Ming Dynasty Comedy Theory

Comedy is a unique achievement of the Ming Dynasty Operas. The Ming Dynasty Operas' values and position left out in the cold by the traditional opera circles have not been expounded fully. This thesis studies the comedy of the Ming Dynasty Operas initially, systematically and comprehensively.As for the distinguishable standard of comedy, the thesis holds that a drama makes one laugh on the whole, its main plot is amusing and the leading player is ridiculous. On the basis of these, the thesis re-checks the History of Chinese Traditional Operas and draws a conclusion as follows: The Song Jin Operas are complete but immature; the Yuan Dynasty Operas and the chuanqi plays in the Ming Dynasty have few complete comedy. The complete and mature comedy initiates from the Ming Dynasty Operas.The Ming Dynasty Operas are concerned about the subject's intrinsic nature's amusing and are attracted by their wisdom and the contemplation in some operas surpasses the Yuan Dynasty Operas and the chuanqi plays in the Ming Dynasty. They are even in a forward position in literary world at that time. They are profound in meaning and show a tendency of fable. They employ the skills of exaggeration and transformation and consider less of the detailed truthfulness but are good at creating ideas. Their cool style is formed by penetrative, sober and critical attitude with broadminded outwardly and resentful inwardly content.Why the comedy produced in the Ming Dynasty Operas and why the comedy has the current features have its incisive history reasons. Their principal part of the creation is literati. The comedy is smiling through tears after literati experiencing the changing seasons and seeing through the vanity of life. Their driving force is from accumulated hatredand this forms the tendency of fable. Literati's metaphysical contemplation runs high critical reason in the Ming Dynasty Operas and makes the operas have a unique philosophical quality. Yang-ming's Theory is literati's supporting point with which they doubt and criticize the reality. The Ming Dynasty Operas grow in the background of popular of banter in the middle and late Ming Dynasty with the progressive concept of comedy as its theory. The Ming Dynasty Operas cast off the limit between audience and stage by the tendency of desk. The comedy has more freedom in creation with changing of the structure, especially the script structure's breakthrough.As the above background, the Ming Dynasty Operas reconstruct through absorbing the mature form of the Yuan Dynasty Operas, breaking through its limits and regressing to the Song Jin Operas, which are short and comic, and then create a complete and mature comedy.