Because of the great importance of the human element in the drama of today we shall attempt to trace it from its first great exponent down to our times. Therefore, within the following pages we shall conduct an analysis of the humanism of Euripides as expressed in his plays and reflected in selected plays of modern drama. Our analysis, by necessity, shall have a six-fold purpose; (1) to analyze briefly the characteristics of the Attic theatre for which Euripides wrote; (2) to study the life and philosophy of Euripides in order to determine the presence of humanism; (3) to conduct an analytical study of plays by Euripides in order to detect the presence of humanism; (4) to establish a connecting-link between Euripides and the modern era; (5) to analyze selected plays of the modern era for the presence of humanism; and (6) to present a comparative analysis between the humanism found in Euripides and the humanism found in the selected plays of modern drama.
We shall endeavor to present the findings in a manner of particular interest to students of the theatre. At all times we shall try to present the material from a production stand-point so that it may be utilized by student-actors and directors in their background preparation for a dramatic presentation. All student actors and directors should begin their study of a part or a play in the light of background material. In a play the shallowness of an actor or director's background is often revealed by the shallowness of interpretations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pacific.edu/oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-2120 |
| Date | 01 January 1950 |
| Creators | English, Robert Henry |
| Publisher | Scholarly Commons |
| Source Sets | University of the Pacific |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations |
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