eBooks de Géneros dramáticos, página 19 de 47

When We Dead Awaken, first published in 1899 as "Naar vi dde vaagner", is the final theatrical drama written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Set at a Norwegian spa during the wintertime, the story is told in three acts, and charts the existential ruminations of professor and famed sculptor Arnold Rubek as he reunites with his former muse, Irene von Satow. Desperate to recapture the glory of his past inspirations, Rubek must also reconcile his relationship with his estranged wife, Maia. Often called one of Ibsens most confessional works, the play touches on themes of despair, mortality, legacy, nostalgia, artistic expression, petrification, rekindled romances, and ultimately, the acceptance of death. Some scholars believe the play is a biographical blend of Ibsens own life with that of his contemporary, Auguste Rodin.

"Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1921) created Luigi Pirandellos international reputation in the 1920s and is still the play by which he is most widely identified. With originality that was startling to his contemporaries, Pirandello introduced a striking and compelling dramatic situation that initially baffled but eventually dazzled audiences and critics alike.The comedy, written in Italian, helped lay the foundation for the Theatre of the Absurd, a literary genre popular in the second half of the twentieth century. Absurdist drama presents life as meaningless, nonsensical, and comic. It may also allow unreality to exist in the real world. The story follows a theatre company that is interrupted by the arrival of six characters from an unfinished drama, with the remainder of the play blurring the line between fiction and reality and drawing attention to the nature of theatrical dramas. "Six Characters in Search of an Author" is a parody of the well-made play. All theatrical conventions and functions of personnel are examined in the play-within-the-play, which operates on different temporal planes.

"Ghosts" is a drama in three acts by Henrik Ibsen, published in 1881 in Norwegian as Gengangere and performed the following year. The play is an attack on conventional morality and on the results of hypocrisy."Ghosts" tells the story of Helen Alving, a widow who is haunted by the many mistresses of her deceased husband and by her son who has inherited syphilis from his philandering father. "Ghosts" is a scathing indictment of Victorian society in which Ibsen refutes the notion that if one simply fulfills ones duty rather than following ones desires then a good and noble life will be achieved. Scandalous in its day for its frank discussion of venereal disease and marriage infidelity, "Ghosts" remains to this day an intense psychological drama and sharp social criticism.

Among Molieres best-known works is "Tartuffe" (AKA "The Hypocrite"), written in 1664. Though "Tartuffe" was received well by the public and even by Louis XIV, its popularity was lessened when the Archbishop of Paris issued an edict lasting 5 years threatening excommunication for anyone who watched, performed in, or read the play.Molieres masterpiece Tartuffe is a story about a man who falls prey to misplaced adoration. The dramatic work presents several dramatic features which define the play as a comedy of manners. Of particular importance is Molieres satirical look at religious hypocrisy. Tartuffe, a pious fraud who pretends to speak with divine authority, has insinuated himself into the household of Orgon. When Orgon announces that his daughter Mariane is to marry Tartuffe instead of her fiance Valere, the rest of the family realizes the extent of Tartuffes influence over Orgon. Tartuffe tries to seduce Orgons wife Elmire, who traps him into revealing to Orgon his intentions toward her. Orgon throws Tartuffe out of the house, Tartuffe returns with an order of eviction for the family, and at the final moment the tables are turned and the play ends happily.

William Shakespeares "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of the Bards most popular comedies. First written and performed in 1598 or 1599, it has been performed almost constantly ever since, as generations of great Shakespearean actors and actresses take on the roles of bickering lovers Beatrice and Benedick.The play was also the basis for one of the most popular film adaptations of Shakespeare of all time: director Kenneth Branaghs 1993 version starring himself, Emma Thompson, and Denzel Washington among others. And in 2012, in between making Avengers movies, director Joss Whedon also made a highly acclaimed film adaptation.Much of the focus around Much Ado always centres on Beatrice and Benedict, two of Shakespeares greatest comic creations. But, the quarrelsome duo are actually only supporting characters in the play, and there is a lot of other action happening.Count Claudio falls in love with Hero, the daughter of his host. Heros cousin Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) are each duped into believing the other is in love with them. Claudio is deceived by a malicious plot and denounces Hero as unchaste before they marry. She faints and is believed dead, but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedict wins Beatrices love defending her cousins honour, and to his surprise, Claudio is reunited with Hero, who he believed dead.

"The Seagull", performed in 1896 and published in Russia the following year as Chayka, is a slice-of-life drama by Anton Chekhov set in the Russian countryside at the end of the 19th century. The cast of characters is dissatisfied with their lives. Some desire love. Some desire success. Some desire artistic genius. No one, however, ever seems to attain happiness.Scholars have often said that Chekhovs plays are not plot driven. Instead, the plays are character studies designed to create a specific mood. Some critics view "The Seagull" as a tragic play about eternally unhappy people. Others see it as a humorous albeit bitter satire, poking fun at human folly.

"Macbeth", tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, was written sometime in 160607. The play is the shortest of Shakespeares tragedies, without diversions or subplots. Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches who predict that he will become Thane of Cawdor and "king hereafter." His wife, Lady Macbeth, urges him to seize the opportunity and take the throne. One night, Macbeth murders King Duncan in his sleep and frames the guards for the crime. He becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death.Macbeth is, along with the character of Iago in "Othello" and his earlier portrayal of Richard III, William Shakespeares most powerful exploration and analysis of evil. Although we can find precursors to Macbeth in the murderer-turned-conscience-stricken-men of Shakespeares earlier plays notably the conspirator Brutus in "Julius Caesar" and Claudius in "Hamlet" Macbeth provides us with a closer and more complex examination of how a brave man with everything going for him might be corrupted by ambition and goading into committing an act of murder.Macbeth was a real Scottish king, although he was somewhat different from the ambitious, murderous creation of William Shakespeare.

"King John", (in full "The Life and Death of King John") is a chronicle play in five acts by William Shakespeare written perhaps in 159496.The title figure provides the central focus of the play and is surrounded by many contrasting characterseach able to influence him, each bringing irresolvable and individual problems into dramatic focus. Chief among these characters are Johns domineering mother, Queen Eleanor (formerly Eleanor of Aquitaine), and Philip the Bastard, who supports the king and yet mocks all political and moral pretensions.King John of England goes to war against the French after claims that his nephew should be king instead. John has conflict with the church, orders his nephews death, and turns the nobles against himself. In the end, a tragic fate is awaiting John...

"Coriolanus" is the last of the so-called political tragedies by William Shakespeare, written about 1608. T. S. Eliot considered "Coriolanus" to be Shakespeares finest achievement in tragedy. Not only is "Coriolanus" a Roman history play in addition to being a tragedy, it is a decidedly political work that embodies a debate or treatise concerning the relative merits of patrician autocracy versus plebeian democracy. Roman general Coriolanus makes his name defeating an enemy army and defending Rome. The Senate nominates him as consul but he cannot win the peoples vote, so he is banished from Rome and allies with his old enemy. He comes to attack Rome, but his mother persuades him not to. His new-found ally will make him pay for the betrayal...

"Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy was published in instalments between 1875 and 1877 and it is considered one of the pinnacles of world literature.This masterwork tracks the life of aristocrat Anna Karenina and her tryst with Count Vronsky. The novel is staged in the late nineteenth century at the height of major political and social changes in Russia. In "Anna Karenina" Tolstoy uses his intense imaginative insight to create dozens of characters that portray a realistic account of Russian society during this period, some of the most memorable characters in literature. Anna is a sophisticated woman who abandons her empty existence as the wife of Karenin and turns to Count Vronsky to fulfil her passionate nature - with tragic consequences. Levin is a reflection of Tolstoy himself, often expressing the authors own views and convictions.

Agamemnon is the first of the three linked tragedies which make up The Oresteia trilogy (comprising Agamemnon, Choephori and The Eumenides), the only surviving example of a complete trilogy of ancient Greek plays, by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus."Agamemnon" was originally performed at the City Dionysia in 458 B.C."Agamemnon describes the homecoming of Agamemnon, king of Argos, from the Trojan War, and his return to his wife, Clytemnestra, who had been planning his murder (in concert with her lover, Aegisthus) as revenge for Agamemnons earlier sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia.

Written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1596 and 1598, "The Merchant of Venice" is classified as both an early Shakespearean comedy (more specifically, as a "Christian comedy") and as one of the Bards problem plays; it is a work in which good triumphs over evil, but serious themes are examined and some issues remain unresolved.In "The Merchant of Venice", Shakespeare wove together two ancient folk tales, one involving a vengeful, greedy creditor trying to exact a pound of flesh, the other involving a marriage suitors choice among three chests and thereby winning his (or her) mate.Antonio, the Merchant of Venice, lends three thousand ducats to his friend Bassanio in order to assist him in his wooing of the wealthy and beautiful Portia of Belmont, an estate some distance from Venice.Antonios own money is tied up in business ventures that depend on the safe return of his ships from sea, so he borrows the money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender whom he has previously insulted for his high rates of interest.Shylock lends the money against a bond. Failure to repay the loan on the agreed date will entitle Shylock to a pound of Antonios flesh...

Ajax is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. Although the exact date of its first performance is unknown, most scholars date it to relatively early in Sophocles career (possibly the earliest Sophoclean play still in existence), somewhere between 450 BCE to 430 BCE, possibly around 444 BCE. The subject is taken from a lost epic poem, which was alluded to in Homers Odyssey, and it chronicles the fate of the Greek warrior Ajax the Greater after the events of The Iliad and the Trojan War.After the death of Achilles, his armour was decided to be handed over to Odysseus rather than Ajax the higher. The decision took by Agamemnon and Menelaus the two Greek commanders infuriates Ajax. Therefore, he decides to kill the three and Goddess Athena intervenes. She mystifies the mind of the great warrior and he believes the camp cattle to be the Greek warriors. He slaughters the cattle and this news goes to Odysseus. He tries to inspect the issue and Athena watches Odysseus looking for the truth.Sophocles - The Tragic Homer is one of the great playwrights the Greek civilisation has ever witnessed. He is famous for his trio of plays called as the Oedipus cycle. The play "Ajax" is considered a remarkable piece of tragedy and the view of a dramatist of the civilisation where gods intervened in the matter of men. The Greek population revered Sophocles and by reading his plays one would feel that their actions are justifiable.

"The Two Noble Kinsmen" is a fantastic adaptation of Chaucers "Knights Tale", but also has echoes of Shakespeares "A Midsummer Nights Dream", as two of the major characters are Theseus and Hippolyta, who also appear in the earlier play.The play is a Jacobean tragicomedy co-written by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher and first published in 1634.Set in ancient Greece during a war between Athens and Thebes, the narrative follows the title characters, Palamon and Arcite, noble youths whose friendship is destroyed by their mutual love for the beautiful Emilia. The subplot deals with the love and eventual madness of the Gaolers Daughter, who falls hopelessly in love with Palamon.

"The Winters Tale" is a play in five acts by William Shakespeare, written about 160911 and produced at the Globe Theatre in London.One of Shakespeares final plays, "The Winters Tale" is a romantic comedy with elements of tragedy. The plot was based on a work of prose fiction called "Pandosto" (1588) by Robert Greene. The play opens with Leontes, the king of Sicilia, entertaining his old friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. Leontes jealously mistakes the courtesy between his wife, Hermione, and Polixenes as a sign of Hermiones adultery with him. In a fit of jealousy, he attempts to have Polixenes killed, but Polixenes escapes with Camillo, Leontes faithful counselor, whom Leontes has sent to kill him. The pregnant Hermione is then publicly humiliated and thrown in jail, despite her protests of innocence. When the child, a girl, is born, Leontes rejects the child out of hand and gives her over to Antigonus, the husband of Hermiones attendant Paulina. The child, Perdita, is raised by shepherds for sixteen years and falls in love with the son of Leontes old friend, Polixenes. When Perdita returns home, a statue of Hermione "comes to life", and everyone is reconciled.(Source: britannica.com)

William Shakespeares "Antony and Cleopatra" is considered a tragedy, though it is also referred to as historical work by some. It was first published in his "first folio" in 1623, but was reportedly first performed at either the Blackfriars or Globe theatre by Shakespeares acting company the Kings Men."Antony and Cleopatra" was written about character Mark Antony, who first appeared in Shakespeares play "Julius Caesar", and his lover Cleopatra. Within the play the action shifts back and forth between Rome and Egypt, and the two locations seem to almost play a role. Alexandria is portrayed as a sensual and creative place while Rome is less extravagant and more pragmatic. Rome is ruled by three joint rulers called triumvirs; Mary Antony, Octavius Caesar, and Lepidus.In the play Mark Antony shirks his responsibilities in Rome after becoming seduced by Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. As a soldier he neglects his own state matters including his wife Fulvias death after her rebellion against Octavius. Octavius calls upon Antony to return to Rome and Cleopatra implores him to stay with her. Though he swears his love for Cleopatra, he finally leaves back for Rome.Back home it is proposed that Mark Antony marry Octavius younger sister Octavia...

Scholars generally agree that "Alls Well That Ends Well" is a comedy written by William Shakespeare between 1600 and 1605, although some believe that the play is the lost Shakespearean drama titled "Loves Labour Won", which was written before 1598.Despite its optimistic title, Shakespeares "Alls Well That Ends Well" has often been considered one of his "problem play.s" Ostensibly a comedy, the play also has fairy tale elements, as it focuses on Helena, a virtuous orphan, who loves Bertram, the haughty son of her protectress, the Countess of Rousillon. When Bertram, desperate for adventure, leaves Rousillon to serve in the Kings army, Helena pursues him and, in the end, Helena and Bertram are happy, alls well that ends well.

"Othello", in full "Othello, the Moor of Venice" is tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written in 160304 and published in 1622. The play derives its plot from Giambattista Giraldis "De gli Hecatommithi" (1565).Along with "Hamlet", "King Lear", and "Macbeth", "Othello" is one of Shakespeares four great tragedies and thus a pillar of what most critics take to be the apex of Shakespeares dramatic art. "Othello" is unique among Shakespeares great tragedies. Unlike the other tragedies above mentioned, which are set against a backdrop of affairs of state and which reverberate with suggestions of universal human concerns, "Othello" is set in a private world and focuses on the passions and personal lives of its major figures.Othello, a Moor and a general in the Venetian army, marries a Venetian noblewoman, Desdemona, without the blessing of her family. Iago, the villain of the story, plots with Roderigo to essentially destroy Othello. Iago cites several reasons for his vengeance, including Othello overlooking him for a promotion and giving the position to Michael Cassio instead, and Othello possibly sleeping with Iagos wife, Emilia. Roderigo, who is used by Iago because he is rich, is in love with Desdemona and works with Iago because he is promised that he will win Desdemona if they are able to defeat Othello.Iagos plans become progressively more manipulative and complex as he preys upon Othellos insecurities and convinces him that his new wife is having an affair with Cassio. Tragedy is about to happen...

"Julius Caesar" is one of the greatest political thrillers written by William Shakespeare. The play sets forth in Rome around 44 B.C. and tells the story of the conspiracy against Caesar, his assassination and the defeat of his conspirators.Jealous conspirators convince Caesars friend Brutus to join their assassination plot against Caesar. To stop Caesar from gaining too much power, Brutus and the conspirators kill him on the Ides of March. Mark Antony drives the conspirators out of Rome and fights them in a battle. Brutus and his friend Cassius lose and kill themselves, leaving Antony to rule in Rome.

"Timon of Athens" is the story of Shakespeares sharp satire on wealth, greed and betrayal, which was probably written around 16051606.Timon of Athens is a man who enjoys to please his friends and he does this by lavishing gifts on them. His friends rush to gain his favour. They buy him small gifts and he repays them with big gifts. He ignores the warnings about false friends from the philosopher Apemantus and his extravagance catches up with him in the end and he is faced with unpaid bills. His friends ignore his requests for help. He sends invitations to the Athenians to a banquet and uses the occasion to berate them for being false and he then leaves Athens. Timon then discovers gold and becomes rich once again and befriends General Alcibiades who has also been treated badly by the Athenians. He provides the money for the General to wage war against the Athenians and seek revenge for their falseness.