"Is that so? What about other drama types?" Guo Kang asked: "Is it because they are not good enough that Roman drama has never been as famous as Greek drama?"
"As for other dramas..." Li Xuanying listed them one by one for him: "First of all, the upper class. Compared with the Greeks, the cultural level of the upper class in Rome is indeed not good."
"When the Greek drama system was introduced, the Romans also learned various types of dramas. However, the senators had no culture and would only let people produce various dramas that forcibly praised their ancestors. In this kind of drama, because the main characters are all wearing purple The nobles wear robes, so it is also commonly known as the 'Purple Robe Drama'."
"What is the representative of this kind of drama?" Guo Kang asked.
"There is nothing famous." Li Xuanying shook his head and said: "The level of purple robe dramas is generally very bad. Many scripts are so embarrassing that the Romans themselves can't stand them, so almost all of them have been lost."
"Okay..." Guo Kang felt that this explanation was acceptable: "What about the others?"
"There were some comedies and mock plays that were popular among the people, but not many of them were good enough. These plays that the Romans were keen on basically described the shortcomings of the parents, telling stories about mutual deception, lawsuits, and husbands and wives being unfaithful and quarreling with each other. Such topics. Although it was very popular at the time, it was generally not nutritious, so it was not famous in later generations."
"It's not like we can't write about these folk stories." Guo Kang suggested: "If we can write the stories and mentality of ordinary people well, it would actually be good."
"Maybe I'm really not good at it. You see, the simplest emotional drama is love drama. But the Romans couldn't write the Greeks." Li Xuanying gave an example: "The Greeks seem to have more intense emotions. They can write It shows the kind of unforgettable and mellow love. No matter the ending is reunion or tragedy, it can give people a strong shock. But the Romans..."
He scratched his head: "The playwright Terentius once introduced and adapted Greek dramas. In some of these love dramas, characters would choose to commit suicide when they were tortured by love. But he found that the Roman audience could not understand this behavior."
"In the eyes of the Romans, suicide was an extremely heroic thing with a very rich meaning. Therefore, they felt that being obsessed with love and wanting to die or live was too hypocritical and could not gain the understanding and emotional resonance of the audience. . In the end, Terentius had no choice but to delete all relevant plots.”
"Of course, I guess this has something to do with the playwright's own limited level. Terentius was the most accomplished playwright at that time, and even rarely received awards. But his writing skills were still not very good, and Compared to Greek playwrights of similar times, he is half as good as the comedy writer Menander.”
"Besides, this is not what I said. This is Caesar's evaluation of his work." He added specifically.
"So what do the Romans like?" Guo Kang asked.
"Probably because they like liveliness." Li Xuanying said: "The positioning of drama by the top officials of ancient Rome was leisure and entertainment from the beginning. The earliest comedy was after the First Punic War. In order to appease the tired citizens, specially invited Southern Theater troupes from the Magna Graecia region came to perform. From then on, it became a common practice for citizens to watch theater for entertainment. Even our current theater has the same idea."
"Moreover, Greek dramas were for citizens, and theater viewing was regarded as a way of cultivating people. Special subsidies were even given to theatergoers. But the citizens of Rome were much more numerous than the citizens of Greek city-states. On average, However, their social status and property level are far inferior to them, and their cultural level cannot even catch up."
"In this case, the head of state and the nobles are trying to win over the people with luxurious performances, and at the same time exaggerate the scene of the prosperous times and show their generosity. The people only use this to have fun and will not think about issues such as philosophy. "
"In addition, although the upper class of ancient Rome had been making use of drama, they also insisted on suppressing those engaged in this industry. The social status of playwrights was not high, and the actors were simply slaves and freed slaves."
"Do they also confer lowly status on actors?" Guo Kang asked curiously.
"It should be something like this." Li Xuanying nodded: "The law at the time stipulated that, with a few exceptions, free people could not participate in plays, otherwise they would be deprived of some political power."
"By the imperial era, women could also participate in comedy performances. This was not because the status of Roman women was higher than that of Greeks, but because the status of actors was too low. Especially comedians, who were already on the same level as women, there was no need to Restrictions have been imposed.”
"As for why, I can't explain it clearly. But in such an environment, it's normal for you not to be able to write high-quality works."
"And with the development of the times, the focus of playwrights has also changed. The empire is becoming more and more prosperous, there are more and more theaters and drama performances, and the requirements for scripts are more quantitative."
"By the fourth century, dramatic performances were held in Rome on 175 of the 365 days a year. For writers and theater companies, the most important thing was to stage enough novel plays to attract the audience's attention. During this period , many cities are still prosperous, but the artistic level of drama is getting lower and lower, and there are no representative works that can stand out."
"So, what should be the reason for the overall poor performance of Roman drama?" Guo Kang asked: "Is it because the senators are blindly directing, or is the writer's level too poor, or is it the common people's appreciation that is too low?"
"I don't know." Li Xuanying spread his hands and said, "If I have to say it, it's probably fate."
"Use it directly on site..." Guo Kang said speechlessly.
"I'm not studying this, I just heard other people tell me." Li Xuanying defended: "Let me summarize, I can't summarize it well. You are smarter than me, I think you should think about it yourself."
"I want to figure it out, I still have nothing to do to ask questions." Guo Kang said speechlessly: "Don't I think you are a senior drama researcher?"
"Then I'll take you to ask directly later." Li Xuanying thought for a while and finally decided.
"Don't forget about business, I still have to find someone to support Zhu Da." Guo Kang reminded.
"No delay, no delay." Li Xuanying waved her hand: "It will be solved along the way."
"Oh, by the way, please don't tell my dad that I'm thinking about drama." He quickly added.
"Okay, okay."
Although it seems unreliable, Li Xuanying will try his best to do what he promised. So Guo Kang also nodded and agreed.
He was just thinking about what to do next. Behind the stage, several staff members brought out a shelf and began to set it up on site. The audience seemed to rarely see people setting up props behind the stage. They turned around one after another, watching curiously and talking to each other. And those people took out a large round mirror and fixed it on the shelf.
"Huh?" Guo Kang always felt that this thing looked familiar: "Isn't this my reflector..."
"You did this too." Li Xuanying was not too surprised: "Let me just say, I used to have bronze mirrors. This is the first time I've seen this kind of glass mirror."
"I have only made this thing in the monastery. I don't know where they got it from. Are other people able to make it? Or did Master Wang order it directly from the monastery?" Guo Kang was a little confused.
"Even if other people can make this thing, it will definitely not be cheap." Li Xuanying said: "The monastery is also the territory of the church. It is not surprising that Master Wang asked them to make it as a prop for the drama he promotes."
Guo Kang thought about it and felt that it did make sense.
"Various props are also a feature of this drama. However, it is troublesome to install them, which is why the intermission is so long this time." Li Xuanying said, "But this is also a benefit of the nightclub, so I specially chose to bring you here this time. .”
Guo Kang nodded, and when he saw the staff placing a glassware like a goblet in front of the mirror, he probably knew what it was for.
Electric light bulbs are more troublesome to operate, but with the brightness requirements of a theater, there is more than just one way of lighting. This kind of whale oil lamp is a very commonly used one.
In northern Europe, there is a tradition of whaling along the North Sea coast. Merchants would transport the whale oil they obtained to Novgorod, then all the way south, and finally reach Dadu. This oil is used as fuel, is very bright and durable, and can be used in lighthouses. In daily life, it is also a very convenient lighting product.
From this point of view, this modification is quite practical.
After the light stand was ready, someone rang the bell to notify the audience that the intermission was over.
The curtain opened again and the scene had been changed. In addition to the curtain painted with blue sky and hedges, there is also a green carpet dotted with colors. A little to the left of the center of the stage, there is a fountain model, and it is actually spraying water now. Behind the fountain are shrubs composed of bonsai.
"The Sun" and his warriors sat on the carpet beside the fountain, drinking and singing in turns. At this time, the "Goddess of Discord" came up from the other side holding a wine can.
She wandered forward in small steps, looking back and looking forward. After walking around for two times, the "Night Goddess" and several other people quietly slipped out of the backstage, walked behind the bushes, squatted down, and hid themselves. The actors on the "Sun" side stopped singing and asked the audience to divert their attention.
"Mother!" Goddess of Discord walked over quickly: "Have you found all the helpers?"
"The Ai family has brought them all. As soon as they start fighting among themselves, we will take the opportunity to swarm them and deal with them." Queen Mother Ni, the goddess of the night, said confidently.
She stood up and began to click:
"The God of Destruction, Karl!"
"I'm here!" A strong man with a huge red angry mask and an ax on his back stood up from behind the bush and responded.
"Goddess of deceit, Apate!" Queen Mother Ni shouted again.
"My daughter is here!" Apat, who had already appeared once, also stood up and responded to her mother.
"The god of decay, Eurynomes!" Queen Mother Ni continued.
"I - am - here!" A fat man with green paint on his body and a green-faced fang mask also stood up and replied in a long tone.
"Goddess of desire, Philotes!" Queen Mother Ni greeted.
"My daughter is here!" Philotes, who had also appeared before, responded sharply.
"Listen to you!" The Queen Mother put her hands on her hips and lectured the four of them: "You all obey my command. Whenever I give an order, you will all come together immediately. Do you understand?"
"understood!"
"I know what you mean, mother."
"clear--"
"I understand~"
The four children answered one after another.
The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction, looked at it again, and said, "Strange, where's Hypnos?"
Others shook their heads and said they had never seen it before. The Queen Mother waved her hand, indicating that these children were enough.
After the mother and brothers and sisters hid themselves again, Eris, the goddess of discord, came to the fountain with wine in her hands.
Everyone stood up and looked at Eris warily. And she loudly said: "Warriors, I got a jar of wine, but it says 'dedicated to the bravest heroes' on the jar. Although there have been conflicts in the past, I dare not go against the destiny. This jar I’ll leave the wine to you, decide who to give it to!”
After that, she put down her wine and left with a light dance step.
Everyone walked over one after another, observing the jar of wine and whispering to each other. The Sun strode over and shouted to everyone: "What's wrong with this wine? Asclepius!"
An old man in a robe walked out from behind the scenes, tapped the wine can with a cane engraved with a snake, and said, "No problem, this is normal wine."
The heroes started talking louder, and some of them were already trying to convince everyone to let them taste it first. In the chaos, Taiyang stepped forward and picked up the wine can.
"In this case, we will award it to the bravest hero in accordance with the above requirements." He said: "Who do you think is the most qualified?"
The heroes came forward one by one to describe their military exploits. Some have killed terrifying monsters, some have defeated huge numbers of enemies, and some have experienced adventures that are unimaginable to ordinary people. Whenever a hero completes his narration, the sun shouts loudly and lets everyone cheer for him.
Finally, he said: "You are all brave men, and I can't decide who is more brave. So——"
He opened the jug, turned around, and poured all the wine into the fountain.
Behind the stage, the staff lit up the lights and cast a bright spot above the spring, like a small sun.
The Greek audience exclaimed, and some couldn't help but stand up.
"The Sun" shook the empty wine jar, then put it in the spring water, scooped out a full jar, and handed it to the first warrior: "This whole jar is for you. I respect your courage!"
The light spot then turned towards him. The warrior held the jar, drank heavily, and shouted: "Good wine!"
Taiyang scooped up another jar and handed it to the second one: "This is your jar of wine, here's to your swordsmanship!"
The warrior also raised his jar, raised his head in the light and drank, and then shouted: "Happy!"
The band began to play exciting music, and the audience's emotions were aroused, and they cheered one after another.
"The Greeks really don't know this allusion." Guo Kang said in surprise.
"Isn't this what you said yourself, the integration of Eastern and Western cultures?" Li Xuanying didn't know why he was surprised.
Guo Kang hesitated and felt that there seemed to be no problem.
On the other side of the stage, Queen Mother Ni stuck her head out and made a gesture of listening. When the audience's shouts gradually disappeared, he said: "The Ai family heard people shouting and yelling over there. The plan must have been completed, and those people started fighting on their own."
"Children, come on!"
The four children immediately walked out of the bushes. When the Suns and others saw them, they immediately stopped their carnival and took postures to face the enemy.
"No!" Apat, the goddess of deception, exclaimed: "They didn't fight at all. This is a scam!"
After that, she turned around and ran away.
Philotes, the goddess of lust, faced the sun, and the sun directly picked up the spear. The goddess angrily cursed him for not knowing how to show mercy, and at the same time turned around and ran away.
Eurynomous, the god of decay, limped forward, much slower than the others. Seeing his two sisters running away before the fight started, he quickly turned around. Before reaching the place, he limped back again.
Finally, Karl, the God of Destruction, foolishly rushed forward alone and was immediately beaten righteously. Amid the laughter of the audience, he was knocked down and thrown behind the curtain.
Seeing her sons and daughters failing one after another and the sun chasing after her, Queen Mother Nee jumped out of the bushes and ran to the edge of the stage with a scream.
There is a lifting device used for "mechanical deity". Queen Mother Ni stood on it and shouted "I will definitely come back!" The device slowly rose, implying that she flew up and escaped.
Amid the laughter of the audience, the curtain gradually closed.
"This is a fixed routine of this drama." Li Xuanying told Guo Kang: "The end of each episode is the failure of a strategy. And at the end, the Queen Mother will shout, 'I will definitely come back,' indicating that there will be another episode. "
"That's it..."
Guo Kang nodded, and amid the continuous applause of the audience, the curtain slowly opened again.
The staff has rolled up the carpet here. On the stage floor, a man wearing a nightgown and a nightcap lay. The chorus narrator introduces: "Meanwhile, Hypnos, the god of sleep, son of Nyx, is still on his way to the battlefield."
The light spot turned around and illuminated this corner. The God of Sleep sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Behind the scenes, the chorus still sang the war song, but in a lowered voice. Others were shouting and seemed to be fighting. The God of Sleep assumed a listening posture, covered his eyes, and turned to face the audience.
"Why is it so bright here all of a sudden? There are also sounds of fighting? Could it be that the brothers and sisters are fighting with the sun?"
He hesitated for a moment, and then made up his mind: "Anyway, I'm not missing anyone. I'd better sleep a little longer."
After that, he put the nightcap on his face and lay down again.
As the audience roared with laughter, the rope moved the curtain and slowly closed it again. The backstage staff also extinguished the oil lamps and ended the performance.
"How about it? These props are quite effective when used, right?" Li Xuanying said enthusiastically: "So when you asked last time, I said that I welcome all new technologies. After a little research on these things, it will be better for the stage effect. The improvements are very obvious.”
"Are you still responsible for planning the stage?" Guo Kang said in surprise.
"I only know a concept, so I guess it won't work if you ask me to do it. But I have a friend who understands." Li Xuanying explained: "Come on, I will take you to meet them right away."
The play has ended, the audience has left one after another, and the staff have begun to pack up. Li Xuanying took Guo Kang and walked towards the backstage preparation room.
(End of chapter)
