During the Middle Ages, there was an unprecedented eclipse of the theatrical art. Medieval Christendom is opposed to the theater and the only form of it that somehow survives is the religious drama, which is limited to strict didacticism. The re-emergence of theatrical art takes place, later, during the period of absolutism in France. The theater of the time highlights Moliere , who is classified in comedy, while French tragedy has two prominent representatives, Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine (Racinas).
Pierre Corneille (1606-1684), creates for the French tragedy, a theater of ideas, in which the concept of the mental and moral greatness of his heroes occupies a primary position . He wishes to lay a new foundation in tragic speech. This foundation is the concept of greatness, which goes perfectly with the autocracy of the time. Corneille's originality lies in the fact that his works do not aim to convey any religious meaning of duty or greatness. On the contrary, his heroes are confronted with an individual strictness, with the personal consistency of words and works, with not betraying their own value and moral system. Personal logic and duty clash with passion and will and duty always emerges victorious . Logic is the guiding principle, on the basis of which the hero must move in all areas of his life, even if this means renouncing his passions and desires. The idea of the idealized, the ennobled, the morally and spiritually supreme is the desired goal for the hero to conquer. Corneille, with the subject he chooses, highlights the virtues of the royal court in the absolutist France of the time. His heroes function as models of behavior to which totalitarian politics must conform.
With Rakina (1639-1699), French tragedy changes perspective. His understanding of the human psyche is different from Corneille's. Rakina's theater deepens and is distinguished by the psychological realism of its heroes. Corneille highlights idealism, moral greatness, while Racine presents passion as a payment of human existence, with which man will inevitably collide . A fatal force, rooted in Jansenism, according to which man's destiny is predetermined from his birth. Jansenism has been characterized quite a bit as a pessimistic movement, with dynamic positions that focus on the characters and dispositions of people rather than on some heroic greatness that distinguishes them. The individual is described as a drive, which wishes to dominate. Man tends to the possession of the objects of his desire and not to the manifestation of his moral greatness and self-sacrifice.
There seems to be a clear change here. A demotion of man, in relation to Corneille, who praised virtue and consistency. The demotion to Jansenism has its roots in religious causes, concerning the humility of man before the divine majesty. The heroism that Corneille tries to highlight, the sense of duty and morality, are considered arrogance, a kind of hubris, which is unable to face the futility and humility of man before the divine.
The heroes in Rakina do not fight with divine powers, from which guidance, reward or punishment will come (as in ancient tragedy), but with their own selves, love, jealousy and possessiveness . They collide with their destiny and there is no sense of moral elevation, as in Corneille, but a deeply destructive condition. In particular, the close relationship that exists between Rakina's theatrical act and violence, especially the violence of love passion, is observed. Love is not a virtue, but it appears to be jealous and demanding, while it is expressed, many times, with violence and possessiveness. Moral perfection does not exist in Rakina, instead we encounter the passions and conflicts of the members of the royal court, which Corneille exalts as ideal and infallible.
Racine's theater defines French tragedy and contributes to the development of European theatre, as it deals with concepts concerning the deepest existence of the individual, with primal instincts and contains no plausibility, but harsh truth . The tragic element in Rakina resembles that of ancient drama and reflects inner parts of the human soul, while maintaining a didacticism. Heroes are deeply human, with flaws, personal beliefs, drives and weaknesses. Despite the somewhat pessimistic point of view with which things are presented, Rakinas managed to approach the human soul with great empathy and realistically highlight the passions and difficulties of his heroes. He moved far away from the theoretical idealization and moral perfection that Corneille projected. Create heroes who balance on the fine lines of what it means to be human.
0 Comments