discover his mother and sister have gone home on the bus. Eliza, still reeling
from Higgins's insults, decides to treat herself to Freddy's cab with the money Higgins threw into
her flower basket. Eliza arrives at her small and sparse rental room, counts her money, and goes
UAB/Uriimontes - 7o Perodo

ACT TWO

The next day, Professor Higgins is demonstrating his phonetics equipment to Colonel Pick
ering as both men relax at Higgins' Wimpole Street laboratory. Mrs. Pearce, Higgins' housekeeper,
announces the arrival of a young woman. Thinking he can show Pickering how he makes records
of his subjects' voices, Higgins asks Mrs. Pearce to admit the visitor. Cleaned up yet still obviously
poor, Eliza enters the study. Higgins tells her to leave, but Eliza insists she is there to pay for voice
lessons so she can be a lady in a flower shop instead of a street corner flower girl. Mrs. Pearce
admonishes Eliza for her ignorance and poor manners, but Higgins begins to consider Eliza's pro
posal. Remembering Higgins's boast, Pickering offers to pay for the lessons and all expenses if
Higgins can fool the party-goers at the ambassador's garden party and present Eliza as a lady.
Higgins agrees excitedly and orders Mrs. Pearce to get Eliza cleaned up. Eliza balks at this new
development, and Mrs. Pearce warns Higgins that he knows nothing about Eliza's family, nor has
he thought about what to do with Eliza when the experiment is complete. Higgins is assured he
is doing Eliza a favor, and with a mixture of chocolates and harsh scoldings, he talks her into stay
ing. Mrs. Pearce shows Eliza to a lovely bedroom and bath, and scrubs her roughly despite Eliza's
protests.
Meanwhile, Higgins assures Pickering he has only a professional, not a personal interest in
Eliza, as he believes that romantic relationships are too troublesome. Mrs. Pearce warns Profes
sor Higgins that he must watch his language and manners now if he wishes to serve as a prop
er model for Eliza. Another visitor soon arrives, this time Eliza's alcoholic and spendthrift father,
Alfred Doolittle. At first pretending to protect Eliza's honor, Doolittle quickly admits he wishes
cash in exchange for silence over Eliza's living situation. Professor Higgins calls Alfred's bluff, but
is then impressed by Doolittle's tirade against middle class morality. Sensing a kindred, though
shameless spirit, Higgins asserts he and Pickering could turn Doolittle into a politician in three
month's time. After a brief encounter with Eliza, whom he does not recognize, Doolittle leaves.
The act closes with a sample of the phonetics lessons the sobbing Eliza endures for the next sev
eral months.

ACT THREE

The act opens several months later inside Mrs. Higgins's drawing room as she expects visi
tors. Her house is tastefully decorated and quite the opposite of her son's crowded quarters.
When Higgins arrives without notice, his mother is dismayed and asks him to leave before em
barrassing her in front of the impending visitors. Higgins tells his mother about his experiment
with Eliza, informing Mrs. Higgins that Eliza will be trying out her new skills in front of his moth
er's guests. Next to arrive are Mrs. And Miss Eynsford-Hill, Colonel Pickering, and Freddy. Profes
sor Higgins embarrasses his mother by belittling small talk, the very purpose of at-home days
such as this one. When Eliza arrives, her audience is impressed. She is exquisitely dressed and
appears quite well-bred. Freddy is particularly taken with her.The talk of weather turns to illness,
and Eliza forgets her training when she says her aunt was "done in.'lapsing totally into her cock
ney brogue, Eliza astounds her audience. When Higgins attempts to salvage the situation by tell
ing them Eliza's language is the "new small talk," the Eynsford-Hills are even further impressed.
Higgins signals Eliza it is time she leaves, and Clara Eynsford-Hill attempts the "new small talk"
herself, admonishing "this early Victorian prudery." Mrs. Higgins tells her son Eliza is not yet pre
sentable, for although her appearance is impeccable, her language still gives her away. Professor
Higgins and Colonel Pickering respond by singing Eliza's praises, boasting about her quick acqui
sition of dialect and her natural talent on the piano. Echoing Mrs. Pearce's earlier warning, Mrs.
Higgins is concerned about what will become of Eliza when the men are finished "playing with
(their) live doll."With the six-month deadline approaching, Eliza is presented at a London Embas
sy. Professor Higgins is surprised to see one of his former pupils, a man who now makes his living
as an interpreter and an expert placing any speaker in Europe by listening to his speech. The in
terpreter speaks to Eliza, and deems her English too perfect for an English woman. The interpret
er is further struck by her impeccable manners and announces Eliza must be a foreign princess.
Pickering, Higgins, and Eliza leave, Eliza exhausted and the men exhilarated by winning their bet.

26
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

ACT FOUR

The trio returns to Higgins's laboratory, the men still bragging about their experiment. When
Higgins asserts, "Thank God it's over," Eliza is hurt. Hurling his slippers directly at Higgins, Eliza
accuses him of selfishness and bemoans what is to become of her now that the bet is over. Hig
gins suggests finding a husband for Eliza, and she is further insulted. Storming out of the house,
Eliza encounters Freddy, who has been pacing, lovelorn, outside her window. Freddy expresses
his love, and he and Eliza get into a taxi to make plans.

ACT FIVE

The next morning, Mrs. Higgins is seated at her drawing-room writing table when Higgins
and Pickering arrive to report Eliza's disappearance. Reproaching the men for their treatment of
Eliza, Mrs. Higgins is interrupted by the arrival of Eliza's father. Alfred Doolittle is dressed like a
gentleman and is on his way to his own wedding. Blaming Professor Higgins for his newly found
riches, Alfred explains how Higgins' letter to the recently deceased Ezra D. Wannafeller led to
Doolittle's share in the wealthy man's trust with the provision that Alfred lecture for the Moral
Reform World League. Doolittle laments the fact that he has to "live for others and not for (him)
self: that's middle class morality." When Mrs. Higgins announces that Eliza is upstairs, Higgins de
mands to see the girl. Eliza thanks Colonel Pickering for treating her like a lady, but accuses Pro
fessor Higgins of always thinking of her as a flower girl. Asserting her need for self respect, Eliza
says she will not be returning home to Higgins. As the party leaves to go to Alfred's wedding,
Pickering and Higgins both ask Eliza to reconsider. Higgins admits that he has not treated Eliza
kindly, but reminds her that he treats all people exactly the same. Admitting that he has "grown
accustomed" to her, Higgins tells Eliza that he wants her to return, not as a slave ora romantic in
terest, but as a friend. When Eliza asserts that she has always been as good as Higgins despite her
upbringing, the professor is truly impressed. Though the play ends ambiguously, with the pos
sibility of Eliza marrying Freddy, she and Higgins have admitted their non-conventional need for
each other, and Eliza has won Professor Higgins's respect.

TIP_
'Pygmalion' was adapt
ed toa musical called
'My Fair Lady' with
book and lyrics by Alan
Jay Lerner and music
by Frederick Loewe.The
musical's 1956 Broad
way production was a
success, setting what
was then the record for
the longest run of any
major musical theatre
production in history.
it was followed by an
acclaimed London
production. But what
really confirmed Shaw's
popularity was the mo
tion picture adaptation
from 1964, directed by
George Cukor and star
ring Audrey Flepburn.

Picture 11: My Fair Lady


movie poster.
Source: http://gmdourado.
blogspot.com/2010/04/minha-
-critica-my-fair-lady.html

27
UAB/Uriimontes - 7o Perodo

Box 2
PYGMALION AND THE STATUE from: Metamorphosis book X by: Ovid (43 BC- 7 7 AD?)

P YGMALION loathing their lascivious Life,


Abhorred all Womankind, but most a Wife:
So single chose to live, and shunned to wed,
Well pleased to want a Consort of his Bed.
Yet fearing Idleness, the Nurse of III,
In Sculpture exercised his happy Skill;
And carved in Ivory such a Maid, so fair,
As Nature could not with his Art compare,
Were she to work; but in her own Defence,
Must take her Pattern here, and copy hence.
Pleased with his Idol, he commends, admires,
Adores; and last, the Thing adored, desires.
A very Virgin in her Face was seen,
And she had moved, a living Maid had been:
One would have thought she could have stirred; but strove
With Modesty, and was ashamed to move.
Art hid with Art, so well performed the Cheat,
It caught the Carver with his own Deceit:
He knows 'tis Madness, yet he must adore,
And still the more he knows it, loves the more:
The Flesh, or what so seems, he touches oft,
Which feels so smooth, that he believes it soft.
Fired with his Thought, at once he strained the Breast,
And on the Lips a burning Kiss impressed.
'Tis true, the hardened Breast resists the Gripe,
And the cold Lips return a Kiss unripe:
But when, retiring back, he looked again,
To think it Ivory, was a thought too mean:
So would believe she kissed, and courting more,
Again embraced her naked Body o'er;
And straining hard the Statue, was afraid
His Hands had made a Dint, and hurt his Maid:
Explored her, Limb by Limb, and feared to find
So rude a Gripe had left a livid Mark behind
With Flatt'ry now he seeks her Mind to move,
And now with Gifts (the powerful bribe of Love):
He furnishes her Closet first; and fills
The crowded Shelves with Rarities of Shells;
Adds Orient Pearls, which from the Conches he drew,
And all the sparkling Stones of various Hue:
And Parrots, imitating Human Tongue,
And singing-birds in Silver Cages hung;
And ev'ry fragrant Flower, and odorous Green,
Were sorted well, with Lumps of Amber laid between:
Rich, fashionable Robes her person Deck:
Pendants her Ears, and Pearls adorn her neck:
Her tapered Fingers too With Rings are graced,
And an embroidered Zone surrounds her slender Waist.
Thus like a Queen arrayed, so richly dressed,
Beauteous she shewed, but naked shewed the best.
Then, from the Floor, he raised a Royal Bed,
With Cov'rings of Sydonian Purple spread:
The Solemn Rites performed, he calls her Bride,
With Blandishments invites her to his Side,
And as she were with Vital Sense possessed,
Her Head did on a plumy Pillow rest.

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Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

The Feast of Venus came, a Solemn Day,


To which the Cypriots due Devotion pay;
With gilded Horns the milk-white Heifers led,
Slaughtered before the sacred Altars, bled:
Pygmalion offering, first approached the Shrine,
And then with Pray'rs implored the Powers Divine:
Almighty Gods, if all we Mortals want,
If all we can require, be yours to grant;
Make this fair Statue mine, he would have said,
But changed his Words for shame; and only prayed,
Give me the likeness of my Ivory Maid.
The Golden Goddess, present at the Prayer,
Well knew he meant th'inanimated Fair,
And gave the Sign of granting his Desire;
For thrice in cheerful Flames ascends the Fire.
The Youth, returning to his Mistress, hies,
And, impudent in Hope, with ardent Eyes,
And beating Breast, by the dear Statue lies.
He kisses her white Lips, renews the Bliss,
And looks and thinks they redden at the Kiss:
He thought them warm before: Nor longer stays,
But next his Hand on her hard Bosom lays:
Hard as it was, beginning to relent,
It seemed, the Breast beneath his Fingers bent;
He felt again, his Fingers made a Print,
'Twas Flesh, but Flesh so firm, it rose against the Dint:
The pleasing Task he fails not to renew;
Soft, and more soft at every Touch it grew;
Like pliant Wax, when chafing Hands reduce
The former Mass to Form, and frame for Use
He would believe, but yet is still in pain,
And tries his Argument of Sense again,
Presses the Pulse, and feels the leaping Vein.
Convinced, o'erjoyed, his studied Thanks and Praise,
To her who made the Miracle, he pays:
Then Lips to Lips he joined; now freed from Fear,
He found the Savour of the Kiss sincere:
At this the wakened image opened her Eyes,
And viewed at once the Light and Lover, with surprise.
The Goddess present at the Match she made,
So blessed the Bed, such Fruitfulness conveyed,
That e'er ten Moons had sharpened either Horn,
To crown their Bliss, a lovely Boy was born;
Paphos his Name, who, grown to manhood, walled
The City Paphos, from the Founder called.

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY John Dryden

29
UAB/Unimontes -7o Perodo

Picture 12: Pygmalion


and Galatea (1890) by
Jean-Lon Grme
Source: KENNEDY, X.J.,
GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an
introduction to fiction, po
etry, and drama. London:
Longman, 2002.

_ TIP
SHAVIAN DRAMA Beyond its fairy tale aspects/Pygmalion' is a social commentary on the systems of education
and class in Victorian England. And most interesting to Shaw himself is the drama's treatment of
Shavian (referring to language, its power, and the preconceptions attached to it by society.
Shaw) drama is the
type of politically
and socially charged
"discussion play" made
popular by George
Bernard Shaw and his
contemporary, Oscar
Wilde. Shavian theatre
is in direct contrast
to the simplistic fare Picture 13: GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950)
deplored by Shaw and Source: McDONNELL, Helen., NAKADATE, Neil E PFORDRESSHER,
typically found on the John., SHOEMATE, Thomas E., England in Literature. Oakland, NJ:
Victorian stage. Foresman and Company, 1979.

3.2 Waiting for Godot by Samuel


Beckett
Samuel Beckett is probably the most well known of the absurdist playwrights because of his
work 'Waiting for Godot'. Beckett's plays seem to focus on the themes of the uselessness of hu
man action, and the failure of the human race to communicate. He was born on April 13, 1906,
which was both Friday the 13th and Good Friday. He came from an upper-middle-class Irish fam
ily, and excelled in both school and the sport of cricket. He attended the University of Dublin
Ireland where he received his M.A. in modern languages. He then taught for a short time, ex
plored parts of Europe and eventually settled in Paris. It was in Paris that he met writer James
Joyce. It was this literary exposure that encouraged Beckett to seek publication. In the 1930's
and 40's Beckett published many writings in the form of essays, short stories, poetry, and nov
els, but very few people noticed his work. His postwar era fame only came about in the 1950's
when he published three novels and his famous play, 'Waiting for Godot'. 'Waiting for Godot' is
probably the most famous absurd play to date. The characters of the play are absurd caricatures
who have problems communicating with one another, and the language they use is often times
ludicrous. And, following the cyclical pattern, the play seems to end in the same state it began
in, with nothing really changed.

30
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Waiting for Godot is about two men, Vladimir and Estragon, who meet near a tree. They talk
about various topics and reveal that they are waiting there for a man named Godot. While they
wait, two other men enter. Pozzo is on his way to the market to sell his slave, Lucky. He pauses for a
while to speak to Vladimir and Estragon. Lucky entertains them by dancing and thinking, and Pozzo
and Lucky leave. After Pozzo and Lucky leave, a boy enters and tells Vladimir that he is a messenger
from Godot. He tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming tonight, instead he will surely come
tomorrow. Vladimir asks him some questions about Godot and the boy departs. After his departure,
Vladimir and Estragon decide to leave, but they do not move as the curtain falls.
The next night, Vladimir and Estragon again meet near
the tree to wait for Godot. Lucky and Pozzo enter again,
but this time Pozzo is blind and Lucky is dumb. Pozzo does
not remember meeting the two men the night before. They
leave and Vladimir and Estragon continue to wait.
Shortly after, the boy enters and once again tells Vladi
mir that Godot will not be coming. He insists that he did not
speak to Vladimir yesterday. After he leaves, Estragon and
Vladimir decide to leave, but again they do not move as the
curtain falls, ending the play.

Picture 14: SAMUEL BECKETT (1906-1989)


Source: McDONNELL, Helen., NAKADATE, Neil E., PFORDRESSHER,
John., SHOEMATE, Thomas E., England in Literature. Oakland, NJ: Fores-
man and Company, 1979.

CHART 3
Literary Events in England in the 20th century
Literature author year

Ulisses James Joyce 1922

Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf 1925

The Wasteland T.S.Eliot 1922

Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw 1912

The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde 1891

1984 George Orwell 1949

Waiting for Godot Samuel Beckett 1953

Source: KENNEDY, X.J., GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. London: Longman, 2002.

Beckett is considered one of the most influential playwrights. Until today his work is vigor
ous and innovative.

3.3 Closer by Patrick Marber


Five major characteristics seem to describe contemporary drama and the theatre produc
tion in the beginning of the twenty first century:
short dialogues with emphatic breaks;
shifting of development in action;
frequent pauses and variety of scenario;
narrow scope of characters, concentrating in their psychological traits .

31
UAB/Unimontes - 7o Perodo

Patrick Marber's 'Closer' (1997) seems to fit all these traits. Having received relevant reviews
in the mtier, the young playwright from Oxford enjoys the status of one of the most prominent
artists in his field. His most acclaimed play invests deeply in human relations and his somewhat
fragmented style reflects the nuances of society today. With sharp dialogues, the time shifting in
the play shows an intricate love relation of the characters.
Only four characters appear in 'Closer', two women and two men. Alice is a young lost soul,
a self-described waif who works as a stripper. Dan writes obituaries. Anna is a photographer. Lar
ry is a dermatologist. 'Closer' follows their relationships over an extended period, leaping ahead
months and even years in almost each of the twelve scenes to the next decisive meeting or con
frontation.
The play opens in a hospital waiting room. Alice was hit by a car, though not badly hurt,
and Dan has brought her here. They talk. The dialogue is sharp and witty. Alice is wary and cyni
cal, but also incredibly vulnerable, Marber conveys it all in these first few pages. Her desperation
shimmers through, even as she tests Dan. Disarmingly she reveals herself, careful not to play as
easily with words as Dan might:

DAN. What do you want?


ALICE. To be loved.
DAN. That simple?
ALICE. It's a big want.

She decides on Dan, decides to love him and there's no question that she can't seduce him
into at least giving her the semblance of what she wants. But, as she said, it's a big want. The sec
ond scene jumps already more than a year ahead. Dan has written a book, which is about to be
published; it is, essentially, Alice's book, as he has taken her and made a book of her. Of course,
he doesn't get it right; as Alice later explains:

LARRY. It's about you, isn't it?


ALICE. Some of me.
LARRY. Oh? What did he leave out?
ALICE. The truth.

The next scene opens with another expropriation, Dan being photographed by Anna, pub
licity shots. He sees himself on the verge of being the person he had dreamed of becoming, an
author with all the trappings. He also sees Anna, an attractive and adult woman, separated from
her husband, with her own career: a far cry, it would seem, from the needy Alice. He like what he
sees. Anna has read the manuscript, and quotes from it, and Dan's response makes pretty clear in
what direction he's moving:

ANNA. "She has one address in her address book; ours ... under'H'for home."
DAN. I've cut that line.
ANNA. Why?
DAN. Too sentimental.

Dan doesn't leave Alice, but he longs for Anna.


A cyberspace-chat then brings the fourth character into the picture Anna's husband, Larry.
He goes to the "London Fuck"chatroom and gets into a conversation with Dan who, however, is
posing as Anna. He even convinces Larry to meet him/her. Larry winds up meeting the real Anna,
and wouldn't you know it? They fall for each other. The story continues to jump ahead, Dan and
Larry vying for Anna, with Alice a pawn and consolation prize. Alice knew where to find happi
ness, but Dan couldn't play along; he and the others remain unable to commit themselves to (or
be satisfied with) what they have. They dance back and forth, and the play shoes a sophisticated
twist in drama action and the complexity of human condition. Except for Alice, they are all weak,
giving into temptation, to easy pleasure, to the promise of success without ever finding much
fulfillment. Alice remains needy, but at least she knows exactly what she wants. She ends up be
ing the most interesting and complete character.
'Closer' is, in part, a searing drama. The dialogue is very good, and there are scenes that play
exceptionally well. The time-span is a great one, the events play out over years and the back
and forth tends to confuse the audience. Some of what Marber does an efficient modern drama
where human behavior is the main essence and the only obstacle, making every confusingly fun
ny and complex.
32
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

TIP
Marber grew up in a
middle-class Jewish
family in Wimbledon,
near the tennis club.
After graduating from
Oxford in 1986, he tried
for several years to be
a stand-up comic, but
he wasn't especially
funny. "I was a very
dark version of Pee-
wee Herman," he says.
"My routine was a bit
absurd. It was stupid."
He moved on to writ
ing for television and
radio, and in 1995, the
Picture 15: PATRICK Royal National Theatre
MARBER (1964- ) produced 'Dealer's
Choice'. It was a great
Source: http://uktv.co.uk/ success projecting the
dave/article/aid/639794/
page/20
dramatist.

Source: MARBER,
Patrick. 'Closer'. London:
Methuen Drama, 2007.

PATRICK MARBER (1964- )

Dica de filme
JUUA NOBBUS TIP
MX LAV For further information, watch 'Closer'
HUTAUE PCKTMW (2004). The film's screenplay was written by Mar
OMCWN
ber himself based on his award-winning 1997
play of the same name. It was produced and di
rected by Mike Nichols. A good example of how
Modern Drama dialogues with other media.

If TOU ftdWvt low 1 !n\ rou l*WT Slop tockrf

Picture 16: 'Closer' movie poster.


4 Source:http://www.cranik.com/critica_doser.html

33
UAB/Unimontes - 7o Perodo

Activities
c. Can we say that'Pygmalion'is a parody of the original Greek myth? Explain.
d. What are the characteristics of the Theatre of the Absurd?
e. Why is 'Waiting for Godot' considered absurd?
f. In what ways Beckett's drama is similar to Shakespeare?
g. What seems to be the features of the drama of late 20th early 21s' century?
h. Why is Marber considered a good example of contemporary drama?
i. Discuss about the relation between theatre and the other media of the modern ages.

Referncias
ARP, Thomas R. JOHNSON, Greg. Perrine's Story and Structure. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning,
2005.

BECKETT, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. London: Grove Press, 2001.

BERKLEY, James. The Literature of England. New York: Random House, 1969.

DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre (Cambridge Introductions to Li
terature) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

KENNEDY, X.J., GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. London: Long
man, 2002.

LEEMING, Glena. Commentary: The Importance of Being Earnest. London, Methuen Drama 2010.

MARBER, Patrick. Closer. London: Methuen Drama, 2007.

RANDSOME, Arthur. Critical Oscar Wilde, London, Prentice Hall, 2001.

McDonnell, Helen., NAKADATE, Neil E PFORDRESSHER, John., SHOEMATE, Thomas E England


in Literature. Oakland, NJ: Foresman and Company, 1979.

SHAW, George Bernard. Pygmalion. London: Penguin Classics, 2006.

34
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Resumo
1st chapter

In this unit you studied about the origins of English Drama and its major aspects. The main
point was to see how the Renaissance influenced British culture and the importance of Elizabe
than Drama in England. A closer look into William Shakespeare's Hamlet gives an idea of the im
pact the play had in Western society.

2nd chapter

In this unit you studied the determining influence of Oscar Wilde in English drama. Focus
ing mainly in his most acclaimed play, 'The Importance of Being Earnest', we could verify the re
sourcefulness of this unique author, especially concerning language structure and irony.

3rd chapter

In this unit you studied about:


the major aspects of Modern Theatre;
the importance of George Bernard Shaw for drama;
the innovation of Samuel Beckett;
the contemporary production Closer by Patrick Marber.

35
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Referncias
Bsicas

HARRISON, G. B. A Companion to Shakespeare Studies. New York: Doubleday and Company,


1960.

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. New York: Gramerey Books, 1990.

Complementares

ARP, Thomas R. JOHNSON, Greg. Perrine's Story and Structure. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning,
2005.

BECKETT, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. London: Grove Press, 2001.

BERKLEY, James. The Literature of England. New York: Random House, 1969.

DILLON, Janette. The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre (Cambridge Introductions to Li
terature) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

EMMERSON, Richard. Approaches to Teaching Medieval English Drama. New York: The Modern Associa
tion of America, 1990.

FEINGOLD, Michael. William Shakespeare's Hamlet. New York: Baron Educational Series, 1986.

KENNEDY, X.J., GIOIA, Dana., Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. London: Long
man, 2002.

LEEMING, Glena. Commentary: The Importance of Being Earnest. London, Methuen Drama 2010.

LEEMING, Glena. Commentary: The Importance of Being Earnest. London, Methuen 2010..

MARBER, Patrick. Closer. London: Methuen Drama, 2007.

MATEGRANO, Terry. Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2000.

McDonnell, Helen., NAKADATE, Neil E., PFORDRESSHER, John., SHOEMATE, Thomas E., England in Litera
ture. Oakland, NJ: Foresman and Company, 1979.

RANDSOME, Arthur. Critical Oscar Wilde, London, Prentice Hall, 2001.

SHAKESPEARE, William. Hamlet, prince of Denmark, London: Penguin Classics, 2004.

SHAW, George Bernard. Pygmalion. London: Penguin Classics, 2006.

WOMACK, Peter Womack. English Renaissance Drama (Blackwell Guides to Literature) Oxford: Blackwell
Publishers, 2006.

37
Letras/Ingls - Literatura Inglesa: Teatro

Atividades de
Aprendizagem - AA
1) Can we say that Hamlet presented his disturbance prior to the showing of the ghost? Ex
plain using some parts of the soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 129-159.

2) What kind of reproach Hamlet feels towards himself in the soliloquy found in Act 2, Scene
2, Lines 531-592.

3) The lines the soliloquy in Act III, Scene I lines.56-90: "The undiscover'd country from whose
bourn/No traveller returns" refer to what exactly? How is this relevant to the theme of the solilo
quy?

4) After the second appearance of his father's ghost, and after Hamlet's cathartic encounter
with Gertrude, he remembered who he was and rediscovered his place in the cosmos. He has rid
himself of melancholy and uncertainty by staging the play and confronting his mother. He can
speak of evil without frustration. Select passages of the soliloquy in Act 4, Scene 4, Lines 32-66
that confirm Hamlet's new found confidence.

5) What are the major characteristics of Oscar Wilde's drama? What makes him so unique?

6) Discuss the ambiguity of the word earnest in the play 'The Importance of being Earnest'.

7) What are the major changes in Modern Theatre? Why is there an enormous gap in the the
atre production in England?

8) How is Modern Theatre different from Elizabethan Drama?

9) Explain why Shaw called his play 'Pygmalion'. In what ways the title relates to the theme
of the play?
10) Explain the meaning of the adjective Shavian and how it relates to Modern Drama.

39
Minnuww da
Educao

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