Acum ceva despre "Caesar and Cleopatra":

- the 20th century literature is characterized by a rebirth of dramatic interest both in Great
Britain and in the United tates! "n #n$land the influence of "bsen made itself stron$ly felt
in the problem plays of G!B! ha% and in the realism of &ohn Gals%orthy and omerset
'au$ham! (!! #liot revived and enriched the verse drama) &ohn *sborne e+pressed the
rebellious attitude of the "An$ry ,oun$ 'en" in -oo. Bac. in An$er! #u$ene */0eill)
(ennessee 1illiams and Arthur 'iller $ave America a serious drama) %ith modern features)
influenced by the #uropean e+periments!
- the modern "drama of ideas" is e+emplified in the plays of "bsen) ha%) Gals%%orthy) and
many others! (he problem plays represent in dramatic form a $eneral social problem) a
philosofic idea) sho%n as it is confronted by or must be solved by the prota$onist!
- ha%/s plays are conflicts of ideas and his characters prime reason for e+istence is to put
for%ard these ideas! 2is heroes %ere often created as mothpieces for the play%ri$ht/s
ideas! (hey tend to ma.e a lot of %itty) intellectual speeches throu$h %hich ha%/s ideas
are conveyed to the audience!
- the true sub3ect of a debate drama bein$ an idea) the events in the plot are less
important! ha% said about his plots: "havian plots are as silly as ha.espearean plots
and) li.e ha.espeare/s they are all stolen from other %riters"!
the innovatory techni4ue is based on reversal: ha% ta.es a familiar theatrical type or
situation and reverses it so that his audience is forced to reassess thin$s radically! "n
Caesar and Cleopatra ha% reverses the traditional vie% on the t%o le$endary characters!
2is Caesar has no trace of heroism and $randeur! 2e loos li.e an old $entleman) a %ell-
educated member of the #n$lish middle-class) endo%ed %ith a sense of dry humour!
Cleopatra) the $lamorous) ambitious and clever 5ueen of #$ypt) appears in ha%/s play as
a rather common) timid youn$ $irl %ho has nothin$ from the ma3istic fi$ure of the
le$endary 4ueen!
-in ha%/s plays parado+ is the most important comical device!
ha%/s reinterpretation of history:
ha%/s historical plays de$lamorize history) underlinin$ the discrepancy bet%een the le$end
surroundin$ historical personalities and the reality that lies beneath the "myth"! (he
techni4ue of reversal functions %ith $reat comic effect %hen applied to famous historical
characters li.e Caesar and Cleopatra! Caesar) far from bein$ a heroic fi$ure) is seen by
Cleopatra as an elderly $entleman) %ho cannot scare even a $irl! 1hat is even funnier) he
is told by a $irl 6for that is Cleopatra/s ima$e in ha%/s play7 ho% to $overn: ",ou are very
sentimental) Caesar8 but you are clever8 and if you do as " tell you) you %ill soon learn to
$overn"!
G!B! ha% e+plained in his 0otes to Caesar and Cleopatra that he intended "to produce an
impression of $reatness by e+hibitin$ Caesar as a man) not mortifyin$ his nature by doin$
his duty) but as simply doin$ %hat he naturally %ants to do"!
Asta e din cartea "9eady for #+ams"-your .ey to literature) Alina-Antoanela
tefanoiu) nu e o carte de referinta pt! ac! e+amen) dar mi-am insusit elemente de
tehnica) $en) curente) stiluri) etc! din ea!