Opera And Confucianism

On the history of stage in the whole world, Chinese theatre , Paleo-Greece opera and India theatricals are dubbed three macro-groups of stage. Chinese theatre merges literature, music, choreography, art, wushu and acrobatics together. Singing and dancing, abstract painting and passing mettle, it shows gay national feature. Though there are lots of factors lead to the feature, cultural tradition acts as the decisive role. Chinese traditional culture has far origin and flows lengthy. It is great and profound. It lives through more and more evolution and innovation. But, It has constituted a complexion regarding Confucianism as the motif since Qin and Han dynasty. Confucianism is the soul of Chinese traditional culture. It pervades into every side of ancient society and it' s worthy elements offer much illumination to human race to this day. As a offset of Chinese literature and art, the whole course of coming into being, author, content of opus, artistic skill and evolution and so on of Chinese theatre are both affected by Confucianism. At the same time, Confucianism is vividly spread out by means of thea'tre opus, infiltrating into the people' s mentality of each times, formatting Chinese people particular cultural quality. Some theatrical opus show contradiction between Confucianism and human nature, in some degree, being the negation and gainsaying to Confucianism.This dissertation will expound the immanent relationship between theatre and Confucianism from five aspects.Chapter one is "Confucianism' s impact on the beget of Chinese theatre" . Substantially, there is different way for theatre from Confucianism. They belong to varying category, and include different content, expressional manner and social function. Confucianism is philosophical reflection to society and life. But theatre expresses speech by feelings. Confucianism cultivates people by morality, though theatre bring transfigure to people by describing artistic image. Nevertheless, they belong to components of the upper architecture, and there is close relationship between each other. In so far as the beget of theatre, Confucianism obviously engenders active impact on it. The late beget of theatre chiefly impute to feudal despotism and the bondage of natural economy that mainly comprised agriculture. In the long-drawn growing-up way of Chinese ancient theatre, it is difficult to find enough historical datum to conform that Confucianism is restriction from theatre. In fact, profoundly assaying from such aspects as Confucianist' s origin, their taking into account both literature and wushu, and their lionizing etiquette and music, we will find thatConfucianism acts as a kind of active role for the beget of theatre.Chapter two is "Confucianism' s impact on theatre author1* . Theatre author is a notion consists of abundant denotation. It includs literal author of theatre, actor of engaging recreation and Jiaoshuai .ie. director who constantly adapts drama during educates pupil. They have laved life attitude, moral conception and behavioral criterion of Confucianism, and showed dense Confucianist cultural hue in writing theatre opus, performing and teaching pupil. Confucianist forerunner call for a sort of life philosophy that is "coming out if there is justice in the world, otherwise, dying to the world" . It provides a kind of existing choice to engage theatre writing for literati who fall into dilemma. And for this reason, the quality of theater opus is enhanced, and theatre art is propelled to maturity and prosperity. "Both actor' s Virtue and feat are outstanding " is artiste ' s dream and life goal which are last forever, and consistently fortifying cultivation of morality is considered as the basis to practise the dream and life goal. Theatre realm judges that possessing lovely vocational morality is necessary qualifications of excellent actor. It is naturally in touch with human being' s requirement for cultivating oneself. Under the effect of Confucianism, theatre actor not only cherishes vocational honor, but also take improving feat into account. Confucianist emphasizes a kind of education belief that is "prophet enlightens subsequent learner, fore-known illuminates step-known" , and it provides a good guidance to director' s work for training actor. Whereas ancient artistes including director not only inherits confucianist education belief but also take on confucianist education model. Thereby, they have innovated the educatinal history of theatre art which is distinct and will be lasting forever.Chapter three is "theatre contents and Confucianism" . As social ideology and upper construction, literature always gives expression to economical base and social reality which depended on. Besides, the reflection itself is active, and it is a kind of expression to realistic life. Ancient theatre reflected the life of feudal society. Now that Confucianism took over the mainstream of ideology of feudal society for ages, having pervaded every sides of social life. And particularly, the thinking consisting of loyalty, filial piety, etiquette and obligation publicized by confucianist already became cardinal moral precept and behavior criterion. So, the prominent feature of content of ancient theatre is that it viewd loyalty, filial piety, etiquette and obligation as motif of opus, emphaticly revealed morality relationship amid kinds of people and their thinking feature. All sorts of theatres from South opera in Song and Yuan dynasty, Za-Ju in Yuan dynasty, Legend in Ming and Qing dynasty, to Beijing Opera in Qing dynasty and other local theatres are similar in this. The thinking consisting of loyalty, filial piety, etiquette and obligationcontained by theatre is quite complex. It not only publicized feudal and laggard conception, standing up for feudal ruling, but also extoled traditional national virtue. And usually, the latter was predominant. We should adopt the quintessence and discard the bad thing so that in favour of building socialist mettle culture.Chapter four is "Confucianism' s impact on theatre art" . Confucian' s idea of literature is closely in touch with his ideas such as philosophy, politics, morality and culture. It engenders far-reaching impact on subsequent expression manner, criticism conception of literary creation. As far as ancient theatre, it' s characterization, mode of framework, pattern of mask, theory criticism and so on are full of confucianist' s literary conception. The prominent feature of theatre for describing personality is that kind and foul roles are clear, and loyal and disloyal roles are clear, too. The result is the impact exerted by confucianist who accentuates to discern honorable man from dishonorable man on plastic arts of theatre. Ancient author of theatre usually adopt such artistic finesse as "melancholy interlaces gratification" ," misery entwines happiness" in making plot of opus, and it makes theatre art totally present a kind of artistic style that is meaningful and gentle. It is Confucianist' s idea "neutralization" which paves the way for them. Theatre mask is a kind of cultural language efficient in interlocutory between artist and audience. It has engaging denotation, chiefly describing character and virtue, implying praise and condescension, distinguishing virtue and evil, and full of a kind of hue of evaluating morality. It has embodied that the content of etiquette and morality of confucianist philosophy applying in mask art. On the side of theory criticism of Chinese classical literature, Confucianism focus on realistic literary idea that is "applying oneself to the real world" and deems that poetry and prose should exalt a kind of social function that is "motivating volition, exploring society, making intercourse and wreaking dissatisfaction" . Theatre critic has inherited aforesaid idea and transplanted it to theatre criticism. They believed that theatre possesses the same social value as poetry, Ci, prose and Fu, and the function to express will by using ator, to wreak feelings. In a word, creating theatre opus is "motivating volition, exploring society, making intercourse and wreaking dissatisfaction" , too. This has intensely gainsaid traditional view for looking down upon theatre, and intensely enhanced the social status of theatre.Chapter five is "Confucianism evolving and theatre developing" . Philosophy is the soul of art. Confucianism and theatre belong to upper architecture in common. They always undergo a course of stirring each other and developing themselves. During the course, Confucianism lies in a dominating status. During Song and Yuan dynasty, Confucianismwas graduUy rebuilded to be a new kind of idea that is New Confucianism or called Li Xue. It extremely emphasized the function of art, and respectively used two kind of means which one is refraining theatre and the other is putting it to use. Whereas theatre did in some degree protest to the durance made by Li Xue. At the same time, New Confucianism merged with Buddhism and Taoism by and by. The three faction' s confluence and undulating of dominating power of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism made great impact on the destiny and evolution of theatre. Since 1840, under the impact of west culture and artistic ethos, Confucianism faced with rigorous crisis, and ancient theatre became languishing. Innovation of Confucianism and reformation of theatre became mutual chase of advanced literati. And now, the quintessence and substantive value of Confucianism are confirmed afresh via selecting of new confucianists in varying times, and the effort made by reformer of varying times already produces bumper fruit.One of the significance on Studying the mutual relationship between theatre and Confucianism is that we can reveal the inner feature and evolutionary rule in a new angle. By doing so, at the same time, we may sufficiently demonstrate the contemporary value of theatre and it' s universal denotation to mankind. This is beneficial for Chinese traditional culture to play a active part in building the world cultural framework in 21 century.