Describe one of the performance spaces we’ve studied. Where did the performance space layout originate from? How does the layout of the space contribute to the efficacy of the performances that takes place in it, both in terms of theatrical and social performance?

Please use this study guide to review for the midterm exam on Monday, February 7th.
You may use this study guide during the exam, as well as notes, lecture slides, and the Internet during
the exam… BUT (1) your time is limited, and (2) you may not PLAGIARIZE!! So, you should still study,
and be careful to make sure your WRITING on this exam is YOUR writing, not copy/pasting someone
else’s words without giving them proper credit.
That being said: you will only have 50 minutes to complete the exam (unless granted extra time
through ODS), consisting of sections of Multiple Choice, Matching, True/False, Fill in the Blank, Short
Answer, and Long Answer questions. Review your class notes and lecture slides to be familiar with the
following concepts. Can you rattle off a 2-3 sentence explanation of each? Think about them in
relation to one another. How do they connect? How do they differ? What are examples?

Adaptation
Autos sacramentales
Catharsis
Comedias
Commedia dell’arte
Colonialism
Corrales
Decorum
Dramatic causality

Dramatic irony
Elizabethan
Gravitas
Humourism
Jacobean
Levitas
Memento mori
Metatheatricality
Mimesis

Neoclassicism
Poetic justice
Purity
Retelling
Revenge play
Sharing system
Stock characters
Unities
Verisimilitude

Review the plots, characters, and contexts of the four plays we’ve read in the course so far:
The Spanish Tragedy, Hamlet, Fuenteovejuna, and Tartuffe.
Review the Six Parts of Aristotle’s Dramatic Theory: plot, character, theme, diction, music, spectacle.
Think about how you would write a robust answer (at least 2 paragraphs) to the following prompts:

Describe one of the performance spaces we’ve studied. Where did the performance space
layout originate from? How does the layout of the space contribute to the efficacy of the
performances that takes place in it, both in terms of theatrical and social performance?

How were the neoclassical theatre traditions of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries
interpreting Aristotle’s dramatic theories from The Poetics differently? What other factors
differentiated the traditions from each other? How did these factors affect plays structures?

What are some reasons why Spain is the topic of Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy?

What are the pros and cons of stock characters, specifically as demonstrated in the theatre
traditions and plays covered so far this quarter? Use specific examples to support your claims.

Why do you think revenge plays became and have remained so popular? What about them
do people find so gratifying? How might we reconcile this the notion of decorum?

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