Freytag's Technique of the drama : an exposition of dramatic composition and art. An authorized translation from the 6th German ed. by Elias J. MacEwan

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by  Freytag, Gustav, 1816-1895

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FREYTAG'S
TECHNIQUE OF THE DRAMA
AN EXPOSITION OF DRAMATIC
COMPOSITION AND ART
Dr. GUSTAV FREYTAG
AN AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION FROM THE SIXTH GERMAN EDITION
BY
ELIAS MacEWAN, M.A.
J.
TITIRD EDITION.
r/'l
CHICAGO
SCOTT, FORESMAN AND COMPANY
1900
Pli
Fn
COPYRIGHT, 1894
By S. C. GRIGGS & COMPANY
PRESS OF
THE HENRY O.SHEPARD CO
CHICAGO
CONTENTS.
Biographical Note. - - ^ - -vii-ix
—
Introduction. Technique of the drama not absolute. Cer-
tain craftsman's skill of earliertimes. Conditionof present
time. Aristotle's Poetics. Lessing. The great dramatic
works as models. . - . . - i-g
CHAPTER —DRAMATIC ACTION.
I.
—
1. The Idea. How the drama originates in the mind of the
poet. De-velop-ment -of the.idea..Mate-rial a-nd its trans-
formation. The historian and the poet. The range of
material. Transformation of the real, according to Aris-
totle. g-i8
—
2. What is -Drama-tic?-Expl-anatio-n. E-ffg,Cts-« Characters.
Theaction. The dramaticlifeof thecharacters. Entrance
ofthe dramatic intothelifeof men. Rarenessofdramatic
power. ig-27
—
3. Unity. The Law. Among the Greeks. How it is pro-
duced. Howtheunity ofhistorical material is not secured.
-----
False unity. Where dramatic material is to be found.
The character in the modern drama. Counter-playand its
danger. Episodes. 27-49
—
4. Probability. What is probable. Social effects of the
drama. The strange. The marvellous. Mephistopheles.
The irrational. Shakespeare and Schiller. - 49-61
-_-.—..-
5. Importance and Magnitude. Weakness of characters.
Distinguished heroes. Private persons. Degrading the
art. 61-66
CONTENTS.
iv
—
6. Movement and Ascent. Public actions. Inward strug-
gles. Poet dramas. Nothing important to be omitted.
PrinceofHoDiburg. Antonyand Cleopatra. Messenger
scenes. Concealment and effect through reflex action.
Efifectsbymeans of theaction itself. Necessityof ascent.
Contrasts. Parallel scenes. - - - - 66-84
—
7. What is Tragic? How far the poet may not concern
himselfaboutit. Thepurging. Effectsofancienttragedy.
Contrast with German tragedy. The tragicforce(moment).
The revolutionand recognition. - - - 84-103
CHAPTER H.—THE CONSTRUCTION OF
THE DRAMA.
—
1. Play and Counter-Play. Two halves. Rise and fall.
Two kinds of structure. Drama in which the chief hero
leads. Drama of counter-play. Examples. Spectacle-
play and tragedy. - _ - - . I04-114
—
2. Five Parts and Three Crises. The introduction. The
exciting force (moment). The ascent. The tragic force
.-.-.-
orincident. Falling action. The force ormotiveof last
suspense. The catastrophe. Necessary qualifications of
the poet. 114-140
3. Construction of the Drama in Sophocles.—Origin
oftragedy. Pathosscenes. Messengerscenes. Dialogues.
Representation. The three actors. Scope of their work
compared with modern actors. Same actor used to
strengthen effects. Cast of parts. Ideas of preserved
tragedies. Construction of the action. The characters.
Ajax as an example. Peculiarity of Sophocles. His rela-
tion to the myth. The parts of the tragedy. Antigone.
King (EdipMS. CEdipus at C0I0710S. The Trachinian
Women. Ajax. Philoctetes. - - - 140-181
4. Germanic Drama.—Stage of Shakespeare. Its influence
onthe structure of thepieces. Shakespeare'speculiarities.
Its falling action and its weaknesses. Construction of
Hamlet. - - - - - . - 181-192
CONTENTS. V
—
The Five Acts. Influence of the curtain on the modern
stage. Development of the act. The five parts. Their
....
technicalpeculiarities. Firstact. Second. Third. Fourth.
Fifth. Examples. Construction of the double drama,
Wallenstein. - 192-209
CHAPTER —CONSTRUCTION OF SCENES.
III.
—
Members. Entrances. Scenes. Units of the poet. Their
.-.--.
combination into scenes. Structure of the scene. Inter-
vals. Change of scenery. Chief scenes and subordinate
scenes. 210-216
The Scenes Accordingto the Number of Persons.—
Conduct ofaction through the scenes. Monologues. Mes-
senger scenes. Dialogue scenes. Different structure.
Love scenes. Three persons. Ensemble scenes. Their
laws. ThegalleysceneinAntonyand Cleopatra. Banquet
scene in Piccolomini. Riitli scene. Parliament inDemet-
rius. Mass scenes. Distributed voices. Battles. 216-245
CHAPTER IV.—THE CHARACTERS.
—
Peoples and Poets. Assumptions of dramatic character-
ization, creation, and after-creation. Variety of peoples
and characters. Germans and Latins. Difference accord-
ing to poets. Shakespeare's characters. Lessing, Goethe,
Schiller. - - - - - - 246-266
—
Characters in the Material and in the Play. The
characterdependent on the action. Example of Wallen-
stein. Characters with portraiture. Historical characters.
Poets and history. Opposition between characters and
action. Theepicherointrinsicallyundramatic. Euripides.
The Germansand their legends. Older German history.
Nature of historical heroes. Inner poverty. Mingling of
opposites. Lack of unity. Influence of Christendom.
Henry IV. Attitudeofthe poet toward the appearancesof
reality. Oppositionbetween poetand actor. - 266-303
—
Minor Rules. The characters must have dramatic unity.
The drama must have but one chief hero. Double heroes.
CONTENTS.
vi
Lovers. The action must be based on characteristics of
the persons. Easily understood. Mingling of good and
evil. Humor. Accident. The characters in the different
acts. Demandsof theactor. The conceptionofthe stage
-----
arrangement must be vivid in the poet's mind. The
province of the spectacle play. What is it to write
effectively? 303-322
CHAPTER v.—VERSE AND COLOR.
—
I. Prose and Verse. Iambic pentameter. Tetrameter.
Trimeter. Alexandrine. Verse of the Nibelungen Lied.
Dramatic element of verse. Color. - - 323-340
CHAPTER VL—THE POET AND HIS WORK.
—
I. Poet of Modern Times. Material. Work. Fitting for
the stage. Cutting out. Length of the piece. Acquain-
tance with the stage. _ . - - 341-366