INTRODUCTION Theater is obviously one of the oldest methods used as a mean of communication by human being. As a result of research which have done by researchers, it is clear that people have used theatre to express their ideas and...
moreINTRODUCTION
Theater is obviously one of the oldest methods used as a mean of communication by human being. As a result of research which have done by researchers, it is clear that people have used theatre to express their ideas and feelings for not only people whom they lived in their age but people also lived after them, and people who live today since ancient times. We can improve that claim by giving example of the figures and pictures which were drawn on the walls of caves and on stones. Therefore, we can perceive that human being has used theatre for ages.
As a matter of fact, theatre emerged as a result of imitation. Humans’ efforts to imitate each other causes by making fun of or modeling on each other. As everybody knows, marriage turned out to be game by being played by children reflecting and resembling parents’ action and behaviors. Most of us used to play this game in our childhood.
One point that should not be avoided is theatre hasn’t carried out imitation by performing only positive characteristics of society and individuals, but it has also put negative sides of society and individuals on stage. Of course, the ultimate purpose of the theatre is not only to display beauties and good things, but also to reveal the faults, falsifications, and deficiencies in society and individuals. However, the problem was that even till late 1800s, playwrights hesitated to express problems experienced by different individuals and existing condition in society. Most of the time they had taken the themes and subjects of the works from ancient Greek mythology or put plays on the stage fantasized by them. Works and plays of these playwrights were not conveyed to ordinary people, in other words individuals out palace. Written plays and novels either praised a king, sultan, and upper-class men or entertained them and were performed in theatres. Briefly speaking, people to whom these plays were dedicated were the representatives of noble classes. Additionally, the themes that writers could work on were limited. This limitation was carried out by church which had authority and power considering either dominant or noble class or European Theatre. Displaying faults and mistakes of church was considered to be sin. The ones who tried to show faults of church and clergymen were severely punished. Therefore, writers hesitated and were of showing problems. For example, Christopher Marlowe was excommunicated from Christianity andThomas Kyde was tortured.
Although Romanticism and romantic novelists and playwrights who emerged after classicism age underlined problems of society and individuals, the themes and subjects of written works comprised mainly love, beauty, and nature. These works were not those which stated people’s problems. Themes and subjects of famine, unemployment, hypocrisy, injustice in politics and government, and war had become part of works only in late 19th and early 20th centuries. During 19th century Chekhov in Russia, Strindberg in Switzerland, and Ibsen in Norway were the writers and dramatists who selflessly wrote problems of individuals and society. Theatre were not only satisfied with making people laugh and entertain, but it also started to make them reason, Especially Ibsen provided transition of theatre from romanticism into realism by highlightening major themes and using methods. Critics of that time called him the founder of modern theatre.
In late 19th and early 20th centuries, Bernard Shaw who was prominent and remarkable writer, dramatist, film maker, stage manager, theatre and music critics, and orator, besides owner of other skills followed Ibsen’s way, too. Bernard Shaw clearly expressed himself to be the follower and the successor of Ibsen by extolling him in his work “Quintessence of Ibsenism””. He is one of the writers who lived longer, Shaw always emphasized on all problems of the society and continuously struggled against them all his lifetime.
Shaw not only expressed and put the problems on the stage, but he also made people laugh and think about them. The main point is that he also revealed ways of solution to these problems and put them forward. This concept of theatre having formed in Shaw’s creativity was called “Intellectual Drama”. To take all these factors into consideration, Shaw has become the only and first person in the world who was honoured by both Nobel Prize in literature and Oscar Award in film industry.
Actuality of Dissertation. The problems addressed by George Bernard Shaw are now observed and experienced in social life of modern Azerbaijan. Social, political, religious, and philosophical themes and problems were written by him, and their ways of solution brought up by him highlights the modern problems in the world and Azerbaijan. From this aspect, he is one of the writers and dramatists whose works have been read and performed most. As a result, to conduct a research into the creativity of Bernard Shaw acquires paramount importance from the prospects of themes and subjects taken up and innovations brought to drama by him.
The Goals of Dissertation. The main goals of this dissertation are to research the concept of “Intellectual drama” by Bernard Shaw, who was the founder of “Intellectual drama” in 19th and 20th centuries’ literature, to show the themes and subjects discussed by him, to specify his thoughts about these themes and subjects, to find out the ways how he directed and staged his plays as a director, to demonstrate from which aspect he approached world problems, and to analyze the characteristics of methods used by him while writing his plays. Our main purpose on doing this research is to reveal innovations brought by Shaw to World theatre and drama, especially to European theatre, and moreover, to identify Show’s place in the European and World theatre.
The Content and Elements of Dissertation. Bernard Shaw’s rich drama creativity and active director work comprise the focus and content of this research. As elements of this dissertation, I chose the characteristics of “Intellectual Drama” being popular in the European stages in the second half of 19th century and during 20th centuries, the display drama and theatre concept of Bernard Shaw who was one of the famous representatives of “Intellectual Drama” comparatively with Ibsen, Chekhov, and Strindberg, and research of the social, religious, and problems of women, Shaw’s directing specifications and features he used in his plays.
Scientific innovation of Dissertation. In the historical literature of Azerbaijan, dissertations almost do not exist which analyzing Shaw’s creative features and resources of them, reflecting Shaw’s views having been put forward with regard to socio-political problems, revealing his contributions and innovations brought by him to the World and European theatre and drama as a director, and showing Bernard Shaw’s approach to “Intellectual Drama”. In this respect this master dissertation can be considered as a first step in this realm.
Theoretical and practical importance of the Dissertation. This dissertation can be benefited in scientific lectures and seminars in colleges and universities to give information and enlighten students studying on literature of foreign countries. This dissertation could be also useful for research activities in literature field that might be carried out in the future.
Structure of Dissertation. With 75 pages, this dissertation consists of introduction, chapter I, chapter 2, conclusion, and bibliography.
In the first chapter, dissertation gives a plenty of information about Bernard Shaw’s life, touches creativities of Strindberg, Chekhov, and Ibsen who have important role in Shaw’s creative activity and creative work, and talks about his creativity until he is rewarded with Nobel Prize and later period, and amplitude of subject is specified.
In the second part, we talk about Shaw’s directing activity, setting, structure, and specifications of his plays which brought him an award of Oscar are taken up, dicuss his Intellectual drama concept and characteristic features of his satire, humor, irony, paradox, discussion, and remarks used in his plays, and give information about secularization of the themes which he touched.
Finally, at the end of this dissertation, conclusion and bibliography were included.
