NEOCLASSIC CRITICS

Principal 16th Century Italian critics:
il Cinthio, Minturno, Scaliger, Castelvetro,

Italian Tragedy: The earliest example of Italian tragedy was Albertino Mussato's Eccerinus, a Senecan bloodbath with five acts (1315). Around 1500, the Greek tragedies became widely available in translation and a debate on what form tragedy should take was joined centering on the inherent conflict between Seneca and Aristotle. Most popular of these early efforts was a "Greek" (meaning Aristotelian) tragedy, Sofonisba, by Giovan Giorgio Trissino (1478-1550). They were supplanted in popularity, however, by the plays of il Cinthio and Seneca won the day.

Giambattisto Giraldi Cinthio (1504-73): wrote three Senecan tragedies: Orvecche, Dido, and Cleopatra. He wrote these plays with production in mind, believing the main goal of tragedy was "to please" and to instruct the audience in good moral behavior. Five acts with breaks were pleasing to audiences because the breaks afforded the opportunities for intermezzi in the interval; also audiences preferred complex story lines with at least two stories. He retained messenger speeches and soliloquies; loved scenic displays and onstage deaths. With his belief that a tragic drama could influence viewers to choose virtue over vice, he also felt the purpose of tragedy was to "induce wonder, pity, and horror." Eventually, he abandoned tragedy for plays with happy endings since they please better. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the 24 hour rule. (See Duerr 101, Dukore 121-125)

Antonio Sebastiano Minturno's two treatises, the latin De Poeta (1559) and the Italian Arte Poetica (1564), were the most complete discussions of poetic and dramatic theory written to that point. Greatly influenced by Aristotle and Horace, Minturno, nonetheless had his own voice.

Francesco Robertello (1516-1567): wrote the first major commentary on Aristotle's Poetics, his In Librum Aristotelis de Arte Poetica Explicationes (1548). He argued that tragedy was superior to comedy, and that a theatrical audience was elite and would be offended by the "vulgarity of comedy." He believed as well in a 12 hour rule because people must sleep; he favored Horace and often warped Aristotle in order to reconcile the two. (See Dukore 125-121 "On Comedy")

Julius Caesar Scaliger (1484-1558) was a disciple of Aristotle who nonetheless distorted him to bolster his own views by creating hard and fast rules. Scaliger's Poetics sought to explain Aristotle's Poetics in such a way as to make them consitent with Horace, the Latin grammarians, and ultimately with his own notion of what Poetry should be.(See Duerr 101, Grose 137, Dukore 138-143)

Lodovico Castelvetro (1505-71) wrote the first vernacular commentary on Aristotle's Poetics (1570) in which he attempted to refute Aristotle; he first formulated the three unities of time, place, and action; believed audience was without poetic imagination, ignorant and wanted only to be pleased hence the need for rules. (See Duerr 101, Grose 137, Dukore 143-149)

In response to this flurry of critical theorizing, designers sought to offer concrete visual manifestations of Neoclassic thought in their theatrical designs.

Sebastiano Serlio: In his De Architettura, he proposed three scenes that, in theory, could be used for any play: Tragic, Comic, Pastoral…

Nicola Sabattini (Nagler p. 86)

Leone di Somi (1527 - 1592): Dialoghi in material di rappresentare le favole sceniche (1598) (Dialogues on Stage Affairs), a physician as well as a designer, is credited with being the first person to discuss the merits of a darkened auditorium during performance. (Nagler p. 102, Duerr, p. 99, Nicoll p. 237…).

Giacomo Torelli Da Fano (1608-78) (Nicoli 263-276) perfected the chariot and pole system of shifting wing and drop, single vanishing point perspective scenery.

Principal French critics 17th C: Chapelain, D'Aubignac, Boileau